University Of California, Berkeley
Office of Undergraduate Advising

  Academic Probation  

College of Letters & Science

  Factors That Can Contribute to Academic Difficulty  

Start Index

Every Fall and Spring, the UC Berkeley Washington Program sends undergraduates to our nation's capital to participate in an internship! Juniors and Seniors from any major can apply via online application here.

General Catalog

Berkeley includes more than 130 academic departments and programs, each of which belongs to one of 14 colleges and schools. Get essential information for each department: curricula, major/minor requirements, faculty lists, courses, and departmental web sites.

End Index

A realistic assessment of the contributing factors that resulted in unsuccessful academic performance will be an important part of your efforts to improve your work in future semesters. It will be unlikely that you will be able to remedy difficulties and distractions unless you know exactly the nature of those distractions.

Generally, there are 5 main causes of academic difficulty:

  • Motivational difficulties
    Motivational difficulties can include difficulty adapting to and feeling a sense of belonging in a competitive academic environment.
  • Adjustment to college life
    Balancing study with the new freedoms and responsibilities of adult living can be a difficult challenge. For some, it will take practice to develop the personal discipline required to stay focused at a large institution with so many opportunities.
  • Study skills
    Students arrive at Berkeley with many levels of academic preparation. For some, the transition to Cal is seamless, for others, a real struggle. Weaknesses in academic preparation and an inability to organize study time can contribute to unsatisfactory academic performance.
  • Directions/Goals
    Some students report having difficulty directing toward a course of study and or finding a subject matter that "fits" with their interests and abilities.
  • Personal Issues
    At times and perhaps unexpectedly, personal issues can affect academic performance. For example, issues involving health, personal relationships, finances and family responsibilities may overwhelm a student's ability to perform well in classes.

Academic advisers are specially trained to assist you as you assess the variety of issues that may have contributed to academic difficulty. In some cases, you may be easily able to determine the cause of poor performance, in others, there may be a combination of contributing factors. All students on 2.0 AP are required to complete the on-line version of the in-person Reach For Success (RFS) workshop. You may find it at: http://ls-probation.berkeley.edu/ws/. Log on using your CalNet student identification number. In addition, you are also highly encouraged to attend an in-person RFS workshop.

Previous Section:

Start of the semester priorities

Academic Advising

 :Next Section