The high rate of student attrition at the undergraduate level is alarming, particularly when we consider the personal and societal benefits of higher education (Baum & Payea, 2005; Merisotis & Phipps, 2000). In response to this, many interventions and workshops have been developed and implemented in universities and colleges to assist the growing number of students facing academic difficulties (Hutson, 2006). Although such interventions may generate important benefits, it seems that many academic support programs do not reach students in greatest need of academic support (Romainville, 2000). To address this problem in a pertinent fashion, it is crucial to examine struggling students’ experience of their academic challenges, as well as the processes that may help them re-engage in academic endeavors (Milligan, 2007).

In light of these observations, this qualitative study sought to better understand the school and university experiences of students in academic jeopardy who participated in Passeport, a personalized and structured intervention program for students on probation. Passeport is a program led by the Student Academic Success Service at the University of Ottawa (Canada) and inspired by a Belgian model of intervention for students in academic difficulty (Romainville, 2006). It assists a specific population, that is, students who are asked to withdraw from their program of studies due a grade point average under the university requirements or too many failed credits. The students who made an appeal to remain registered in their respective programs, were offered the possibility to participate in Passeport. This option allowed them to retain their regular student status and follow classes while receiving academic support to enhance their academic standing.

This communication presents the program and intervention in greater detail. It also focuses on a student's experiences in relation to academic endeavors. To understand the struggling student's university experiences and their meaning a phenomenological approach to interviewing was favored (Seidman, 2006). This paper reports the story of one student with regards to earlier school experiences, details of experiences in university, and their associated intellectual and emotional responses in order to gain access to their meaning. To further understand the student’s experiences, special attention was given to contextual factors as well as past happenings and future projects, echoing Dewey’s (1938/1974) principles of interaction and continuity of experience.