Successfully Reinstated Students
Here are stories from six different students on their experiences with academic disqualification and in reinstating to the university.聽
Student 1
I took a Biology class and I ended up failing that class and I remember sitting back in the lectures and really not being interested at all. I would try to do the work, but I wasn鈥檛 really interested in the course but I still kept going. I remember even some days I wouldn鈥檛 go to class and we would just go to the beach.聽聽聽聽I think at first I was excited as a freshman like hey this is so cool, meeting new people鈥ut then as it started to sink in, you feel overwhelmed a little bit because you don鈥檛 have that support and you鈥檙e on your own. Which is good because you get to be independent, but at the same time, you have to be the one to take initiative and say, I am going to schedule an appointment with the counselor, go to the writing tutor, I am going to do this or that. I think I definitely learned to be more organized with my school work, because as opposed to someone telling you, okay your assignment is due Friday, or you have to see your counselor in two weeks, it鈥檚 more of, here鈥檚 your syllabus and the assignments are due on the dates listed. So, procrastination happens and all these other factors鈥t was definitely overwhelming. But, as time passed, I turned the overwhelming feeling into more of a proactive feeling and learned to push forward and you have to do this on your own. Of course, there is help, you just need to go find it. When asked, what advice would you give to a family member, friend, or peer who may be struggling in college she said, 鈥渒now your resources鈥�! She also shared that she wished that there was some sort of program when a student is disqualified that pairs you with another student who had experienced the same thing. She said, 鈥渢his way you can talk to someone who can let you know it鈥檚 all going to be alright鈥�. [student 1]聽is enjoying her courses, new major, and working with children and is looking forward to completing her degree.
Student 2
Failure of classes for the first semester of being at the university right after the community college. The classes seemed a lot harder than at community college and there was a distraction鈥ith my mother being ill, having to take care of her and my siblings, since I鈥檓 the eldest. I didn鈥檛 put a lot of effort in to school, having to still have an income for the family, work, and take care of them. It鈥檚 been different because I am older now and going through that stress made me learn how to deal with it. Now, that my mother is better and my siblings are older as well, I feel like they can have some sort of responsibility in helping out my mom. Therefore, I moved out from my mom鈥檚 house. So, now I live with a family that鈥檚 supportive towards my school and I have time to study with no interruptions, motivation to do my homework and just being focused on school. Just keep going, keep working on it. Even if it takes you a long time, as it has for me, the goal is there and as long as the goal is there, there鈥檚 a pathway to go ahead and accomplish it. So, keep going, don鈥檛 give up, just find another route towards that goal.
Student 3
School started that Monday and it ended up working out that I could start, but I had to crash basically anything that was open. I was in bio, chemistry, math, and like sociology or something my first semester. With the bio and chemistry, that鈥檚 where the hardship started. I got all D鈥檚 and one F. The second semester it was the same thing. It was another three D鈥檚 and one F, it just was not working. That鈥檚 what happened with the disqualification.聽My mom has always tried to do anything I needed in order to help me get to this university. She drove up with me on the day they told me I could be here. She got in the car and she drove five hours to school with me. My sister, she鈥檚 just as supportive. She鈥檚 always said I will graduate from this school, like I know you can do it, it may be hard but you can persevere. You can do it! So, without the family support it would be a totally different situation. It鈥檚 sad because I was telling you about my best friend and her family had never told her she can go to college. So, looking at my family, it鈥檚 just crazy, like they鈥檙e really supportive and really there for me. Every step of the way they have been there.
Student 4
At community college, it鈥檚 very easy to just get by and the workload isn鈥檛 that demanding there. So when I got here, I was like okay, I could still have that mentality of it being community college and I could just scrape by. I鈥檓 sure that good grades just kind of fall from the sky or something. I would go out all the time, go party all the time. So, school was like a secondary compared to my social life. Of course you don鈥檛 just get disqualified after one semester. It wasn鈥檛 just one semester, it was one semester and then the next and I remember there was this one semester where I just stopped going to one of my classes. So when I got disqualified I had no one to blame but myself. It鈥檚 not like most people, who get angry with the school and tend to blame everybody else, you know? I messed up and it鈥檚 time for me to fix my mistakes. I have to get good grades because my mom鈥檚 going to ask for them and I want to make her happy, but in theory, then I鈥檓 just doing it for her and not me. But when it comes down to it, you have to just do things for yourself and I feel like people need to start doing that.