<p>Ok, as of right now I have a 2.42 GPA (messed up monumentally first semester), and I’m really worried I’m going to lose my scholarship, because you need to have a 3.2 average. Unless I get a 4.0 next semester, which seems highly unlikely, I think I’m screwed. Has anyone gone through the scholarship appeal process? What are the chances I can renew my scholarship, provided I do well next semester?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>My D lost her Dean’s Scholarship when her GPA for freshman year fell below the requirement as the result of a weak first semester (due primarily to subpar performance in courses for a major she then switched out of.) She appealed, and her appeal was granted. At the time (this was three years ago), it was generally understood that these appeals would be granted if the GPA gap wasn’t too huge and an appropriate appeal letter was submitted. (The requirements–basically identifying the source of the problem and how it is to be rectified in the future–were explained in her notification letter.) I think this is a one shot deal though–if it happens again, all bets are off.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, that nasty first semester had further repercussions for her. D is in the Honors program, and must finish with a 3.5 GPA to graduate with Honors. She has been pretty much a 3.5 student for all the subsequent semesters (ironically, achieving A’s and A minuses in all her Honors classes, which unfortunately are not weighted in any way), so clawing her way back from the impact of that first semester on her GPA has been a challenge. I wish AU would apply the same philosophy to Honors GPA calculations as they do to merit award appeals–i.e., disregard that rocky first semester that so many kids have for a variety of reasons, or at least disregard first semester classes in a major that was then not pursued. It was especially upsetting for D to learn that until relatively recently, the threshold for Honors graduation had been a 3.3 final GPA, which she will easily achieve. (Guess I highjacked your thread a bit, but it’s an issue that’s been on my mind.) </p>
<p>The lesson here is that parents should emphasize to their freshmen that every grade counts, and that when it becomes apparent that extra academic or other support is needed, it should be obtained immediately.</p>
<p>MommaJ - I echo our sentiments. Johns Hopkins does not even count first semester grades in your GPA.</p>
<p>In figuring out my daughter’s GPA the other day, I ran across this information:</p>
<p>“During the first two semesters of full-time study a freshman or Washington Mentorship student may request Freshman Forgiveness for any two courses that have resulted in a grade of C- or lower. Part-time students may request Freshman Forgiveness during the first 30 credit hours. Only the second grade is computed in the cumulative grade point average. Students are not eligible for Freshman Forgiveness if they received a sanction of a grade of F in the course due to a violation of the Academic Integrity Code.”</p>
<p>[Grade</a> Point Average](<a href=“http://www.american.edu/provost/registrar/academicservices/gradepoint.cfm]Grade”>Transcripts | American University, Washington, DC)</p>
<p>Luckily, my D will not be needing this for the first semester as she ended up in good shape. However, maybe it could help you out MV92293?</p>
<p>So if you’re a freshman with a C in a class, you can just deliberately do poorly on the final to assure a C- or below, and then have the grade thrown out of your GPA via freshman forgiveness? Not sure that makes a whole lot of sense…</p>
<p>MommaJ, I’m pretty sure no one deliberately wants to get bad grades and does what you said on purpose. Plus, I think if they use freshman forgiveness, they lose credits or something. What’s the point of that? It’s like you didn’t even take the class!</p>
<p>MommaJ, reread the paragraph - “only the second grade is computed in the grade point average.” For that to be true, there has to be a second grade, meaning the class is taken again for a better grade. If you retake a class, different schools treat handle the GPA differently. When I entered college, my school counted all classes - if you retook a class, both grades counted. By my Junior year, they changed the policy, and if you retook a class, only the second grade counted (only going forward, so it would have been to our benefit to have waited if we had failed a class).</p>
<p>It sounds like in this case, they will do this for only 2 classes, taken Freshman year. You could purposely get that C-, but then you would need to retake the class. Of course in some schools if the class is a prerequisite you have to retake if it’s a C- or lower anyway.</p>