Normal, everyday coursework at A&T is tough enough under the best conditions—keeping up with homework assignments, writing the occasional paper, studying for exams--none of these are easy. The thing is, college rarely involves "best conditions." The only guarantee with college, in fact, is that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. You will wind up deathly ill during finals week. You will wind up in a class with a professor who seems to have it in for you. You will get snowed in during your Spring Break skiing trip in Utah and have to miss an entire week of class.

You have enough on your plate getting to class every day. Let the Lento Law Firm handle everything else. Turns out, lawyers don't just spend all their time hanging out in courtrooms. They're also pretty talented when it comes to dealing with bureaucracy. The Lento Law Firm's Education Law Team is particularly adept at...you guessed it, educational bureaucracy. We know who to call when you have a problem, what to say, and how to say it. In fact, you might be surprised just how much you can improve your GPA simply through skillful navigation of the A&T system.

We'll get into just what we mean, below. First, though, you need to 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 North Carolina A&T State University

You came to A&T to study, and you can be sure A&T plans to hold you to that. The university maintains a strict academic standing policy that sets clear standards. Meet these standards, and you stay in what's called “good standing.” Fail to meet them, and you face a set of increasingly serious sanctions.

• Good Standing: A&T bases academic standing decisions on three factors. First, you must keep your term GPA above 2.0. Second, you must successfully complete at least two-thirds of the courses you attempt. Withdrawals count against this number, as do Fs. Finally, you must finish your degree within 150 percent of the published degree requirements. As long as you are meeting all three of these criteria, you remain in good standing.
• Academic Warning: If at any point your completion percentage falls below 67 percent, A&T issues you an academic warning. The good news is that there are no extra requirements while on warning status. Your primary responsibility is to return to good standing, and you can take as long as you need to in order to do that, so long as you keep earning at least a 2.0 every term.
• Academic Probation: Any time your term GPA falls below 2.0, the university places you on academic probation. Again, there are no extra requirements, but you are one step closer to separation from the university. If you earn a 2.0 while on probation, you return to good standing. Otherwise, you remain on probation as long as your completion percentage doesn't fall below 67 percent.
• Academic Suspension: If your GPA remains below 2.0 while on probation and your completion percentage should fall, you face suspension. Suspension means complete separation from the university for a period of one semester. At that point, you return automatically.
• Academic Dismissal: If, however, you continue to struggle after a suspension, you then face permanent separation from A&T.

Dealing With Academic Sanctions

If your academic deficiencies have to do with extenuating circumstances, such as a serious bout of depression or a long-term illness, you can file a formal appeal to stay a suspension or dismissal decision. These kinds of circumstances can gain you more time to improve. The Lento Law Firm attorney can help you gather evidence of your situation and work with you to draft your appeal.

What do you do if you don't have a clear excuse, though? For that matter, what do you do if you're facing a lesser sanction like a warning or probation? Is there any way to deal with these?

It turns out, the Lento Law Firm attorney knows a number of useful strategies for using the A&T system to keep your GPA out of the danger zone. For instance,

• Any time you feel an instructor is mistreating you, you should report this to the instructor's department head. You are entitled to fair treatment, and at a minimum, you can always file a grade appeal after the semester is over.
• If you struggle in all or most of your courses, you could be dealing with an undiagnosed learning disability. You have the right to fair accommodations if you have such a disability. Disability Services can get you tested and can work with the university to modify your GPA while you retake coursework.
• If you've been accused of cheating or plagiarism, your instructor may have lowered your grade on the assignment or lowered your course grade. You can appeal your instructor's decisions, though, to the University Judicial Tribunal.
• You can sometimes negotiate directly with faculty for higher grades. If, for instance, you've failed a course but you showed improvement, you might try asking an instructor to pass you.
• The easiest type of grade negotiation is to ask for extra credit or makeup assignments since you're offering something in return for help. An extra lab assignment or a paper rewrite could be all you need to raise your grade and, thus, your GPA.

Whatever your particular situation, the Lento Law Firm attorney can come up with a solution. They won't stop at outlining a plan, though. They'll also help you implement that plan, whether that means drafting a formal appeal, coaching you in negotiation tactics, or crafting a defense strategy for answering an academic misconduct allegation.

What Can the Lento Law Firm Do For You?

Your North Carolina A&T State University 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. 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 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.