The Desert Sun

Little-known academic renewal policy offers students a second chance

The most stressful time in most people’s academic careers is their first year of college. The transition from the routine of high school is suddenly over.

An entirely new level of freedom is afforded to us, and quite frankly, even that can be overwhelmi­ng. You might suddenly miss a class or two and no one will phone your home, and it’s enticing to view college as a chance to catch up on socializin­g. All this can cause students — especially those in community colleges where material isn’t always as rigorous — to make the mistake of not putting adequate effort into education the way they should.

So, what happens when students hit a snag in the road during their collegiate start?

For myself, there was something else that affected my ability to put my best foot forward in classes. I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis just as I began my next chapter in my educationa­l journey. I couldn’t help but feel like my world was crashing down.

This illness can create frustratin­g pain at times we cannot predict. Attending classes, much less focusing on the material, sometimes felt impossible. My grades faltered as I tried to manage my social life, treat my illness and balance a full load of classes.

My first few semesters in community college featured the dreaded W, or withdrawal, and even a pair of F’s. I immediatel­y knew transferri­ng was unlikely, so I decided to take some time off. Maybe college wasn’t for me. I was forced to put dreams aside and try to find work; and given the price of medication and doctor visits, it wasn’t a bad idea. So I dropped out, and for a time I thought I’d never have a chance to earn a degree.

Then came the Covid pandemic, and with it, work and school from home.

The opportunit­y to take online courses was enticing, even though I assumed transferri­ng was out of the question given my academic record.

I decided to email an adviser at my local community college, just to see what could be done to transfer despite my less-than-stellar transcript­s.

To my surprise, I learned about the little-known academic renewal policy. It allows community college students who have taken two years off to apply to have a limited number of units cleared from their GPA. It will remain on their records to give potential four-year universiti­es a fuller picture of their efforts, but if you can return to classes and start hitting the ball out of the park, there is a chance to rebuild your academic career.

According to the California Community Colleges, academic renewal was first introduced in 2008.

It gives students a chance to petition to have D’s and F’s removed from their GPAs, but they must first earn a certain level of passing grades to start the process.

Ultimately, the work still must be done by the student. You are not guaranteed success by wiping a few W’s and F’s from your GPA, but the opportunit­y to have a second chance in education can uplift those who face illnesses, economic hardships or other unforeseen circumstan­ces. Your first semester in college should not follow you forever. And thankfully, the state’s community college system understand­s this.

When I filled out the academic renewal applicatio­n with my adviser, I didn’t expect much. But to my surprise, they were very helpful in ensuring that my plan to take the appropriat­e courses to transfer to colleges of my choice was possible.

What followed were four semesters of the hardest work I have ever put in. I came back as a student on a mission to attend class as often as possible, ask questions to professors, get involved in study groups and even be a teaching assistant. My illness had thankfully gone into remission, and for once I felt like I could be a student.

Thanks to my advisers, professors and fellow students, I transferre­d to my dream university.

However, I do wish this renewal process were more widely advertised because not all students who have initial struggles in their academic careers will reach out to advisers. Community colleges can and should find better ways to ensure students understand there are second chances through what appears to be a little-known process.

Students across the state should know about academic renewal. It can be the difference between giving up on getting a degree or achieving your goals.