College can be the best four years of your life—once you've adjusted to it. Let's be honest, though: the transition can sometimes be tricky. You're on your own for the first time. That means you have to get yourself out of bed in the morning; you have to put yourself to bed at a reasonable hour every night; in between, you have to make sure you go to class and study. You have to do all of this—wait for it—on your own. In short, you're learning to adult, and that's never easy.
Don't be surprised, then, if your grades should slip a little. It happens to the best of us. What you want to avoid is letting a little slippage turn into a full-blown GPA crisis. How do you do that?
At the first sign of trouble, you contact Attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento and his Education Law Team. They know what you're going through, and they're committed to the idea that a mistake—or two or three—shouldn't stand in the way of earning your degree and going on to a successful career. Joseph D. Lento and his Team know the law, they know the George Mason system works, and they've helped hundreds of students just like you get their academic lives back on track.
Academic Progression at George Mason University
At George Mason University, academic progress is defined as meeting the school's academic standing requirements. The good news is that there are only two standards to meet in order to remain in “good” standing: maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 and earn a 2.0 GPA each semester.
The bad news is that when you don't meet these standards, there are consequences, and sometimes those consequences can be severe.
- Academic Warning: Your progress at George Mason is reviewed at the end of every semester. The first penalty for low grades is Academic Warning status. This happens when your overall GPA is 2.0, but your term GPA falls below the 2.0 mark. As with all standing penalties, you're only allowed to be on Academic Warning once. The next time you're in this position, you're placed on Academic Probation.
- Academic Probation: The second time you're issued an Academic Warning, you're placed on Academic Probation, but you can also be placed on Academic Probation any time your cumulative GPA falls below 2.0, whether you've been on Warning status or not. You can remain on probation as long as it takes to raise your GPA if you keep your term GPA above 2.0. However, should your term GPA fall, you're then placed on Academic Suspension.
- Academic Suspension: Academic Suspension happens any time you're on probation, and your term GPA falls below 2.0. You can also be suspended if your cumulative GPA falls and you've already been on probation before.
You can return to George Mason after a first suspension, but only after a semester away from the university. Second suspensions last for at least a full year. Should you be suspended a third time, you are permanently dismissed from the school.
Dealing With Academic Standing Decisions
Academic standing decisions are ultimately in the hands of your college or school's academic dean. All schools, though, offer an appeals process for dealing with the threat of sanctions. Eligibility for such an appeal is based on any extenuating circumstances that might have caused your academic deficiencies. If, for instance, you had to deal with a family emergency during the semester, you may be able to convince the dean to give you more time to improve before you're placed on probation or suspended. However, you'll have to provide documentation of your circumstances, and not every appeal is successful.
What do you do if you're facing a sanction and you can't point to any mitigating factors? Luckily, Joseph D. Lento and his Education Law Team know a number of informal solutions.
- If you've been mistreated in the classroom in any way, you may be entitled to some form of grade relief. It's important you notify your instructor's department head as soon as possible or, failing that, the dean of your school or college.
- A learning disability may also be grounds for grade revision, depending on the situation. If you were denied proper accommodations, you should talk to Disability Services. In addition, should you discover you have a disability, you may be able to ask the school to set aside your grades and let you retake the courses.
- Low grades are sometimes the result of academic misconduct allegations. If your instructor believes you've cheated, they can lower your grade on the assignment or lower your grade in the course. However, you can challenge these decisions to a GMU Honor Committee.
- Some faculty are open to the possibility of grade negotiation if you have a compelling argument. For instance, if your final exam score was particularly high, you could argue that you should be given this score as your grade in the course.
- You can also ask instructors for extra credit or makeup assignments. This approach works especially well if your grade is already borderline.
No matter what your situation, Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm Team can help you develop a plan for dealing with it. That's only the beginning, though. They can help you collect evidence, draft appeals, and even practice negotiation tactics. They're on your side, and they'll stay by your side until you get the best possible resolution to your case.
Premier Education Attorney-Advisor, Joseph D. Lento
Students ask all the time: How is an attorney supposed to help me make it through college? It's a fair question. After all, 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.
The thing is, though, succeeding in college is often as much about navigating bureaucracy as it is about writing papers and taking exams. No one knows more about dealing with bureaucracy than attorneys, and no one knows more about dealing with educational bureaucracy than Joseph D. Lento and his Education Law team. That team was assembled specifically to handle student conduct and academic progress issues.
Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm 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.
