<p>My son has a friend sitting in the living room with him right now who was sent home from his competitive LAC during the fall semester. He was told that he could begin again in Fall 2007. </p>
<p>My other son had a friend sent home from his LAC as well in the fall, with the same deal, that he could begin again Fall 2007.</p>
<p>Both these boys reportedly did little to no work their first semesters. Why do the colleges think they will do better the next time around? And have other freshman reported the same about students they know?</p>
<p>Were there behavior issues as well? (such as heavy drinking). Or did their LAC’s have specific class attendance requirements? </p>
<p>I’m wondering if the LACs simply have the good sense to intervene early when they see a kid whose behavior indicates “not ready for college” – they may offer the opportunity to return in a year figuring that the lesson has been made clear, and maybe maturity will help – and that there is a good chance that the kid won’t be back in any case, since parents may have some very different ideas as to what is next for their sent-home kids.</p>
<p>This sounds pretty unusual, at least in my experience. Most competitive LACs are pretty nurturing if the problem is academic (if there’s been disciplinary action, that’s a different story); they’ll really try to get a kid back on track via advising, counseling, and even a semester on academic probation before a suspension. Getting sent home <em>during</em> the first semester strikes me as out of the ordinary.</p>
<p>There’s almost always a backstory to such cases: the student struggled with alcohol, partying, depression, even homesickness. I think it’s not so much that colleges think that they WILL do better; instead they think that a student is likely to return only if they’ve dealt with the obstacle that was in the way the first time around.</p>
<p>This happened to my cousin’s son two years ago. However, he did not go back to the same college. He took a gap year (well, it turned into a year and a half) when he did some traveling, Community Service work and applied to some new schools. Now he’s happily ensconced in a new uni. He was NOT ready for college at 18. Now at age 21, he’s doing beautifully.</p>
Because they have matured one more year (which at age 18 is a considerable amount of time, particularly with boys), because they have had a year working minimum wage or close to and likely decided that they don’t want to do that for the rest of their lives, because they see all of their friends balancing work and play at college, and because teenagers go to college, screw up, and them fix themselves up all the time. I’m also guessing that schools with this policy have tracked these students over time and seen some success.</p>
<p>I’m sure there is a “backstory” in each case that my sons aren’t sharing–these students were both sent home by October, which is pretty early. Whatever they did, however, couldn’t be too terrible if the LACs are willing to take them back.</p>
<p>I will admit that it got to me a bit…one of the students was sent home from a college that both my boys wanted to go to and didn’t get into. Oh, well.</p>
<p>You may have way more information on this …however I know of such a case @ P’ton that was a kid who excelled at his math courses but nothing else. Came back a term later and seemed to understand that college was more than just his major. None of the behavior issues to which you allude were factors.</p>
<p>Some kids aren’t ready to be away from home at age 18. If there are other, hidden reasons why they were sent home, they need to work on those now because they aren’t going away.</p>
<p>We went to a presentation by a college president recently. He said that while there is free speech and exchange of ideas on all topics on the campus there would be no disrespect by student or faculty tolerated. He stated very clearly that he would not hesitate to send a student home.</p>
<p>Or another thought, maybe college is like boot camp. If they cannot adjust in a couple of weeks they are sent home.</p>
<p>It is a long time ago now, but my own father would have fit the description of these kids. I don’t know if he was technically “sent home” from Princeton, but whatever you want to call it, he did have to leave for a year or so to straighten himself out. It doesn’t have to be a behavioral issue–in my father’s case, it was incredible perfectionism that lead to him being unable to complete the work for his classes. People definitely CAN straighten themselves out–one of my father’s jobs during this period was working at a stroller factory…not exactly thrilling work (the worst job he ever had, he says). He came back eventually, and graduated from Princeton 2 years late. Obviously, this isn’t a great situation, but it does not spell doom, either. Sometimes very smart people need to adjust their habits/attitudes, and they can and do do so. My father went on to get his Master’s from Rice, and has had a fine career as an Architect…ultimately, it was a small blip in his life, one that he was more than able to recover from.</p>
<p>It’s not unusual. Usually if you have below a 2.0 GPA, you’re placed on academic probation. You usually have one semester to pull your grades up. If you don’t improve your grades, they’ll ask you to take an academic leave. If you’re grade is low enough during the first semester, they’ll also ask you to take an academic leave. I don’t think it has anything to do with drinking or any other criminal behavior.</p>
<p>Fudge… this couldn’t be an academic probation issue – these kids were sent home in October – very possibly before the first midterm grades were in. </p>
<p>I don’t have a clue, but there had to be some sort of issue beyond mere academics - unless it was a case of not even showing up to class as well.</p>
<p>Fudge… this couldn’t be an academic probation issue – these kids were sent home in October – very possibly before the first midterm grades were in. </p>
<p>I don’t have a clue, but there had to be some sort of issue beyond mere academics - unless it was a case of not even showing up to class as well.</p>
<p>October isn’t that early, if you take into account that these schools begin the last week of August. That could mean not showing up to class or failing most subjects for 2 straight months. Perhaps the colleges send them home that early so that they don’t have grades yet?</p>
<p>If the kids were sent home in october it was most likely behavioral issue or if the school has an honor code- an infraction of the honor code. This could range from anything from underage drinking, to doing something that was illegal (where the school would rather handle it instead of having the kid get a police record) to if the students got caught doing something like plagarism or cheating and go before the committee on standards, they could be sent home immediately.</p>
<p>I know when my D was a freshman, there was a student (who I had met at another school) got sent home during orientation. In Dartmouth speak, he was parked for a year. He is back on campus taking classes but it is very likely that he will not graduate next year with his class.</p>
<p>Sybbie, do you know why that student was sent home? I agree with you that behavior is the most likely explanation… but I am wondering if anyone actually has specific information about what sort of behavior tips the balance, but is not quite bad enough to warrant formal disciplinary action.</p>
Oh, well.</p>