One of the more difficult things I have to do is talk with students who are having difficulty maintaining satisfactory grades. If unsatisfactory grades persist, a student will be academically dropped from the university. Students get a warning first (probation) and have the next semester to improve. As part of the probationary status, students are required to meet with an advisor to discuss ways to improve and return to good standing. Sometimes it works out.
Sometimes it doesn’t. And even though I see it regularly, I always scratch my head and wonder why.
It’s not that I don’t realize the many, many reasons why students don’t do well academically. For a traditional student (just out of high school) issues with time management, more responsibility, and new freedoms regularly impact grades. For the less traditional student, work and family commitments can make school more challenging. Life can be complicated and every person can have unique circumstances to deal with.
Plus, some schools just aren’t a good fit for some people. A school can be too big, too small, or too far away once the reality of commuting and the price of gas hits home. Online classes eliminate geographic constraints, but online learning isn’t for everyone, either.
In fact, fit is important in all kinds of ways. The school itself must be a good fit, but a student’s academic goals must be a good fit, too. Not everyone is cut out to be a physicist (or nurse, or doctor or sculptor). It’s not always easy to accept, but it’s true. So, I know there are countless reasons why students struggle with grades. That isn’t the part that confuses me.
What most confuses and confounds me is that a lot of students continue full speed ahead despite getting poor grades. Despite advice and academic warnings (and the very real possibility of getting dropped altogether) some people do not make needed changes—whether that means taking fewer credits, getting tutoring, changing majors, changing schools, or willingly taking time off. Even after being dropped, some students return and take the same approach that hurt them before.
No matter how long I work in higher education, it’s still hard to see someone do permanent damage to their academic record. The bad grades never disappear even if the course work is repeated. The money spent on failed courses is wasted. Being academically dropped from a school increases the time to degree completion and unless the grades are repaired, it can be difficult or even impossible to finish at all. Professional schools and graduate programs are probably out of the picture. The stakes are really high.
So, what makes one person put the pieces together while another can’t or won’t? Well, that’s the million dollar question for a lot of educators and others who work in schools. I am convinced it’s personal. No matter what I say or do, it is really up to the individual to do the necessary things. I am not saying schools play no part. It’s important to have good support structures in place. It’s very important to have a caring faculty and staff ready to step in when needed. However, at the end of the day, the responsibility rests with the student.
Interestingly, it’s a good life lesson for students as much as it is for those of us who work with them.
