College is tough. Courses are rigorous tests of your ability, and professors can be demanding. Typically, making it to graduation means going to class every day, studying hard, visiting professors during office hours, and joining study groups.
Sometimes, though, even all these measures aren't enough to keep your GPA up. Life has a funny way of intervening in our plans. Maybe you have to miss a big exam because you have to go home and deal with a family emergency. Maybe you miss a few weeks of class because you wind up with Mono. The thing is, no amount of studying can help with problems like these.
Here's what can: contacting the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team. The attorneys at the Lento Law Firm solve student problems. They know the law, but they also know how the Weber State University system works. They know exactly who to talk to when a problem comes up and exactly what to say. Let's be clear: a Lento Law Firm Team attorney can't take your exams for you or write your papers. What they can do is help you navigate the university system, and sometimes, that can be the key to surviving college.
Academic Progression at Weber State University
It's fine to talk about studying hard and going to class, but in practical terms, college success has to do with meeting your school's academic standing requirements. Weber State's standing policy requires you to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0. When you do that, you're said to be in Good standing. When you don't, you face a series of progressively worse sanctions.
- Academic Warning: The first consequence of a low GPA is a warning. A warning is just what it sounds like it is. It's a gentle reminder that you need to work harder to keep your grades up. Your goal while on warning status should be to return to Good standing. Otherwise, you risk more serious consequences.
- Academic Probation: A term GPA below 2.0 while on Warning status means Academic Probation. Even on Probation, Weber State doesn't place any extra requirements on you other than to improve. However, if you struggle while on probation, the consequences are especially serious.
- Academic Suspension: If you earn a term GPA below 2.0 while on Probation, Weber State then suspends you for a period of one term.
Weber State policy doesn't mention academic dismissal. This suggests you can always return from a suspension. However, even one semester away from college can have a negative impact on your ability to graduate. Obviously, that semester away will affect your graduation timeline. In addition, though, most students find it difficult to return after they've been away for some length of time. It's not easy to get back into “student” mode once you've been out in the workforce. You should keep in mind as well that your student loans may come due while you're serving your suspension, and this can further complicate the situation.
Dealing With Academic Sanctions
Weber State is relatively generous in giving you opportunities to recover from academic deficiencies. In order to reach the level of suspension, your overall GPA must fall below 2.0, and you must then earn two consecutive term GPAs below 2.0. Given how much leeway the school provides, it's not particularly surprising that there are no formal mechanisms for challenging an academic sanction. Weber State simply assumes you can get back on track on your own.
Unfortunately, that's not always true. Bad things can happen to anyone at any time, and once you fall behind, it can be difficult to recover. Luckily, the Student Defense Team attorneys at the Lento Law Firm know some important strategies for avoiding sanctions.
- If your deficiencies are the result of extenuating circumstances, such as a serious illness or a family crisis, you can ask your school or college dean to grant you more time to improve before they issue a sanction.
- Classroom mistreatment is grounds for a grade appeal. If you feel you've been treated unfairly, you should report that to your instructor's department head or, failing that, the dean of the school or college.
- If you should discover you have an undiagnosed disability, you can petition the university to set aside low grades and allow you to retake those courses with accommodations in place.
- An academic misconduct accusation can result in a low grade. If your instructor believes you've plagiarized a paper or cheated on an exam, they have the right to punish you with low grades. You have the right to challenge these penalties, though, through the Weber State Academic Misconduct Petition Process.
- Faculty are sometimes open to different forms of grade negotiation. You can always ask for extra credit or makeup work. This can be an especially effective strategy if your grade is already borderline. You might try other arguments as well. A high final exam score, for instance, might be evidence you mastered the course material enough to replace your actual course grade with that score.
Strategies like these aren't always obvious. Even your advisor may not know about all of them. The attorneys at the Lento Law Firm have been protecting students for a long time, though, and they're well-versed in all the tips and tricks to keep your GPA above cutoff levels.
What Can the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team Do for You?
Students sometimes ask: How exactly is an attorney supposed to help me with academic issues? It's a fair question. 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.
As the information on this page suggests, though, succeeding in college is often as much about dealing with bureaucracy as it is about writing papers and taking exams. No one knows more about bureaucracy than attorneys, and no one knows more about how to handle educational bureaucracy than the attorneys at the Lento Law Firm. That team was assembled specifically to handle student conduct and academic progress issues.
The Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team is 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 Team today at 888-535-3686 or use our automated online form.
