Attn: Present & Future College Students, Think carefully before you mentor

[Al Skierkiewicz]

DJ et al,
I wholeheartedly agree. Your priority list should be school first, family and church second, anything else (including robots) third. I, as a mentor, would rather get an email from you saying "Hi, I am doing well in school" then to see you face to face, volunteering at a FIRST event and tell me you dropped out because robots were taking you away from school. You can come back stronger as a graduate mentor than a struggling student.
Academic probation is something you can come back from. It needs some hard work and dedication to detail, but you are already trained for that. Use the skills you have learned and get the job done! I can say "See you in four or five years" and be happy and sad at the same time. DJ, don't make me come down there!