WWYD College son? Update 1st post

MamaLema

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 17, 2004
Ultimately it’s my son’s decision but I want to hear your input.

I have 3 sons. 2 are great in school and the third one well...

There has been a college strike for 5 weeks and the teachers only returned this week because the government intervened and made them go back. The strike started during midterm exam week.

DS19 is not a strong student. 5 weeks worth of missed work will have to be crammed in tight to finish the semester.

College is giving the option to finish the semester with cramming in all this work or refunding tuition for the semester and starting over next September, therefore losing a year.

My son is concerned he won’t be able to do it
I am concerned he will be home for a year and possibly lose interest in finishing

It’s his decision but he values my input and also I am paying fully for his education

What do you think?

UPDATE:

After originally going to Student Services and being told the January semester was full, my son made the decision to withdraw from the semester and went back a second day to do so.
By some kind of luck of either a spot opening up or the other person he talked to didn’t know what they were doing, the staff told him there is a spot for January! We are so happy!

DS will pick up shifts at work until the new semester starts Jan 29.

Just wanted to clarify that my son is not a strong student but he is still motivated. It has just always taken him longer to understand concepts and write things like essays compared to his brothers.

Thanks everyone for your helpful input!
 
Last edited:
Ultimately it’s my son’s decision but I want to hear your input.

I have 3 sons. 2 are great in school and the third one well...

There has been a college strike for 5 weeks and the teachers only returned this week because the government intervened and made them go back. The strike started during midterm exam week.

DS19 is not a strong student. 5 weeks worth of missed work will have to be crammed in tight to finish the semester.

College is giving the option to finish the semester with cramming in all this work or refunding tuition for the semester and starting over next September, therefore losing a year.

My son is concerned he won’t be able to do it
I am concerned he will be home for a year and possibly lose interest in finishing

It’s his decision but he values my input and also I am paying fully for his education

What do you think?

What are his plans if he decides to not go back to school til next September? Does he have a job at the moment?
 
Ultimately it’s my son’s decision but I want to hear your input.

I have 3 sons. 2 are great in school and the third one well...

There has been a college strike for 5 weeks and the teachers only returned this week because the government intervened and made them go back. The strike started during midterm exam week.

DS19 is not a strong student. 5 weeks worth of missed work will have to be crammed in tight to finish the semester.

College is giving the option to finish the semester with cramming in all this work or refunding tuition for the semester and starting over next September, therefore losing a year.

My son is concerned he won’t be able to do it
I am concerned he will be home for a year and possibly lose interest in finishing

It’s his decision but he values my input and also I am paying fully for his education

What do you think?

I know someone who is going through this and obviously it's a personal decision but I would push him through. I would think that the teachers will give a huge pass on the marks for the semester. I would not want him to miss the year and I don't think he will.
 


What's his major? If it's a stem, ouch, but like the other poster above, maybe they will be lenient. But then if it is a stem those classes build on one another and if he misses out on some of the starting blocks that might make subsequent classes harder.

Wow tough call, good luck.
 
I’d probably encourage staying in. I feel like teachers will be flexible here. I had two times in college that teachers had to leave mid-semester due to to personal reasons and the remaining work load was rather lenient because of the circumstances. Everyone’s in the same situation here. I feel there may be some wiggle room for those students that stay.
 


I am not sure the teachers "giving a huge pass" would be such a good thing; it could affect needed knowledge all the way through the rest of college.
I am not sure the teachers "giving a huge pass" would be such a good thing; it could affect needed knowledge all the way through the rest of college.

What I mean is, the teachers will probably leave out all of the fluff of the course and just stick to the actual need to know. Dear lord, if you have a degree in anything you should know how much fluff their is in any course.
 
