This may come as a shock, but your university actually expects you to go to class and—gasp—study. We get it: you came to Penn State to meet new people and maybe to improve your Beer Pong game. The hard truth, though, is that courses are challenging and professors demanding. PSU also has a strict Academic Progress policy. If you can't keep your GPA up, you can find yourself under “academic warning,” suspended or even dismissed from the university entirely.
Your first line of defense if you're struggling academically? Probably you should study harder. You might also try talking to the professor, seeking help from a tutor, and visiting the writing center.
The truth, though, is that sometimes maintaining your academic standing is as much about navigating bureaucracy as it is about writing papers and taking exams. Maybe your instructor is no good with spreadsheets, and your final grade winds up looking like a temperature reading in mid-February South Dakota. Maybe your school's dean is refusing to excuse you from classes to deal with a bout of depression. It happens.
For those kinds of issues, you can turn to the National Student Defense Attorneys at the LLF Law Firm. They know how the system works, and how to use it to your advantage.
Academic Progression at Penn State
Progress at PSU is all about remaining in “good” standing from semester to semester and year to year. How do you do that? Maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average. It's pretty simple: stay above that number, and you'll have no problems.
All of us struggle from time to time, though. What happens if your GPA should take a tumble?
- The university reviews your academic progress after every semester. If at any point your cumulative GPA falls below 2.0, you're placed on “warning” status. You remain on warning status until such time as you've raised your GPA again. While on it, you must meet with an academic advisor to register for classes.
- If your term GPA should fall below 2.0 while you are on warning status, you are then suspended from the university for at least 2 consecutive semesters. You can apply for reinstatement. This process involves submitting an “academic recovery plan” and a signature from your academic advisor. However, should you gain readmission to the university, you do so under academic warning status.
- Finally, should you fail to earn a 2.0 semester GPA after returning from suspension, you face full dismissal from the university.
Even dismissal isn't necessarily the end of your career at Penn State. You can apply for “academic renewal” after four years away from the university, and this makes you eligible to apply for full reinstatement. Again, however, it's no easy task to apply for academic renewal. You'll need a strong argument and documentation proving why you deserve another chance as a student at the university.
Dealing With Academic Standing Decisions
Penn State doesn't offer a formal process for challenging academic standing decisions. Warning, suspension, and dismissal are all based on objective criteria: your term and cumulative GPA. As a result, the university doesn't consider these sanctions debatable.
However, there are ways to address the threat of academic sanctions.
- If extenuating circumstances like a family emergency or a long-term illness led to your academic deficiencies, you could appeal directly to the dean of your school or college for more time to raise your GPA.
- If you feel an instructor has treated you unfairly, you always have the option of raising the issue with that instructor's department head or the dean of your school or college. If you can prove your allegations, you'll likely be eligible for grade relief.
- Faculty can and do make mistakes when figuring grades. It's a good idea to keep careful track of your grades throughout the semester so that if your tally doesn't match theirs, you can request they re-calculate.
- You can also try negotiating with an instructor for a higher grade. Some faculty are open to the idea that your improvement over the course of a semester might merit reconsideration. Alternatively, you could try arguing that a high final exam score demonstrates you mastered the course material and deserve a higher grade. Of course, you want to be careful in how you approach a professor and in how you state your case.
- A few instructors are willing to assign extra-credit or makeup assignments to students who have borderline grades. Even if you must take an Incomplete while you finish this work, that could be enough to forestall a dismissal decision. You may have to ask for such assignments, though.
Advisors don't always think through all the options open to a student in academic distress. They advise dozens, sometimes even hundreds of students. The LLF Law Firm's Education Law Team is focused on you and only you. They'll not only tell you all the possibilities for challenging an academic progress issue, but they'll also tell you which ones are most likely to work in your situation, and they'll help you pursue them. Maybe you need help gathering evidence for an appeal. Maybe you need coaching on how to talk with a professor. The LLF Student Defense Team gives you your best chance of holding on to your place at Penn State.
And, should you ultimately find yourself suspended or dismissed, the Education Law Team also has experience filing reinstatement petitions and even renewal applications. They know what arguments work and how to make you look your best on paper.
Premier Education Attorneys
You might be surprised to learn that an attorney can help with academic problems. And it's true: you have to put in the work yourself. If you're struggling, though, or having trouble getting anyone to listen to your arguments, it always helps to know who to talk to and what to say.
No one knows more about dealing with bureaucracy than attorneys, and no one knows more about dealing with educational bureaucracy than the LLF Law Firm. Theye built their practice handling student conduct and academic progress issues, they know how the various administrative offices at Penn State operate, and they're comfortable talking with faculty and administrators.
More important than anything else, though, they are on your side. They understand that no one is perfect, and they don't think that a lapse or two in your GPA should keep you from earning your degree and going on to a successful career.
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 LLF Law Firm today at 888-555-3686, or use our automated online form.
