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Learning
Excellent Academic Practices
WHAT IS LEAP?
LEAP is
an academic support program designed to identify, support and evaluate students
before and during their first year at Winthrop. The components of the program
are based on national best practices and Winthrop’s own successful history of
academic support programs.
LEAP students are expected to work harder – to
achieve more!
· LEAP has a limited number of spaces.
· Candidates
who do not meet Winthrop University’s standards for full admission
may be offered provisional admission. A
requirement of
provisional admission is full participation in LEAP.
· Other
candidates for LEAP may be recommended by Winthrop’s Director of Admissions in
consultation with the LEAP Co-directors.
· Participation in LEAP is open to any
first year student if there are additional spaces available.
· There
is a program fee of $400 to help defray the costs of the program. This fee does
not cover the full cost of the program to the University.
WHY AM I CONSIDERED FOR LEAP AND NOT FULLY
ADMITTED?
The standards for admission to Winthrop University are reviewed and approved by
the executive officers of Winthrop University. Standardized test scores such as
the SAT and ACT and a candidate’s high school grade point average are among the criteria for
admission. Candidates whose test scores or class rank fall outside Winthrop
University’s approved range of scores can be offered provisional admission if
they agree to participate in LEAP. Winthrop University believes that each
candidate who is offered provisional admission by the Office of Admissions is
capable of gaining full admission into Winthrop University by participating
successfully in LEAP.
WHAT DOES “PROVISIONAL
ADMISSION” MEAN?
The State of South Carolina
allows up to 15% of freshmen to be admitted provisionally but allows each
institution to define “provisional” – especially since
all GPAs
and test scores (SAT and ACT) of incoming
freshmen must be included in reports/averages.
Students who are
fully admitted to Winthrop
University must meet
minimum academic requirements (1.75 GPA after 24 credit hours) to avoid being
placed on academic probation or suspension. Students who are
provisionally
admitted must:
· Meet
those same requirements in order to become fully admitted (even if being
admitted means they are admitted and placed on academic probation or
suspension at the same time); AND
· Participate
successfully in LEAP.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “PARTICIPATE SUCCESSFULLY IN LEAP”?
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All
LEAP students are required to attend either Orientation II or III. Each
student will be academically advised through LEAP during Orientation Students and families will
meet with the LEAP Co-directors and LEAP faculty during special sessions.
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Each
student will participate in the Early Launch component of LEAP.
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Each
student must enroll in and successfully complete one of the designated
sections of the course ACAD 101: Principles of the Learning Academy.
-
Each
student must attend all classes and all required LEAP study sessions. Only the LEAP
Co-directors may excuse an absence. Each
student must be on task and use time effectively in all study sessions.
-
Each
student must complete a minimum of 24 hours of credit in their first year at
Winthrop. Each student must
register for no less than 12 and no more than 15 hours of credit per semester.
A student may not drop a course without permission from the LEAP Director.
- Each
student must attain a GPA of 3.0 or higher for the fall semester to be
considered for waiver of participation in LEAP study sessions and other LEAP
activities in the spring semester. Waiver of participation in spring LEAP
activities for students achieving a 3.0 GPA or higher in the fall semester is
at the discretion of the LEAP Director.
At the conclusion of the spring semester, the LEAP
Director and the Dean of University College will review each student’s academic
performance and their participation in LEAP in consultation with the Admissions
Director and the Dean of Enrollment Management. The Dean of Enrollment
Management will then make the decision on whether a student should be fully
admitted to Winthrop University.
WHAT
IS THE EARLY LAUNCH COMPONENT?
LEAP participants arrive two
days early, moving into their residence halls on Wednesday, August 20, 2008.
Early Launch will begin at noon on August 20th and continue through noon on
Friday, August 22. During Early Launch, LEAP students will be engaged in
programming designed to
assist LEAP students in preparing for the rigors of university work.
WHAT
HAPPENS IN THE FALL COMPONENT OF LEAP?
LEAP students are required to attend and participate in specially
designed study session labs three nights per week
(Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Each study session
lab group will consist of approximately 15 students. Each group will have access to tutorial help
in the core areas of writing, history, and mathematics. All students will have reading
summaries and class notes graded by LEAP and ACAD faculty to ensure that all
LEAP students are on task in their courses and current in their reading
assignments. Attendance and
engagement in study sessions is a significant component (30%) of the grade assigned in
the ACAD 101 course for LEAP students.
WHAT
HAPPENS IN THE SPRING COMPONENT OF LEAP?
In
the spring, required study session labs will meet on Tuesday and Thursday
evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Students who, at the discretion of the LEAP Co-directors, are not required to attend
these study sessions are invited to participate in them if they choose to do
so.
Students making below a 2.0 GPA in the fall semester will also be assigned
a Faculty Mentor to work with them individually. Students making above a 2.0
GPA in the fall semester are also eligible to request a Faculty Mentor.
University College
Suite A Bancroft Annex
Rock Hill, SC 29733
(803) 323-3900
(803) 323- 3910 - Fax
Dr. Frank B. Pullano Dr. Virginia S. Williams
Associate Professor of Mathematics Associate Professor of History
LEAP Co-Director LEAP Co-Director
pullanof@winthrop.edu
williamsv@winthrop.edu
(803) 323-4569
(803) 323-4680
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