In many ways, I understand where @icedmachiato is coming from. On the other hand, more than one experience that I’ve had with young people suggest that some students who do poorly their first college year may simply not have reached the maturity needed. Even though the courses may seem “basic” to some, it’s still quite a transition for others. And yet they have good potential. Here are two anecdotes among many. One of my sons went on hard academic probation after his first year in pre-med/comp sci at UT, took a (forced) semester off and worked, and learned how to do well after he went back–very, very well in fact. He will have four semesters on their equivalent of Dean’s List when he graduates and another semester that was very close. He heard the college wake up call. We knew all along that he had the necessary intellectual potential and just committed to supporting him as hard as we could. My other son’s first roommate at TAMUG was an excellent student late in high school but knew and admitted that he had messed around his early years, hence lower rank at graduation. He placed out of Cal III at TAMUG and soon ended up in CS. Yes, weak grades make it much more difficult when employee searches look so closely at GPA, no doubt about that at all, but there are still things that can be done for a student’s resume as long as their GPA finishes at a pretty decent level. My study group is pre-engineering students for the most part, mostly male. I don’t really see that If a student can’t make it with good gpa their first year, there is a very slim chance that they will make it the next three years. Probably I’ve just seen a different group. Also, some young people do just fall on the opposite side of whatever line TAMU has for full admission.