<p>I got bad grades in 2 classes this quarter- if I withdraw them, will it do any damage to my record at school or in my career? And if I withdraw them, I end up with only 3 courses this semester. Is this too small? But then I plan to retake one of the dropped courses next semester--will this help my record?
Thanks!</p>
<p>Just adding-actually it would be 5 courses remaining, but with a total 30 units.</p>
<p>you need 36 units to be considered a full time student. dropping below that can have a wide variety of consequences, such as losing scholarship / grant money.</p>
<p>nobody here can offer you advice better than your advisor can. contact him/her asap. ask about converting one of those classes to pass/fail and/or picking up a weekend course or two</p>
<p>Also if you’re covered under your parents’ health insurance you may need to be full-time; depends on what kind of confirmation they require.</p>
<p>See your advisor ASAP. </p>
<p>It’s still not too late to add a Mini-2 class – only 2 weeks in and it is possible. Add two PEs if need be to get to full time status, or something odd like “keyboarding for non music lessons”.</p>
<p>If you have a bunch or even moderate amounts of AP credits, don’t really worry about dropping classes and the impact long term, it happens to freshman, and any W now if retaken negates any concerns. More important as others have said – you do need to be at 36 units to be considered a full time student. Unless you are full pay-- CMU financial aid, external scholarships and federal grant/loan money is in jeopardy.</p>
<p>Is it really really a Bad grade-- ? B/C earning a C is a respectable grade at CMU in some classes, especially those in freshman core /weeder classes. If you can hold onto the C and don’t have any chance of dipping to a D, might as well finish the class for a grade.</p>
<p>Also note, If you take something pass/fail that is a requirement for your major and/or pre-req to another class you are planning, you will still have to take the class again to move on in the major.</p>
<p>Take this as an opportunity to explore why you are earning poor grades. The people over at Academic Support Services have tutors, group session, etc. for many of the core courses and it can help with difficult material. They also offer workshops and one-on-one help with common issues such as “time management”, “note taking” etc. freshman need help – CMU is a tough place.
Some guided exploration would be good option to ensure you finish the semester strong with the three remaining classes and are ready to tackle the Spring in a better position.</p>
<p>Good luck-- and it’s not that uncommon to have a rough start. But talk to people at CMU ASAP to guide you through all your options and the consequences as well.</p>
<p>Really - good luck.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your kind advices.
By the way, is there any disadvantage other than financial matters if I am a part time student (actually 32 credits)- like after graduation or job seeking process in the future or transfer to other schools or majors? Thanks to my parents, I can manage the money matter this year and I am trying to tranfer to scs and one of the two is related to it. </p>
<p>Waiting for your responses… Thank you again.</p>
<p>An employer is not going to be bent out of shape if your freshman fall semester shows only 3 classes – unless you are job seeking right now-- eh maybe. Nice to get B or better in the remaining 3. With a light load, you should not have any Cs.</p>
<p>To transfer SCS-- you’re going to need excellent grades in 211 and a reasonable grade in 251. (although new curriculum doesn’t have 211-- so check in with a CS advisor to see which classes they absolutely want you to take-- the new collection is:122, 150,(old 212) 210(old 211)). Not sure what they except of transfers during a time when the curriculum is in transition.</p>
<p>Guessing that Concepts 127 is the course you’re struggling with? There’s a curve in the end, but agree, getting a C or D, not ideal for an internal transfer. The prof sucks–if you can retake it with mackey-- you’re golden.</p>
<p>I really urge you to speak to Stehlik or Carrasquel for advice.</p>
<p>Current SCS students should chime in here…I’m not really that familiar with internal transfers. The number actually depends on how many current freshman leave the program, opening spaces for internals.</p>
<p>i mean… you should really try and figure out WHY you’re performing poorly. If the work is just too hard, know that for cs, that is barely the start of it. If you are legitimately trying and get a C in concepts this semester I would bet money that anything higher than a C will be out of reach next semester in 251. </p>
<p>If you just slacked off, and are willing to put in 5x as much work next time around, then go ahead and drop your cs class. Take it again next semester, put all you’re effort into it (not pika’s halloween party), and then try to transfer after you get a few A/B’s.</p>