I know someone who is going through this and obviously it's a personal decision but I would push him through. I would think that the teachers will give a huge pass on the marks for the semester. I would not want him to miss the year and I don't think he will.
I am not sure the teachers "giving a huge pass" would be such a good thing; it could affect needed knowledge all the way through the rest of college.
What's his major? If it's a stem, ouch, but like the other poster above, maybe they will be lenient. But then if it is a stem those classes build on one another and if he misses out on some of the starting blocks that might make subsequent classes harder.

Wow tough call, good luck.
I agree with all of these things. I think the teachers probably will be pretty lenient, and it may not be a good thing. If he's a math or science major, that may make his life harder in the future though. I think I would stick it out. Everyone else in his year will be in the same boat - everyone will figure something out, including the school.
 
Why does he have to wait? Why not start in spring?

For someone that struggles with school if will probably be extremely hard for him. What is he going into? Is he going to need a high GPA? He may just get frustrated and give up anyway. I would get him to find a job and start back as soon as he can either spring or September.
 
Isn’t five weeks almost a third of the semester? I think if I missed that much instruction I would prefer to take a refund and return for a new semester. I was a good student, but even I would find it difficult to cram that much in to the remaining weeks. In college I felt like I was paying for knowledge, not just a degree so missing that much would feel like a rip off.
 
Did he work ahead at all during the strike ? The local news here carried stories of how many of the students at the two local Colleges had formed study groups or were independently working through their coursework themsleves, taking advantage of the forced time off to "get ahead" in the material - something that will likely serve them well now that the remainder of the semester is compressed and extended into January. Having done this or not may be a factor in the decision to stay in or try again next year.

My co-worker's son has decided he will withdraw and return in the Fall. She has informed him she expects him to get a job until then. So also consider what your expectations will be of him whichever decision is made.
 
I would stick it out. It is going to suck, but in my opinion it would be worth it. I also agree that any class has a lot of fluff, so professors will hopefully continue with the important information. Waiting until next fall will cause him to lose even more of his motivation, and if he is a sophomore, will cause him to forget things from freshman year and just cause even more trouble.
 
Why can't he start again in the spring semester instead of the fall?

The program is not offered in spring. It only starts September or January. He went to Student Services on the day back from the strike. He went almost 2 hours before they opened and he was told January is full.
 
What are his plans if he decides to not go back to school til next September? Does he have a job at the moment?

Yes he has a part time job and could easily pick up more shifts. I guess I’m just worried about him losing motivation until Sept
 
I work at a college and hate to see students pay for a semester of college with bad grades to show for it. If he struggles academically and hasn’t done any reading during these 5 weeks then it does seeem he’d be setting himself up for failure with a crammed term.

Assuming he can get in, and isn’t losing any scholarships, I’d be suggesting he wait until next fall. A bad gpa can haunt a student for years.

Good students can handle crammed terms, but not everyone can and it is ok to be realistic. It will be hard to sit out though I’m sure if all his friends are there.

I would be requiring a job while waiting though if he was my kid

If he decides to stay does the school allow I completed where if a class or two is looking tough he can take incomplete to have more time
To finish? Just a thought.
 
Yes he has a part time job and could easily pick up more shifts. I guess I’m just worried about him losing motivation until Sept

My nephew, a college student lost any motivation basically the same way. He wasn't a strong student to begin with and was pushed to college. Keep him in. My nephew works part time at a grocery store now, for two years because he wasn't pushed enough to stay in school. He won't go back. Really. Keep him in. He will be ok.
 
The program is not offered in spring. It only starts September or January. He went to Student Services on the day back from the strike. He went almost 2 hours before they opened and he was told January is full.

That is a tough one. On one had I agree with martikus, but I also know how easy it is for an unmotivated student to not return after a year off.
Not an easy decision, good luck to him.
 
I would skip this semester.
Surely he can find courses to take to continue with college when the new semester starts in January.
Even if they are not the exact pre-determined required courses for the program?
Perhaps it could be more motivating to stay involved and on track, without the more demanding required courses? That could be a good thing.
What type of program is he pursuing?

Good Luck!!!
 

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