UConn’s Troubling Leave of Absence Policy: Only you know what’s best for you 

Last semester, at the end of October, I temporarily stopped attending UConn due to a medical emergency. I spent two weeks in the hospital, and I wish it could have been more. I needed more time. It was my choice to return so fast, but there were certain parts of UConn’s Leave of Absence (LOA) policy that pushed me to go back before I was ready. 

I did not take a leave of absence, but I certainly learned what it was. That is why I decided not to take one. 

There are several reasons a student may need to take a break from school. Family emergencies, struggles with mental illness and other crises that affect a student’s well-being and overall life can lead a student to consider a leave of absence.  

A lack of consideration for why a student needs to take time off is a major problem with the LOA policy. For a student to take a leave of absence, they must be in good academic standing and declare what term they will return. These requirements are disadvantageous and unfair to struggling students in several ways. 

The correlation between lower grades and mental distress is high, especially for a person with depression in college. Students who are depressed may struggle with a lack of focus during study sessions and lectures, loss of motivation and interest, a slowdown of cognitive processing and sleep disruption, all of which can contribute to lower grades.   

Additionally, a study of university students found that a third of participants screened for depression had lower GPAs and were less satisfied with their studies. Another study conducted by Kahoot! found almost 90% of students surveyed said that mental health challenges at least occasionally disrupt their ability to study or complete assignments.  

Therefore, I believe that deciding if a student can take a leave of absence based on their academic performance disregards evidence on how mental stress affects grades. This can be caused by a number ofcircumstances and psychological factors. Wouldn’t it be more fair for a student’s academic standing to be reevaluated through their readmission process, instead of by their scholastic performance at their lowest point? 

Also, having to declare what term a student will return when they choose to leave school does not account for the unpredictability of the healing process. The road to healing is not a linear path. The process is often filledwith setbacks and obstacles. A student should not be expected to know their return date before they begin the process. 

Setting a return date puts pressure on a student to heal at a certain rate. The culture we live in celebrates quick fixes, fast results and the idea that something broken should be repaired as fast as it can be. UConn’s LOA website itself explains that students with incomplete course grades are “encouraged to complete all course work as soon as possible” to return to the university the following semester. 

I think the LOA policy should recognize that to properly support a student, you must meet them where they are, not expect them to know what lies ahead. Healing cannot be rushed, as it requires an indeterminate amount of time to address trauma, deal with tricky emotions, learn effective coping skills and integrate these new tactics into our lives.  

Something else that bothers me about the LOA policy is their rule for students who want to return in the spring semester. When a student takes a leave of absence, they need to reapply to return to UConn, which is stressful in and of itself. However, for a student who wants to return in the spring, they need to apply for readmission by December 1.   

What if a student finally starts to feel better on December 2? Under the current policy, they wouldn’t be able to return to UConn until the following school year! Taking too much time off can make it much harder for a student to readjust upon their return, and the more time a student is out of school, the higher the likelihood they’ll forget prior knowledge. 

The purpose of this article is not to deter students from taking a leave of absence. In fact, taking some time off can help a student devote more time to recovery and self-care and feel more secure upon their return to campus. 

I want students to be aware of UConn’s policies and procedures regarding LOA because of their expectation for students to be in good academic standing before taking a leave of absence, need for a set return term and reapplication dates which drastically alter the amount of time a student cannot return to school. Take care of yourself and remember to always prioritize your health and well-being above all else.