There's a lot that goes into a successful college career. You know the advice—make sure you're in class every day; start papers as soon as they're assigned; nod in class so your professors think you're listening. All good advice. Let us offer you some more--some suggestions you may not have come across before.
Make sure you understand the Louisiana Tech system. Know who to contact when you have a problem. And be certain you have an ally on your side when you need one.
Navigating Louisiana Tech's bureaucracy can be as crucial to keeping your grade point up as visiting instructors during their office hours. If you don't know how to get excused to attend a funeral, it could mean you fail an exam. If you can't get along with an instructor, it could mean a low grade in a class. If you have a learning disability and you don't know how to get help, you could wind up failing a number of courses.
We know what you're up against, and we're on your side. The Lento Law Firm's Education Law Team was built to deal with student problems. We help students with misconduct issues, but we also know more than our fair share about using university systems to your benefit. If you're struggling to keep your grades up and nothing seems to be helping, you owe it to yourself to find out what we can do.
You'll find a number of concrete examples of what we're talking about below. Before we get into that, though, it's important you know how to contact us for help. Call 888-535-3686 today, or take a little time now and tell us what kind of problem you're facing.
Academic Progress Standards at Louisiana Tech
Most students are surprised to learn that their university has a policy that spells out in concrete terms exactly what's required of them academically. It's called an academic standing policy. Here's what Louisiana Tech's has to say.
- Good Standing: The goal is always to keep yourself in good standing. Yes, there are honors to be earned, like Dean's List recognition. If you can stay in good standing for four years, though, you'll have no trouble making it to graduation. At Louisiana Tech, good standing is simply defined: as long as you keep your cumulative grade point average at 2.0 or better, you're safe.
- Academic Probation: Fail to keep your GPA above 2.0, and Louisiana Tech places you on academic probation. The world doesn't end at this point, but probation is a serious warning that you need to improve or face worse consequences. The good news is that you remain on probation until you return to good standing—as long as that takes—so long as you earn a minimum 2.0-term GPA each quarter.
- Academic Suspension: If your term GPA falls below 2.0 while you're on probation, you then face suspension. First suspensions last for one term. Second suspensions last for a full year, and you must apply for readmission.
If Tech approves your reinstatement, you return to the university on probation. If your appeal is denied, it means permanent dismissal.
Dealing with Academic Sanctions
Louisiana Tech's standing policy makes no mention of any appeals process for students facing academic sanctions. Even if you've been suspended, there is no formal way to challenge your status.
Luckily, the attorneys at the Lento Law Firm have been at this long enough to have discovered a number of powerful strategies for avoiding the threat of a sanction. For example,
- Louisiana Tech allows students to enroll in the summer term even if they have been dismissed. If you can raise your GPA back to good standing levels during this summer term, you can continue in the fall without applying for readmission. Even better, this suspension will not count against you as you move forward.
- While there is no formal appeals process, if you've been dealing with extenuating circumstances, it is worth appealing informally to the dean of your school or college. Long-term illnesses and family emergencies are usually grounds for more time to improve.
- Any time you feel an instructor is mistreating you in any way, you should report this to that instructor's department head. Such mistreatment should entitle you to some form of grade intervention.
- If you're having trouble keeping your GPA up, it could be a sign of a learning disability. You are entitled to free testing. If it turns out you have a disability, you are further entitled to appropriate course accommodations. And finally, you can also ask Louisiana Tech to drop low grades from your transcript and let you retake those courses.
- Instructors can lower your grades if they think you've committed some form of academic misconduct, like cheating or plagiarism. You can challenge their decisions, though, by appealing to Tech's Honor Council.
- You can sometimes negotiate with faculty if you have a strong argument. If you scored especially high on your final exam, for instance, that might warrant reconsideration of your overall course grade.
- At a minimum, you can ask instructors for extra credit and makeup assignments. Many may say no, but enough will usually say yes to keep your GPA out of the danger zone.
When you contact the Lento Law Firm, an attorney will sit down with you and go over your particular situation. No two students are alike, and no solution is going to work for everyone. Your attorney will work with you to come up with a plan, and they'll help you implement it, whether you need support writing an informal appeal, you need to ensure you receive fair testing from Disability Services, or you need coaching in negotiating with faculty.
What Can the Lento Law Firm Do for You?
Your Louisiana Tech diploma is far more than just a piece of paper. It's your avenue to a successful career. If it's under threat for any reason, you can't afford to try and handle the problem by yourself. College 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 progress 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.
