If you haven't realized it already, you soon well: college success isn't like high school success. Sure, both involve going to class and studying. You have to write papers. You have to take exams. When you were in high school, though, you had plenty of help. If you didn't want to get up in the morning, one of your parents kindly came into your room and gently shook you awake. When you thought it was a good idea to play video games all night instead of studying for your chemistry exam, one of them reminded you that it was a bad idea.
Now you're on your own. It's nice to have a little freedom. Your mistakes are all on you, though. And you're going to make them. It's sort of what college students do.
How do you make sure a mistake doesn't cost you your degree?
You contact the Lento Law Firm at the first sign of trouble. The professionals at the Lento Law Firm can't make you study. And they're definitely not going to show up at your dorm room in the morning to get you out of bed. They do know how to navigate educational bureaucracy, though, and when you run into problems in college, they usually know just who to talk to and just what to say.
Academic Progression at the University of Missouri
What counts as a “problem in college”? Certainly, struggling to meet your school's academic standards qualifies. Just in case you aren't familiar with those standards, here's what the UM Academic Standing policy has to say.
- Regular Academic Standing: This is where you want to be. It means you're making steady progress and on track to earn your degree. To stay in Regular Academic Standing, you need to maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average and earn at least a 2.0 every semester.
- Academic Probation: Should either of your GPAs fall below 2.0, the University of Missouri places you on Probation. You then have two semesters in which to return to Regular Standing.
- Ineligible to Enroll: If you can't return to Good Standing after two semesters on Probation, or any time your term GPA falls below 1.0, you become Ineligible to Enroll.
Ineligibility lasts for a minimum of one academic year. You may then apply for readmission to the Dean of your school or college. Your return is not guaranteed, however, and if you continue to struggle, your Ineligible status can become permanent.
Dealing With Academic Sanctions
The University of Missouri doesn't offer any formal mechanisms for appealing an academic sanction. Decisions are based entirely on your cumulative and term GPAs, and UM doesn't consider those a matter for debate.
The thing is, there are lots of reasons for a low GPA, many of which have nothing to do with your intelligence or your work ethic. Luckily, the team at the Lento Law Firm know a number of useful informal approaches to dealing with the threat of an academic sanction.
- If your academic deficiencies are the result of extenuating circumstances—a hospitalization, for instance, or a death in the family—you can appeal directly to the Dean of your school or college. They may be willing to give you extra time to improve before imposing a sanction.
- If you find you consistently struggle to pass your courses or keep your GPA up, it might be worth considering if you have a learning disability. Disability Services can test you, and if you do have such a disability, they can work with your instructors to institute course accommodations. In fact, you may even be able to drop some low grades from your transcript and retake those courses with accommodations in place.
- The University of Missouri gives faculty enormous authority to identify and punish cheating and plagiarism. Sanctions can include lowered grades on assignments or lowered course grades, and these can have a serious impact on your GPA. However, you have the right to challenge your instructors' decisions at a university hearing.
- Some instructors are open to the process of grade negotiation. If, for instance, your final exam grade was particularly high, you might try asking them to use it as your course grade.
- Faculty are also sometimes willing to assign makeup and extra credit assignments. An extra lab or an essay rewrite could be enough to get your GPA up.
- Any time your experience mistreatment in the classroom, you should report it to your instructor's department head. You may be entitled to some form of grade relief.
The professionals at the Lento Law Firm are familiar with these and many other strategies for keeping your academic progress on track. Whether you need to file a formal grade appeal or you just need some coaching in the art of negotiation, they're on your side and ready to help.
What Can the Lento Law Firm Do for You?
Students sometimes ask: how exactly is an attorney-advisor supposed to help me with academic issues? It's a fair question. It's not like you're on trial for shoplifting. You need help with your grades. That's normally a matter of studying harder or finding a tutor.
As the information on this page suggests, though, succeeding in college is often as much about dealing with bureaucracy as it is about writing papers and taking exams. No one knows more about bureaucracy than attorneys, and no one knows more about how to handle educational bureaucracy than the professionals at the Lento Law Firm. That team was assembled specifically to handle student conduct and academic progress issues.
The Lento Law Firm is on your side. They understand that no one is perfect, and they're committed to the idea that a few mistakes shouldn't keep you from earning your degree and going on to a successful career. They'll fight to make sure you're treated fairly and that you get all the rights you deserve. You've worked hard to get to this point. Don't let that hard work go to waste. To find out more about how you can fight dismissal, contact the Lento Law Firm today at 888-555-3686, or use our automated online form.
