It happens to the best students. You start college with a bright, shiny GPA. You did well in high school, and your SATs were high. Somewhere along the way, though, you take your eye off the ball, or you run into some courses that are over your head, or life intervenes somehow and becomes a distraction. Whatever the reason, your GPA takes a bit of a downturn—or maybe heads into an outright nosedive.
Make no mistake: there are real consequences for low grades at CUNY Queens College. Don't panic, though. You have it in you to recover. And you don't have to recover all on your own. The Lento Law Firm is here to help.
How is an attorney supposed to help you with academics? That's a fair question. After all, you're not on trial for burglary. You're trying to get a better grade in calculus. The thing is, college success can often be as much about learning to navigate the system as it is about learning differential equations. It's about figuring out who to talk to if you have to miss classes because of a death in the family. It's about knowing what to say to a professor who just doesn't seem to be giving you fair grades. Attorneys are great at handling bureaucracy, and the Lento Law Firm's Education Law Team was built to deal with educational bureaucracy.
So, at the very first sign of trouble, call the Lento Law Firm and find out what we can do for you. Call 888-535-3686, or take a little time now and tell us about your situation.
Academic Progression at CUNY Queens College
If you're going to survive college, there's some basic information you need to know, like how to fill out your FAFSA paperwork and how many days you can miss before a professor decides to start taking points off your grade. Of particular importance is the CUNY Queens College academic standing policy. This policy sets the standards you must meet in order to remain in “good” standing at the university. It also sets up some penalties for students who fall out of good standing.
Here's the basics of what the policy has to say
- Good Standing: Obviously, this is where you want to be. It means you're making steady progress towards your degree. CUNY Queens defines good standing as maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 2.0.
- Academic Probation: If at any point your GPA should fall below that 2.0 number, CUNY Queens places you on academic probation. As part of probation, you are limited to no more than 13 credit hours a semester. In addition, the university recommends you meet with an academic counselor. Your goal, though, should be to return to good standing. Alternatively, you can remain on probation as long as you earn a minimum 2.25-term GPA.
- Continued Probation: CUNY Queens does not dismiss students after the fall term. This means that even if you don't earn a 2.25 during your fall semester, you can remain on probation through the spring. Again, if you can earn a 2.25 during the spring term, you can remain enrolled at the university, even if you haven't yet returned to good standing.
- Academic Dismissal: If, however, you reach the end of the spring semester, you haven't yet returned to good standing, and your term GPA is below 2.25, you then face dismissal. Dismissal means separation from the university, and it lasts for at least one full academic year. After that point, you can apply for readmission. However, your return is not guaranteed.
Dealing With Academic Standing Decisions
In addition to a readmission policy, CUNY Queens allows students to appeal a dismissal immediately. If you can demonstrate that your academic deficiencies are the result of some extenuating circumstance—struggles with anxiety or depression, for instance, or a death in the family—you may be able to gain additional time on probation to improve. The Lento Law Firm can help you with all aspects of the appeals process. We know how the CUNY Queens administrative system operates. We can work with you to gather evidence of your circumstances and to draft a persuasive appeal.
What do you do if you don't have an extenuating circumstance to which you can point? It turns out the attorneys at the Lento Law Firm know some other useful strategies for keeping yourself out of academic trouble. For instance,
- It could be you have an undiagnosed learning disability, such as ADD, ADHD, or dyslexia. If that's the case, you may be entitled to course accommodations, like extra time to complete assignments or a designated note-taker. Once you've established your disability, you can then petition the university to drop low grades from your transcript and allow you to retake those courses with appropriate accommodations in place.
- A low GPA can also be the result of academic misconduct allegations. If your instructor believes you've cheated or committed plagiarism, they can lower your grade on the assignment or lower your grade in the course. They even have the power to fail you outright. However, you can always appeal your instructor's decisions to the Academic Integrity Committee. In fact, even if you admit to breaking the rules, you can challenge the severity of the sanction. It may be that rather than an outright "F" in the course, a "C" might be more appropriate.
- It is also sometimes the case that an instructor is simply grading you unfairly for one reason or another. You can report this to your instructor's department head. In addition, you have the right to file a formal grade appeal.
- Some faculty are willing to assign extra credit or makeup assignments to students, especially those students with borderline grades. This can be a quick way to raise your GPA.
- Faculty are also sometimes open to broader types of grade negotiation. Maybe, for instance, you've shown real progress over the course of the semester. You might try asking your instructor to consider that when determining your final grade.
Don't count on your advisor to recommend these kinds of informal approaches. Advisors tend to be busy—they have lots of students to worry about. The truth is, they may not even know about some of these options. The Lento Law Firm is focused on you, and we've been defending students long enough to have learned all the tips and tricks to get through college. Whatever your particular problem, we'll work with you to come up with a solution, and we'll help you put that solution into action.
What Can the Lento Law Firm Do for You?
Your CUNY Queens College diploma is far more than just a piece of paper. It's your avenue to a successful career. If it's under threat, you can't afford to try and handle the problem by yourself. University processes and procedures can be complex and difficult to navigate, and often, you will find the system is stacked against you. You need the very best help you can get, someone who is in your corner and ready to fight on your behalf.
The Lento Law Firm's Education Law Team has helped hundreds of students just like you respond to academic issues and make it to graduation. What can we do for you? To find out, call us today at 888-535-3686 or use our online form.
