• Eligibility

  Project Success is designed for undergraduate students with an overall GPA (grade point average) of less than a 2.00. Students with an overall GPA from 2.00 - 2.25 may participate in Project Success when space is available.

• Description

  Project Success is a program that can help students on academic probation regain good academic standing at the university. It is a semester-long program that meets once every week, starting the second week of classes. Students in PS learn how to get and stay organized, how to study effectively, and how to take charge of their college success. The weekly meetings also discuss such topics as campus resources, how to overcome procrastination, stress management, and how to work with faculty. In addition to learning important skills and information, PS students benefit from a system of accountability and support that is provided by their peers and the team of facilitators. The facilitators will be CAEE staff, Career Services staff, and peers who have completed the program. Such a team gives PS students the complete story of what it takes to be successful both in and outside of the classroom.
  
  Students participating in PS are given a free CAEE College Success Planner to help them get and stay organized and benefit fully from the program.
  

Bottom line: Project Success gives students the opportunity to prove their commitment to their academic success.

And this program can make a difference!! Students who completed Project Success during Spring 2006 improved their semester GPA by an average of +.92 as compared to the semester before participating in Project Success.

Students who have participated in PS report "it is challenging me to stick with my goals and is holding me accountable when I don't" and that "talking to other students that are in the 'same boat' helps me realize I'm not the only one with problems. It allows me to cope a lot better."

Another student stated "I was a freshman from Georgia and I was like that ready-to-assemble furniture. I had all the right parts - I just didn't have the tools to put it all together. Project Success gave me the tools."

Another PS student reported: "Once I realized what I needed to change, the help with organization and time management helped keep me on track and push me. I was able to keep record of my progress of where I was, where I should be, as well as helping me realize how to get there...I really do value everything I learned in PS this semester. I honestly feel like a well-prepared college student. Thank you!"

AND EQUALLY IMPORTANT:100% of the PS students in the Fall 2007 program said they would recommend the program to a friend!

So if you are serious about improving your academic performance and college experience at Virginia Tech, then Project Success is the program for you! SO SIGN UP NOW!

• Dates

PS groups start meeting the second week of classes. The groups will be meeting at the following times for Fall 2008:

        Group 1 - Mondays from 4:00-5:30 pm in 111 Femoyer Hall

        Group 2 - Tuesdays from 3:30-5:00 pm in Smith Career Center

 

ANNOUNCING NEW GROUP OPTION:

For the first time, PS will offer an alternative to the once a week, 1 ½ hour long meeting format. Students can select Group #3 which will meet TWICE a week for a shorter amount of time. The time coincides with the class timetable. Group 3 will meet Mondays AND Wednesdays from 12:20 – 1:10 pm in 111 Femoyer Hall. Students are required to attend BOTH meetings each week.



PS Application deadline is 9:00 am on Friday, August 29, 2008.

• What to do next...

  Interested probationary students (both newly probationary students and students returning from suspension) should complete and submit the PS Student Application no later than 9:00 am on Friday, August 29, 2008.

  Upon acceptance to the program, students will receive email notification of their group assignment. If you have any questions, please contact Elaine Humphrey at 231-5499 or elaineh@vt.edu.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

PS Success Stories
(Following are the stories of a few of the students who completed Project Success, continued with the program by volunteering to be a peer facilitator, and have gone on to do some really amazing things both here at Virginia Tech and elsewhere!) Click on each picture to read their full comments.

	Nick Vlach-Graduated with a BS in Human Resources and Education. "Project Success really got me back into the swing of things during my college career."   Nick Vlach-While on a trip to China
	Linda Ferguson-Graduated with a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies with minors in Entomology and Technology Education. "Being in Project Success really helped me to understand exactly where my problem areas were. I was given the skills and knowledge to be a better student, but of course it was all up to me to make it happen. "
	Tiana Otey-Expected graduation, May 2009: Psychology major. "Project Success has opened my eyes to many skills that I was lacking before I enrolled in the class. My facilitators taught me all about the tools that I needed to be successful."
	Cory Kaser- Expected graduation, May 2008. Engineering major. "PS definitely helped me learn about study skills and time management. It helped me to turn my grades around. I still use the tools."
Crystal Larimer and her daughter, Chloe	Crystal Larimer-Graduated with BS in Management with concentration in Entrepreneurship Innovation and Technology. " I thoroughly enjoyed being a participant in the Project Success group. We had a large group and the people were so much fun. I was not naturally motivated and driven in school like a lot of my friends were and never needed to work hard to do well in high school."
	Elyssa Klopfenstein-Expected graduation, May 2008: Wildlife Science major. "PS has done so much for me and I definitely feel that I owe much of my academic success to the things I've learned by being not only a participant, but a peer facilitator. I, like many incoming freshmen, felt that I could just wing my way through college like I did in high school; not studying and getting straight A's."