<p>As many have said, every school approaches this differently, and the best advice I can think of is just to be pro-active. Don’t wait to get a letter from the school saying he has to be out in a week. He should be talking now to his deans and his advisors (more so his deans though, advisors usually don’t have power in this situation), explaining the situation, and finding out what his options are. If he reallly wants to continue at the same college, and you really want to keep him there, he’s going to have to come up with a plan for how he’s going to change, and he’s going to have to ask the college to take him back even though they have really no reason or responsibility to do so. You can help if you like by making an appointment to talk to the Dean yourself either in person or by phone, but you should act quickly and not wait to see what his college decides.</p>
<p>Every situation is different, I can only offer some things to think about (I was in a similar situation myself).
Overall is your son happy at that university (friends, location, stucture…)? If the answer is yes and he wants to stay:<br>
How is the university structured - is it a few “schools/colleges” under the university umbrella?
He may be able to transfer to another college within the university - they sometimes have different probation/dismissal guidelines, and understand how demanding the engineering curriculum can be. Or maybe defer the university dismissal - take a few courses at a local college or CC (helps prove 2 things can do the work & is actually willing to do the work) and be reinstated to the university under a different department/program.<br>
If he is ambivalent toward the school or thinks college is something he has to do - than let it go - do not return. Explain the situation to the school advisor (wrong major, maturity level, wrong crowd, depression … whatever… hate to penalize the youngster & have him carry this through his academic career) & maybe you can convice them not to officially “academically dismiss” him - because it will appear on his transcripts - it is there forever. Having a low GPA is one thing but having a transcript with academic dismissal on it is something that most schools will not accept (even with time off & finding themselves).</p>
<p>OP here with an update: things moved very fast and the time to be proactive has passed. Son learned from advisor that he in fact is going to be dismissed. There is an appeals process, although apparently it is unusual for an appeal to be won. He is now busy drafting an appeal letter. </p>
<p>I know there are good arguments for us as parents to not support his continuation at this college based on the let down. However, all things considered we do believe this college overall a good fit for him and he would succeed if he stayed with more freedom to pursue his academic interests without the mandates of the engineering curriculum. Practically speaking 1 grade got him onto academic probation: an F in Diff Eq second sem freshman year, when all other grades were A’ and Bs. In our judgement continuing on would be the best path for him. So we are going to support the appeal, even if it’s a long shot. </p>
<p>So now my question becomes: anybody have experience or advice with appealing an academic dismissal?</p>
<p>Thanks for the update, OP. I have no experience with an appeal, but think the points you made in post #43 could be effective. Why hold the science and engineering grades against him if he is going to major in a totally different area? Especially since he had A’s and B’s in the other subjects, demonstrating that he would do just fine majoring in one of those subjects?</p>
<p>I think there is wiggle room during probation, but that wiggle is nil at dismissal. My advice would be to look into reinstatement policies and look for ways to hasten some maturity. Frankly, my older D flunked out freshman year and it took her a few more to figure out that yes, she wanted to go to college. The upside was she had lived on her own for a number of years and after a trial semester (where she took five classes instead of four and earning a 3.67 gpa), she got into the college and will receive pretty good financial aid (something we would never have qualified for had she been under age).</p>
<p>It is not the traditional path and I am sure there are some regrets in there. Funny thing is she wants more than anything to be a teacher!! She gets what its like to see everyone else on the same page while she was still looking for the book.</p>
<p>OP- your son needs a supporting letter from a professor ASAP. Preferably one who knows him as more than just a kid who got an A or B in his/her class if there is such a professor.</p>
<p>Your son should email this faculty person to explain (with no excuses) what has happened, the three reasons why your S wants a college education and the three reasons why this college is a fit for him (i.e. why he thinks he can succeed going forward.) And then ask the professor for a letter to the appeals committee.</p>
<p>Your S needs an insider to help him take control of this process.</p>
<p>I am so sorry for you-- but something good will come of this I’m sure. Your S sounds like a smart, capable kid and he will land on his feet regardless. But get a professor who knows him to get on board real fast.</p>
