by Erin Wiseman, Success Coach, College of Fine, Performing, and Communication Arts

Prepping for an advising appointment, you look up your student and the word probation appears under their name. What are your immediate thoughts?

As a Success Coach, these are the student I work with every day, so although the why/how questions do cross my mind, my first question is usually: What does probation really mean for a student? What is interesting about this question is that the answer is really the same for every student.

A probation status means a student is in a transitional phase of their degree. Probation is NOT and should not be a destination, where students end up with no chance of completing a degree.

This is not a population of students that should be ignored. In fact, this is a group a students that needs our attention more and more intentionally. These student often fly under our radar until it is too late. They are often students who want so badly to succeed but might not have all the tools in their tool box they need to reach the goals they have for themselves. It is our jobs as advisor and as a university to provide them with the tools. So what can we do to help these students?

1. First and foremost, give them our time. Probation students need, and often like to have continued support. Our conversations with these students should extend beyond one appointment when a hold is lifted. I know it is not feasible for all advisors to meet with their probation students multiple times in a semester, but even a mid-semester check-in email reminding them of resources might be beneficial.
2. Get to know the student and their situation. This might sound pretty basic, but understanding where a student is coming from, what their goals are, and what they hope to achieve will help you see the whole picture and be better support for the student in this transitional period.
3. Help them create goals for their upcoming semester. This may seem like an obvious step, but when creating the goals, they need to be more than “get off probation” or “improve my GPA.” I think we all know that those are their goals, but what is more important is to figure out HOW they are going to do that.
4. Celebrate small victories. These victories are different for each student. Maybe your student who previously was failing tests, got a C, or a student who continuously turns things in late, turns in some assignments on time. Celebrating these victories can help reinforce the habits students are creating.
5. Celebrating victories is important but also normalize setbacks. Remind students that mistakes/life happens and the road to academic recovery is not always going to be smooth sailing.
6. Finally, remind students that it is never too late to try something new or to look at a situation in a new way. Although a change might not make a big impact in one semester, it can lay the foundation for future strategy development and successes.

Overall, the transition to academic recovery will be different for each student. By getting to know these students, we as advisors can guide them on their journey and help them develop the skills and tools they need to navigate the challenges they face on the road their actual destination: graduation.