The most important source of information about meeting academic requirements is the official college catalog for your school. The catalog (also sometimes called the bulletin) may cost you a few dollars-usually between two and four-but is well worth its modest cost. The catalog is usually available at the campus bookstore.
To avoid possibly taking the wrong path and wasting your time and effort, you should consult the catalog that is in effect the year you first enrolled. Catalogs change every year or two, so borrowing one from someone who graduated or began a year or more before you may cause you trouble. Think of the catalog in effect when you first enter college as a contract between you and the school. The requirements listed for graduation are the requirements you will have to follow, with a few possible exceptions which we will explain shortly.
Much of the catalog is generally devoted to listing the numbers, the titles, and brief descriptions of each course offered by the college. These course listings are separated into academic departments (Mathematics, History, English, etc.). This information will be useful when it comes time to select classes, but the catalog is even more important to you because it also describes the requirements you must follow in order to complete your major and qualify to graduate.
We mentioned above that there may be a few exceptions to the rule holding you to the graduation requirements listed in the catalog for the year you entered college. In some colleges, you may bypass the requirements of your "entry catalog" (the one in effect when you began college), and choose, instead, to follow the requirements listed in the catalog of your graduation year (the "exit catalog"). You might want to choose the exit catalog to follow if the requirements became easier or if your course work just happened to fulfill those later requirements. The problem, of course, is that there is no way you can plan during your first two or three years for requirements listed in a catalog that hasn't been written yet. Blind luck may come your way, but don't count on it.
If you are a transfer student (or plan to transfer) either from a junior college to a four-year school or between four-year schools, be sure to check both your current school's catalog and the catalog of the college you are transferring to so you know what graduation requirements to plan for.
The Class Schedule
Students often confuse the catalog with the class schedule. A new class schedule appears each term and lists the courses currently being offered, along with days, hours, places, and professors for each class. The schedule also is likely to list the courses available for General Education credit. In addition, it provides information about important tests (such as writing or math skills tests, which may be required for graduation), along with the dates, places, and times they are given. The schedule shows important dates, such as deadlines for dropping and adding classes, and information about final examinations. It generally doesn't give descriptions of courses, so when planning your course load, use both the class schedule and the catalog.
The catalog and the class schedule are important resources for you, but they can be very unclear and confusing. If you can't make heads, tails, or elbows of these written explanations of requirements and courses available, don't be bashful about seeking the help of the advisors and counselors.
A CHECKLIST FOR TRACKING YOUR ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS
A checklist is very helpful for keeping track of the courses you've taken and graduation requirements you've already completed and still have to fulfill. Ask your major advisor or a counselor at the Academic Advising Center if your school has a graduation requirements checklist specifically designed for the programs offered. If not, use the following checklist as a guide, but be sure to alter it to fit your school's particular graduation requirements. Keeping track of your progress on a checklist will save time and worry and can help you avoid unnecessary and unwanted surprises when graduation approaches. One of the worst experiences would be to discover a forgotten graduation requirement shortly before you thought the degree program would be completed. By monitoring your checklist regularly, you can prevent any oversights that could impede your progress toward the degree.
A Brief Note about Transcripts
In addition to keeping track of your progress on a checklist, obtain (for a few dollars) a copy of your transcript from the Registrar at least every two years. This document will reflect in a single source all the grade reports you automatically receive at the end of each term. Having your own transcript copy handy is useful when meeting with academic advisors. Later, employers may also want to see your academic record and will expect to see a transcript rather than a handful of grade reports.
ACADEMIC STANDING: FROM DEAN'S LIST TO DISQUALIFICATION
Students enter college in good academic standing and most remain there throughout their education. Good academic standing means that a student has been making normal progress toward a degree. For this, a minimum 2.00 GPA is commonly required.
