Have
you received an academic suspension from college? Although you are
surely disappointed and discouraged because
you have been suspended from school, it is important that you make the
best use
of your time during the term(s) for which you are suspended. Every
student who
enrolls at ECU becomes a partner with the university and the State of North
Carolina with shared responsibilities for
satisfactory
academic progress. ECU has established expectations of student progress
and
academic performance as part of its responsibility to each student and
to the state
that helps to fund your college education. The university monitors
student
progress and academic performance and intervenes when these
expectations are
not being met. An academic suspension is warranted when a
student’s
progress has not improved following several semesters of academic
warning
and/or probation. Your responsibility is to make the most of the time
during
your suspension to prepare to return to ECU and be successful.
Here
are some things to do while on suspension:
- Get your head
together. It is common to feel disappointed, angry with yourself,
or angry with others following suspension. While it is OK to experience
these feelings, it is best to limit the amount of time that you are
preoccupied with them. Move through these feelings and make a decision
to focus on your future.
- Talk with your
advisor. You and your advisor should make a plan for which courses
to take when you return to ECU. Be sure to look carefully at what
courses you have taken in the past as well as considering the reasons
that you had difficulty in past semesters. Identify strategies that can
help you academically, such as grade replacement, balanced course
selection, or change of major.
- Identify the
factors that caused problems for you in the past semester. Usually
there are a number of factors that influence poor academic performance.
It is important to identify what factors negatively affected your
performance so you can do something about it. Honestly evaluate where
you went astray—look at things such as time management, use of
effective study skills, procrastination, poor motivation, etc. It is
often helpful to talk with friends, family, professors and/or your
advisor to help you identify these areas in which you need to improve.
- Make a plan to
improve those areas which were problems for you. Make a plan to
improve in those areas which you identified as causing problems for
you. What do you need to do differently? How will you remedy these
issues? What changes in your behavior will be necessary to be
successful. What assistance do you need from others? Put together a
written plan of how to make these changes to be successful. You can get
ideas about these strategies from your advisor, from academic resource
centers at your local community college, and/or from books on study
skills in public and college libraries.
- Identify your
personal life goals. Having personally meaningful life goals and
understanding how college fits into your life goals is important to
college success. What is important to you? What do you want to
accomplish in your life? How is college a part of your life goals?
Write down your goals and keep them with you.
- Resolve any
medical or psychological issues. If a medical or psychological
problem was a cause of your academic difficulty then use this time to
stabilize your medical or psychological issues. Work with a health care
provider to do so, and make plans to continue any necessary treatment
when you return to ECU.
- Attend a summer
session. Students on suspension are eligible to attend summer
school at ECU. The intense daily schedule of summer school can often be
helpful in easing your successful return to school. Remember, though,
you must get at least a 2.5 GPA on 12 semester hours of coursework to
be eligible to return.
- Utilize all
University resources to help you succeed when you return. Some of
these resources include:
-Academic
Success Workshops. These are conducted frequently during
the semester and help you review important topics such as time
management, study
skills, and planning to be successful as a student.
-Academic
Advising and Support Center.
The Center can help you with
study skills, major and career selection, and student success
strategies.
-Center
for Counseling and Student Development. Counselors at the
Center can help you with stress management and personal success
strategies.
-Professors.
Your professors want you to be successful, and most are
willing to be helpful to you. Ask them for tips on how to be successful
in
their course. Be sure to seek out help early if you are having
difficulty in a
course.
-Tutoring
and Academic Assistance. Many departments on campus offer
free tutoring by faculty, graduate students or advanced undergraduate
students.
A list of these tutoring resources is available online here:
http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/aasc/Academic-Resources-on-Campus.cfm
or at the Academic Advising and Support
Center.
- Keep a positive
attitude. Your attitude is a key factor in your success in college.
Be positive and remind yourself about why college is important to your
goals. You are in control of your life and your success at college!
- You’re still a
Pirate. Even though you are suspended you are still a part of the
ECU community. Stay connected with ECU, keep in touch with your
advisor, professors and friends.
A
few useful resources:
Book: College
Rules: How to Study, Survive and Succeed in College
by Sherrie Nist
and Jodi Holschuh, 2002, Ten Speed
Press.
Dr. Brown's Academic
Resources Page
Dr.
Brown's Becoming
an Engaged Learner Page
ECU Advising Centers
and Resources
ECU Dean
of Students Office
ECU Family
Guidebook
ECU First-Year Center
ECU Office of
Parent Services
ECU Student Handbook (Student
Code of Conduct)
ECU Undergraduate
Catalog
