The key to success at college? Normally it's going to class and studying hard. What happens when those aren't enough, though? What happens when you just can't seem to get along with a professor? What happens when the administration refuses to approve your absence excuse? What happens when you realize that the D you got in chemistry may have been the result of your ADD?
Going to class and studying is on you. For everything else, attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento and his Education Law Team are here to help. They know the BYU system inside and out. They can guide you through it and even show you some tips and tricks for using it to your advantage. Most importantly, though, Joseph D. Lento and his team are on your side. They believe in your future and will do whatever they need to do to ensure it stays bright.
Academic Progression at Brigham Young University
Your first job at Brigham Young is to meet academic expectations. These are contained in the school's Academic Standing policy. Your goal is “Good” standing. To earn that, you must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 and keep your semester GPA above 2.0 as well. Fall below those numbers, and things can quickly get complicated.
- Warning: You receive an Academic Warning under two circumstances:
- You were in Good standing, and your semester GPA fell below 2.0
- You were on Warning status, your cumulative GPA is below 2.0, but your most recent semester GPA is above 2.0.
- Probation: The next level of academic sanction is Academic Probation. Here again, there are two circumstances under which you can be placed on Academic Probation:
- You were on Warning status or lower at some point in the past, and your semester GPA fell below 2.0.
- You were on probation the previous semester, and your cumulative GPA remains below 2.0, but you earned a 2.0 semester GPA. This is referred to as “Continued Probation.”
- Academic Suspension: Suspension occurs when you're on probation and fail to earn a 2.0 semester GPA. Suspensions last for a full academic year, you must petition the school for readmission, and your return is not guaranteed. You are not required to take courses while you are away, but if you should, these are taken into consideration as part of your petition.
- Academic Dismissal: A second Suspension is treated as a Dismissal. You are disqualified from taking courses at BYU for a minimum of three years.
Dealing With Academic Sanctions
BYU does offer a petition process for students hoping to avoid Suspension and Dismissal. However, successful petitions are “rare” and require “extraordinary circumstances.” What do you do if you don't have extraordinary circumstances? For that matter, what do you do if you're facing a lesser sanction, such as a Warning or Probation?
Fortunately, Joseph D. Lento and his Student Defense Team know a number of other options for responding to the threat of academic sanctions. For example,
- If you should discover at some point that you have a disability, you can petition Disability Services for course accommodations. You may even be able to convince the university to drop low course grades and allow you to retake those courses with accommodations in place.
- You can always ask instructors for extra credit or makeup assignments. It could be that conducting an extra lab experiment or writing an extra paper is enough to raise your borderline grade.
- Some faculty are also receptive to grade negotiation if you have a particularly strong argument. Your high final exam score, for example, might be evidence you mastered course concepts and should pass, even if your other scores don't add up to a passing grade.
- If you've been mistreated by an instructor, you should always bring this to the attention of the instructor's department head. Unfair treatment can be grounds for a grade revision.
- Low grades can sometimes be the result of academic misconduct allegations. If your instructor believes you've plagiarized a paper or cheated on an exam, they have the authority to lower assignments and even course grades. However, you have the right to challenge these decisions by requesting an Administrative Review by someone from the Dean of Students office.
Whatever your particular situation, Joseph D. Lento and his team will work with you to come up with the right strategy to keep your academic career on track. If you're filing a reinstatement petition, they know how to collect evidence and make you look your best on paper. If you're approaching an instructor, they can coach you in negotiation tactics. They have experience working with Disability Services, and they know what's needed to prove classroom mistreatment.
Should the worst happen, though, and you find yourself suspended or dismissed, they've also helped hundreds of students to file readmission paperwork.
Premier Education Attorney-Advisor, Joseph D. Lento
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 Joseph D. Lento and his Educational Law team. That team was assembled specifically to handle student conduct and academic progress issues.
Joseph D. Lento and his team are 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.
