| 1. |
Students Enroll
in Too Many Hours |
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|
Students in academic
difficulty feel that they have seen the
error of their ways and are now ready to
make a complete transformation and become
model students. These students are convinced
that they can make up for lost time by taking
extra hours to replace the lost ones and
making a 4.0. That is unlikely, at best.
Students on probation are restricted
to 13 semester hours in order to be able
to do well in those courses. A student who
earns fewer but higher grades may increase
the GPA more than the student who earns
a larger number of average grades. |
| 2. |
Students Avoid
Repeating Courses in Which They Earned Low
Grades |
| |
|
Students often have bad experiences
in the courses in which they earned low
or failing grades. That leaves them not
wanting to deal with those courses again
and instead, they try to bring up the GPA
with higher grades in other courses rather
than by repeating.
Students should be encouraged to retake
courses in a timely fashion so that the
course content is not completely forgotten.
|
| 3. |
Students with
a Weak Background Take Advanced Courses |
| |
|
Many students think they
must graduate on time and, therefore, must
not interrupt the sequence of courses for
any reason. They register for advanced courses
without getting a good foundation in the
prerequisite courses.
Students sometimes believe they must
continue the scheduled sequence of courses
in spite of academic difficulties. In difficult
majors, students sometimes need to repeat
courses, even when they have earned passing,
but low, grades. A specific grade may be
required to proceed in the sequence.
Advisors can help students understand
that it is difficult to be successful in
advanced courses if they are not prepared. |
| 4. |
Students Fail
to Resolve "I" Grades within the
Time Limit |
| |
|
Students sometimes hope that
they can do nothing and ignore their "I"
(Incomplete) grades and they will somehow
go away.
Students have until the middle of the
following semester to complete the course
requirements, or a grade of "F"
will be recorded. |
| 5. |
Students Choose
Courses on the Advice of a Friend |
| |
|
Students often
are "advised" by friends to take
courses simply because someone else found
these courses met his/her needs.
Advisors should caution students about
the dangers of taking a course on the advice
of friends. What might be easy or appropriate
for one student may not be so for another.
Students are sometimes misinformed about
requirements and have very different opinions
about what makes a good course. |
| 6. |
Students Take
All of their Core Curriculum Courses First |
| |
|
Many students want to get
all the core courses "out of the way".
This is especially true for students in
academic difficulty. They want to play it
safe and be assured that everything they
take is required. They are hesitant to take
courses in a potential major or to take
electives of interest to them.
Encourage students to combine general
courses with courses in their area of interest,
both major courses and electives. This is
especially important if the student's low
grades are due to a lack of interest in
previous courses.
Encourage undecided students to explore
some area of interest. If students take
only core curriculum courses, they may suddenly
find there are no more required courses
to take and they still haven't explored
any majors. |
| 7. |
Students Seek
Academic or Personal Help Too Late in the
Semester |
| |
|
Students in academic difficulty
often are unaware of the serious nature
of their troubles or the long-term effects
of their immediate problems. Often, they
do not know all the options available to
help them get back into good academic standing.
Many students are embarrassed about their
situation or do not realize that help is
out there. They try to make it on their
own and wait too long to get help.
You may want to request that at-risk
students meet with you early in the semester
and then again at mid-term in order to check
on progress. |
| 8. |
Students Register
Too Late to Get the Classes They Need |
| |
|
Sometimes students do not
do well academically because they were not
well prepared for their classes. These students
often are not well prepared in other aspects
of their lives. They wait until the last
minute to register and are unable to get
appropriate classes.
Encourage students to register on time.
Check registration time for student during
advising session. |
| 9. |
Students Continue
in a Major Despite Repeated Failures |
| |
|
Students sometimes reach
the point that their goals are difficult
or impossible to attain. This is particularly
true in majors such as Nursing or Allied
Health that require a certain GPA to gain
admission into the professional component
of the program. Despite repeated failures
many students never consider looking into
other choices.
It may be necessary for you to suggest
that a student consider looking at other
majors. The student may have done poorly
in courses because of the field of study
they have chosen. Perhaps they were drawn
to a major because of a preconceived notion
about it ("a business major is the
only sure route to a job") or because
of some external pressure ("my dad
wants me to be a doctor"). Changing
to a more suitable major may increase grades
dramatically.
Students who are resistant to a change of
major need, with the advisor's help, to
take a close look at the long-term possibilities
of success in the major. Looking at GPA
requirements, course requirements, the reasons
a particular major was chosen and future
goals can often bring to light some compelling
reasons for looking for another major. |
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