Your academic status can move in either of two directions. It can go up if you qualify for the dean's list, an honor given each term to students who earn outstanding grades. Generally, only full-time students (which include all intercollegiate athletes) are eligible for dean's list. The minimum GPA required to achieve dean's list varies from school to school, but is usually in the B+ to A- range (3.25 to 3.50 GPA) for the previous term. The standard for making dean's list may be somewhat lower (sometimes a 3.0 GPA) for freshman students.
Obviously, achieving dean's list is something to be proud of. In contrast, falling below good standing spells trouble, possibly including loss of athletic eligibility, and ultimately may bring disqualification from school if your record gets bad enough for long enough. The exact number of steps below good standing differs among schools, but we can show you how a typical system works.
Academic Warning: This is the first level down from good academic standing. It comes when your GPA for the most recent term falls below the minimum standard for passing grades (usually C or 2.00). Even if your overall GPA is extremely high, a bad term in which you make less than 2.00 may put you on warning. The school officials are telling you, "You're still okay, but your bad term means you need to be watched."
Academic Probation: This is a step below academic warning and may cost you athletic eligibility, at least temporarily. Probation comes from letting your overall GPA slip below 2.00 or by making below 2.00 during a term in which you are already on warning. In other words, two consecutive bad terms could put you on academic probation even though your overall GPA may still be well above the minimum for good standing. If you are placed on probation you will probably have to speak with an advisor in an effort to reverse this trend of poor performance and prevent it from becoming a long-term problem.
Continued Probation: This amounts to a last chance before being disqualified from college. Some people need more than one semester to get themselves straightened out, and continued probation gives them that chance.
Disqualification: A third consecutive semester below 2.00 is likely to bring disqualification from school. Disqualified students are not allowed to register for classes the next term. But colleges are not in the business of kicking students out of school, even students who are having trouble meeting the standards. Most colleges will do their best to keep students in school. Some may even reopen the door to students who have been disqualified.
Readmission: Students who are readmitted after being disqualified enroll on a trial basis and are watched closely as they try to work back toward good academic standing. School officials may insist that students who have been readmitted after disqualification sign a special contract in which they agree in writing, and with a counselor, to a course of action aimed at correcting their poor academic performance. This may mean giving up athletics or a job. The contract may also include a statement of how long the student expects to take before reaching the school's minimum standard for good academic standing. A contract may also include strategies to correct the student's problem, such as tutoring, study skills courses, and other measures for improving academic performance.
Beware of ungraded courses (Credit/No Credit, Pass/Fail) as they are handled in a variety of ways in terms of academic status. A No Credit (NC) course may not affect your GPA, but if you have too many, you could be disqualified from school-even if you have a 4.00 GPA! Check with an advisor or in the catalog to determine how NCs are treated at your school.
Competing in Sports While in Academic Hot Water
Athletic conferences and individual colleges vary widely in their rules governing whether athletes on academic probation are allowed to participate in sports. Many conferences and schools require simply that athletes be full-time students in order to compete in intercollegiate sports. Some have no minimum grade-point average nor do they demand that athletes maintain good academic standing for participation in sports.
Some athletic conferences and colleges go further in trying to ensure that their athletes are getting a good education. They do not allow athletes who are on academic probation to compete. In rare cases, a coach will establish a similar rule for participation on his or her team, even when such a rule is not demanded by the school or conference.
Whether or not your conference, school, or coach has a rule preventing athletes on academic probation from participating in sports, you should consider for yourself whether it is wise to compete when you are not doing well in your schoolwork. If you have an athletic scholarship, you may have little choice. Telling most coaches that you want to take time off from the team to build up your GPA is likely to bring a quick end to your athletic financial aid. However, if you are not tied to an athletic scholarship and you are either on probation or are facing it, you should seriously consider taking time away from the team. If that sounds like a rash move, consider what will happen if you don't get off probation and back into good academic standing: You will be disqualified from school and thus removed from the team anyway. Summer school is another possible option for getting back into good academic standing, although it probably would mean you won't be able to earn money you may need for the next school year. The best answer, of course, is working hard to avoid getting into academic hot water in the first place.
