Remember

In almost every case, students attend college to take advantage of the opportunity to meet people, advance into a professional world more quickly, and to have fun. All of these are important and valuable for growth as an expert. When considering what happened that got you into this situation - remember the role you hoped college would play. 

Identify

Identifying factors that contributed to your circumstances is next. Were they things that were out of your control (e.g.: health concerns, financial challenges, family commitments) or did you make decisions to do other things because the purpose for college got a little fuzzy? 

In most cases the things you do to be successful in a job are the very same ones that will help you be successful learning challenging content. What is also the same is accessing resources and practicing behaviors designed to help or lead to success. These Student Resources can help - but don't stop here, this is not an exhaustive list!

Get Clear, Consider and Prepare

Get clear on the things that are getting in your way. Consider how to address them so they are truly identified, addressed, and no longer getting in your way. Then prepare to return. This means you put into place mechanisms to manage the things that were getting in your way and able to consistently use them.

When You Are Ready To Return

When you are ready to return the University Scholastic Appeals Board (USAB) is ready to review your petition. The following prompts and questions will help you communicate to the USAB that you are ready to return and continue toward your goals.

  1. Describe the circumstances that contributed to your academic underperformance (What factors caused or contributed to your academic challenges? How did each factor prevent you from succeeding academically?)
  2. Describe the steps you have already been taking to address the circumstances so you will be able to concentrate on your academic performance. (What steps have you already taken to change your situation? What circumstances have already been resolved?)
  3. Statement of Academic Purpose
    1. What role do you believe your college degree will play in your professional development and career goals?
    2. What motivates you to do the hard things or learn foundational topics that might not be fun/engaging?
  4. Statement of Academic Plan
    1. Name of current Academic Advisor.
    2. Provide a realistic and planned course schedule for the next two academic semesters. (There will be a table for you to provide the list of courses and the number of credits for each term.)
    3. Describe three strategic steps for the upcoming semester that will help support your academic performance. (What realistic and attainable goals can you set for yourself for the next semester? What continuing support will you need? What campus resources can you use?)
    4. How will you take responsibility for these steps?

Additional documentation

You may choose to include additional documentation that supports your case that you would like USAB to know about. While not required, students have the option of submitting additional documentation in support of their request if they believe the additional inforation will assist the USAB in making its determination. Refer to the suspension appeal form for examples.