<p>A letter from a prof probably will help. So will presenting tot he committee a plan to change not just his major, but his study habits, show them that he’s really thought this through and has a solid, thought out path to get back on track. </p>
<p>But prepare yourself that it may not work, and he may end up at home having to re-apply to another college and try to start over. Often the attitude is that a student on probation already got a second chance, and even knowing the consequences, burned it. So they may be disinclined to give him another chance, even with a good appeal. If he does get dismissed, he should try to retain the emails and contacts of some professors so that he has people to draw on to write him recommendations for the past.</p>
<p>Some boys need a little more time to grow up than others. As a high school teacher I see a lot of very bright male students struggle in college the first few years; many drop out. I think we always think it is the adjustment to more difficult academics but studies show it is really a life adjustment; less structure, flexible hours, fewer assignments to boost the grades, etc. Your son just may need a few more years. I know many male adults who have told me that when they reached 21-22 years of age stuff that seemed so hard only a few years before made so much more sense. </p>
<p>Anyway, my 19 year-old son is also doing poorly. We brought him home at Christmas and he is planning on joining the Air Force. He doesn’t know what he wants to study (started with Computer Science and then switched to Computer Engineering) nor does he know how to study, because he never had to. His smarts kept him above water K-12 without having to be organized and now it is catching up on him. I am hoping the military will help him get his act together. Another nice thing about the military is the $80,000 + GI bill. When he is ready he will have the money.</p>
<p>OP here with an update. Good news, my S will be continuing on in college spring semester. He appealed the academic withdrawal decision which would have required him to withdraw for at least a semester, with the possibility to be readmitted. He appealed on the basis of an fairly serious illness during second semester freshman year (the semester that go him onto probation in the first place). that he stuck with the wrong major too long, and had in fact gotten some very good grades along with a few bad ones. </p>
<p>He wanted to take the lead on the appeal, and we let him, staying in the background. Thanks to some good advice here (thanks Blossom) he was able to get a strong letter of support from a professor, which I’m sure helped. He also wrote a detailed explanation of how and why he screwed up, and a plan to change things. Part of the plan was a change in major. We wrote a letter of support, and also talked with the Dean to express our opinion and add some color commentary we thought was relevant. it was hard for us to not try to take control, especially when the process started dragging out, but we believed that he had to take the lead to demonstrate his maturity, and not let his parents run the show for him. </p>
<p>He insisted on returning to campus to coordinate his own appeal, because he wanted a face to face meeting. He didn’t have an offical appeal meeting, but he did show his face a few times in the advising office to drop documents off, check on status, etc. so this was an awkward situation in which he was on campus, in limbo, and we were remote. It probably helped the appeal that he was taking the initiative and showing some motivation. It was a stressful 2 weeks. </p>
<p>I realize that many parents would not have permitted there child to return to college after a poor performance, but we felt it would be best for him to continue, and that he has a very good chance to be successful at this college. </p>
<p>Many thanks to all the great posts here, and the PM’s from very supportive and knowledgable people. You can’t imagine how helpful all the input and ideas were to us, including some very practical advice that helped us through this rough patch. All the best to everyone in 2010!</p>
<p>Good news! I think dealing with this setback on his own must have been a tremendous learning experience for your son. it will stand him in good stead. And now that he is clearer about where his strengths and interests lie, he can feel more confident in his ability to succeed and to enjoy college.
Kudos, too, for being supportive but letting him take the lead. It’s hard to do!</p>
<p>Keep us posted. Sounds like he’s learned some valuable lessons here.</p>
<p>I wish him the very best.</p>
<p>Congratulations - that’s great news!!!</p>
<p>Great news…We too, let our S2 return for Spring sem. last year after a disastrous first semester. He has done well since then. Wishing the best for your S in the Spring semester.</p>
<p>Awesome news! My very best wishes for him to get on track this semester.</p>
<p>My guess is that your s learned a lot by going through this process that he could have never learned without it. All the best to you and him as he embarks on his next semester!</p>
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<p>very impressed and congratulations to him for taking the bull by the horns! I love that.</p>