Soul Searching

At about this time of the year, when I was a sophomore, I was dreading the fact that school was starting again because it forced me to face the reality that I was under Academic Probation. I was under Academic Probation for the second time during the Spring Quarter of my freshmen year, and the summer break had allowed me to forget about my worries. I was conflicted on what I had to do for my future career. Was engineering just not the right fit? How do I deal with changing majors? Would switching schools be the worst thing? These were some of the many questions racing through my head. The reality was that I should have just switched majors but I was too ashamed to think that I would fail my parent's expectations to consider it a real option. I decided to bite the bullet and stick with my major and hope for the best.

In retrospect, I should have given more thought towards changing my major to something that was more enjoyable and better suited for me. Though I was able to survive through a rigorous engineering curriculum, it was a difficult journey that made me doubt myself on more than one occasion. Being on Academic Probation should have been a sign that I needed to either change my study habits or that this major was not for me. I am currently working as an engineer now but find myself leaning away from it more and more. My regrets of course was that I was not able to pursue something I would have enjoyed. But these are the choices in life we make.

If you are currently on academic probation or finding that your major wasn't what you were expecting, make sure to think long and hard about your future. Don't worry about what others think and find what's right for you.

The Black Spiral

My freshman year could be compared to that of an academic train wreck spiraling out of control. The biggest mistake I made when I received my first letter notifying me of my Academic Probation status was being apathetic. At the time, I felt it was just a bump in the road and something that I could dig myself out. Oh how I was wrong. I never changed my habits and figured that being kicked out of school was nothing more than a far off nightmare. Little did I know that as the year progressed so did the difficulty in the classes. I spent most of my time hanging out with friends, spending countless hours playing Counter Strike, and studying at the last minute for midterms and finals. Soon enough I received my second letter notifying me I was again placed on Academic Probation.

A summer passed and I felt that starting a new school year would provide the motivation necessary to climb out of a large hole I had dug for myself. By the end of the fall quarter I received my third letter and this time I was placed on Academic Dismissal and was warned that if I did not keep my grades up I would be getting the boot. I was required to speak with an academic adviser from the Dean’s office and was given two options. I could either tough it out and risk being dismissed from the school or transfer out of the College of Engineering to another major providing me a contract so that I would not be dismissed for another 2 quarters to get my grades up. My academic adviser suggested the latter as my grades at the time suggested failure. My nightmare had finally arrived.

Getting out of Academic Dismissal status required me to finally realize that being kicked out of college would provide me a horrible future and humiliation for the rest of my life. Not being able to live with myself if I were dismissed, I changed my study habits and concentrated harder than ever to get the grades to get myself out. At the end of winter quarter I did not receive any letter and was found to be in good standing.

Don’t ever think that being on academic probation is just a small bump on the road of life. If you begin to be apathetic like I was by not changing your study habits and re prioritizing your life, you could end up spiraling out of control into a large black hole you won’t be able to get out of.

Dealing With Failure

Preparing for failure is not an expected requirement in college and tends to take many undergraduates by surprise. For many of you, high school was a breeze, where last minute studying for exams was more than enough to do well. Unfortunately, most high schools have failed students in regards to preparing them for college. For the average college student there will come a point, regardless of major, where failure is a reality.

I received my first failing grade on my first midterm of Chemistry and the panic started to set in. Not being accustomed to the reality of failure, I continued with my bad study habits and had to retake the class. I now realize that there were steps I could have taken to have prevented me from going down a troubled path.

Fist and foremost setting an appointment with your professor is an important step to take when doing poorly on a midterm. This gives you the chance to meet face to face with your professor and discuss the results of your exam. Always remember to review the exam answers in advance so that you have a several topics about the material you can concentrate on discussing. If your professor can see your concern and improvement in their class, there is a good chance that they will take that into account when giving a final grade.

One of the most important steps you can take to begin improving in your class is to attend your class’s office hours. Most TAs will take the time to explain the subject material and it will get you motivated to work harder on the material. Even though you may know the material on a certain subject, it is still beneficial to attend office hours as other students may bring up questions that you might not have thought about.

Now I know homework can be a drag and copying from a fellow classmate is the easy way to go. I can’t stress enough the importance of doing your own homework. More than likely you will run into questions where you may not have the slightest clue to answering and group work at that point is warranted. By attempting to do the homework on your own will help you build the foundation in terms of learning the material. If worse comes to worse you will always have the option of attending office hours.

Bouncing back from a failing grade in a class will not be an easy task, but I believe with determination and taking the steps I have mentioned will give you a much better chance of improving.

Who Am I ?

I’ve always enjoyed divulging advice on just about any topic to anyone willing to listen; anything from picking the color of a car, the right major, or even a restaurant to eat at. Like most people that enjoy giving advice, they probably could use some themselves. Reflecting on my college career, there is definitely advice I could have used. Back then I was an engineering student straddling the line between failure and confusion. My sub par performance placed me on academic probation twice and academic dismissal once. I faced academic advisors that wanted me to leave the college and parents I couldn’t even get myself to face. At the lowest point of my college career I was seeking advice that was no where to be found.

With some determination I was able to bounce back and achieve some significant goals I never imagined possible: three internships, two publications, and a job secured before graduating as an engineer. For those of you who are reading this and are in the same position I was - in academic trouble and worried about your future, trust me I can relate. Though I am nearing the completion of my first year of work, I wouldn’t want anyone else to make this journey without some guidance and advice.

I believe it is possible for anyone to be successful in college and transition well into the real world. That is what redsprouts is, a place for everyone regardless of where you are in your college career to get the advice and guidance to be successful.