Bit of a unique situation here I’d imagine. Basically the student in question goes to an ivy league (above 3.0 gpa, on track to graduate december 2019). but then went to study abroad this semester. Heavily underestimated the workload (signed up for 5 courses as his home college required) and through a combination of very poor planning and running into some personal issues during exam week (where most of the course grade is determined at this particular uni), will likely fail 4 of the 5 courses, thereby only getting credit for one course.
The thing is, home college gpa will not be affected, and he doesn’t need the credit to graduate on time. Still very on track to graduate next semester. However, how will this be viewed by the home college? Technically speaking, passing only 1 course out of 5 is pretty terrible, is this grounds for academic leave? Even though he doesn’t actually need the credit. Wanted to get some advice here before contacting academic advisor/registrar.
Thanks all.
I would think this is college-specific.
Agree with @roycroftmom - it will depend on your school. While home institution GPA will likely not be affected, will grades appear on transcript? Communication with home institution will resolve your queries.
Read the fine print of the study abroad agreement- this is almost certainly covered. Then get on to your advisor asap- better to get ahead of it. Odds are good that you will get some grief for it (which you will take gracefully b/c you know you deserve it), but you will still graduate- unless there is a ‘must complete satisfactorily’ clause.
Fwiw, it is typical for grades to be based largely on the final exam in Europe, not just this university- and I am very sure that it would not have been a surprise. I have seen students navigate “personal problems” as severe as death of a parent and hospitalization and still manage to make a decent fist of their finals- b/c it mattered enough. As an adult, people will increasingly expect you to be able to deliver on your responsibilities even when your personal life is difficult or complicated. Recognize that the assumption will be that your term in Italy was more of an Italian holiday than a “study abroad” and calibrate your response carefully.
This happened to D1, but at a lesser degree. She took one finance course, which unbeknown to her and her advisor, was the host uni’s weed out course for their business degree. D1 knew the material, did well in discussions and midterm. It was a shock to her when she received a failed grade for this course, and all As for other courses. The hosting college refused to share her final wither her home college. Her school advocated for her, but didn’t any where with the hosting college. The dean told me in the future they would be more proactive on advising their students on “what courses not to take.” They advised to re-take a similar course at Cornell the following semester, which D1 then received an A for the course. In her case, her transcript showed she didn’t received credit for that course from abroad, but it didn’t affect her GPA. If/when someone should ask about that course, she had her re-take course grade at Cornell to show she understood the material.
I would contact your student’s study abroad dean and advisor to see what’s the best course of action - should the student re-take those courses next semester?
@collegemom3717 you are absolutely right of course. I accept full responsibility for my performance, and i certainly could have passed all my classes with proper planning despite the issues I ran into. At this point I’m just hoping the punishment won’t be something severe like revoking financial aid or placing me on academic leave.
The university I go to is Cornell, if that changes anything. The grades do appear on the transcript, but if you fail they are left blank.
@oldfort ah i see, that’s quite helpful. I go to Cornell as well. What was Cornell’s reaction to the F? Was she on any type of academic probation or something like that? Or did she just not get credit for the class and Cornell left it at that?
College specific, of course, but most schools have a grace period. They usually put you on academic probation for a semester as a warning before actually acting on any financial aid withdrawal and the like. Get the grades back up next semester and should be fine.
Look at the grading standards. When my kid did study abroad, the grading was VERY different at his abroad school. He actually did very well…but something was lost in the translation (and the school was an English speaking school). So his A grades (he thought) appeared as C grades on his transcript. This happened to 6 others in the same program.
They saw they advisor, and the dean of students, and it did get straightened out.
Then again…if this student did fail these courses…that’s a different story.
OP- my kid was not close to an academic probation. In your case, you may have an issue because of 3 failed classes. I would speak with the study abroad dean and your advisor asap. One thing I did find at Cornell, most administrators and professors were very helpful. We had to deal with it all over the summer break and we didn’t have any problem reaching anyone at Cornell.
Does the foreign university have a resit policy?
My daughter goes to St Andrews (full time not study abroad) and yes the final is most of your grade, the grading is tough, there is no curving, but if you fail you can resit the final in August.
D did a study abroad at U of Edinbugh, and there were no textbooks, just suggested readings. The final was most of the grade, and unlike US schools, the tests did not begin with 100 points that were reduced for mistakes … instead, they began with 0 points and students had to include things that would earn points. It was really different. She did fine, but a lot of other US students did not. Study abroad has its own set of rules, which grade-conscious students should consider in advance.
She should contact her home school to find out what might happen.
@kelsmom one of my daughter’s professors said “If you get a 70 on a lab report, do not, under any circumstances come and ask me why I marked off 30 points. Ask yourself, what could I have done to earn more than 70 points”
Are you certain the failed grades won’t be on your transcript? I don’t see anything about failed grades being left blank. Did you have a discussion about this with the Global Learning department?
“How will my courses and grades show on my Cornell transcript?
Your official Cornell transcript will indicate the institution or program you attended, the courses taken, the credits earned, and the grades in their original version. This means your grades will appear exactly as recorded on the official transcript generated by your study abroad program or foreign university. Your grades will not be factored into your Cornell GPA.”
Also remember that you must submit the transcript when applying to grad/professional school.
@oldfort I read a lot about grade inflation in the US on these forums. Do you think your daughter’s experience is reflective of the grade inflation or was the course she retook a lower level course? I am glad it all worked out!
When I was in South Africa one year, I helped a family friend grade college engineering exams he had given that week. He asked how it was going, and I said, “The kids are kind of struggling. Lots of 80s to 85s.” He looked perplexed and said, “Those are GOOD grades!” A different world.
In many countries, a 60% is a good mark. 75% truly is an achievement.
So… Did you get a 60% (failing in the us but passing in your country) or did you get a failing grade according to the scale Cornell uses to convert grades?
Look at the ECTS scale: any number on the A-E spectrum is passing (European ECTS scale E= US C).
I think it depends on major and school. For normal us college my d attends her bio or chem final had a 41 as midpoint for the curve. A 60 was a great grade. This wasn’t a remedial class this was filled with prehealth majors.
@doschicos Usually that is the case, but the University I am studying at (Bocconi) does not issue failing grades on their transcripts. Instead it would just say ***, which means you did not complete the course successfully.