Top 5 reasons students may fail classes post-COVID-19
If you just learned that your young adult is struggling with their spring semester coursework, it’s hard not to attribute it to the disruption from COVID-19. If they are not doing well academically, stay calm and investigate what happened. Even with colleges gong Pass/Fail for their students, some students will find themselves failing those classes. Lucky for your child, colleges and universities are also changing most of their Academic Policies, including Academic Probation and Suspension. This is something that can happen to any student during any semester during their collegiate years. Thinking optimistically and making changes for future semesters will encourage your young adult to know it’s possible to get back in good academic standing.
Instead of talking about how to get off Academic Probation since most students won’t officially be on it in the first place, I wanted to highlight the top five reasons that college students typically find themselves on Academic Probation. Without reflection and understanding, the solutions for implementing change will fall short of what your student needs once they return to campus this summer or fall.
Top five reasons students may end up on Academic Probation:
First and foremost, unexpected grief and loss. The shock of returning home mid-semester to finish out coursework is a loss for thousands of students. Focusing on academics due to the immediate change in schedule, structure, and social network can be devastating to a young adult’s academic progress.
Not requesting accommodations prior to COVID-19. If your student struggled during high school but opted not to request accommodations before leaving campus, it may be no wonder they are struggling with the online learning requirements.
Living with an undiagnosed mental health condition. What was “drive and determination” in high school could now have morphed into perfectionism and generalized anxiety. Realistically, preexisting or budding mental health concerns could play a significant role in a student’s success on campus. How they are thriving socially, emotionally, and physically now that they returned home will absolutely impact their academics.
If they didn’t attend class or were already behind academically before moving home due to COVID-19, that could play a significant role in their ability to catch-up while at home. It’s hard to stay consistent with motivation while in a new environment, especially your childhood home. If they were already failing, there’s a strong chance they won’t be able to hide this while living under your roof.
Having an unbalanced and inconsistent schedule can impact academic performance. With the sudden change in class schedule and required coursework, it’s easy for a student who struggles with prioritization and time management to immediately fall behind on coursework.
In reading causes for Academic Probation, it allows you, as a parent, to prepare yourself. Give your young adult space to complete their coursework on their own time. If they tell you they are passing all their classes, congratulate them. Once final grades are released for the spring term, make sure to verify their final grades. This is not coming from a place of distrust, yet rather concern for the trauma they endured in spring.
If they do end up failing their classes but luck out on not officially being on Academic Probation, remember it’s just a hiccup in their collegiate experience. Life isn’t always smooth sailing! Help them create SMART goals and have realistic expectations for the next semester will help them. If you aren’t certain your young adult can do it on their own, consider hiring professionals to help. Tutors, Mentors, College Coach, Individual Therapist are all professionals who could be of assistance in supporting your young adult. If they don’t change their habits for the fall, they will most-certainly find themselves on Academic Probation after the fall term. That is, of course, if fall is even an option.
Most importantly, if your child doesn’t want to return to school either, that’s their choice. You just need to make sure they have a plan for what they’ll be doing instead. Years down the line if they decide to go back to school, they certainly can. College isn’t going anywhere!
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
