<p>@Carolynmama, I think it’s great that you got back to us here on CollegeConfidential to let us know how things have gone for you and your son. You also bring up a great point. So many talented high school students, with many APs and credit for them come to college with an unrealistic idea of the “step up” that college represents both in the speed at which the material is presented, and its difficulty level. Some overload themselves their freshman year, and some are not mature enough to handle being away from home, managing their time, and developing the study habits required in college. Many people fall behind and get in academic trouble.</p>
<p>That having been said, your point about very few schools being willing to give him a 2nd chance is a problem. He got in trouble because he lacked the maturity he needed to obtain good grades. His past college record should not be a life sentence, and there needs to be a discussion on how to give these students a 2nd chance, once maturity has been obtained; to let them try it again. I’m happy to hear he did get that 2nd chance at the program that he was interested in. That needs to happen more often. Admissions offices routinely regurgitate the “we do a holistic review of the entire application”…one often wonders how holistic the review can be when the better/bigger colleges get 30-40k applications for their available seats. I wonder if there would be a way to wipe the slate (academic record) at least partially clean to implement the “do-over”.</p>
<p>I know there will be hardliners out there that will say that’s life and you can’t escape your past. I disagree. You don’t fail unless you stop trying, OR no one gives you a second chance to succeed where you were unable to attain a successful outcome the first time. Michael Jordan, arguably the best basketball player of all time, failed to make his high school varsity basketball team his sophomore year. He didn’t give up, was given a 2nd chance to prove himself, and we all know what happened next.</p>
<p>Good luck to your son.</p>