I have been super stressed lately because I have a 66% in Honors Chemistry. I don’t know why my grade is so low! I’ve done all the labs and lab write-ups and have done fairly well and I have only bombed two tests, but apart from those, my lowest test score was a 75%.
I’m freaking out about the D because 1) I want to be a nurse and I’m not sure how schools will look at a D in chemistry, and 2) I can’t earn a D thisyear at all if I want to graduate with high honors!
Yes, I have considered switching into regular chemistry but my grade will probably follow me, and Honors Chemistry is the same as regular chemistry, it may just be a day ahead of regular chemistry.
There is no tutoring for chemistry which is stressful. My teacher’s logic is “I do a group tutoring session once a day between 12:55 and 1:49” which is the time when my chemistry class is…
I’ve been doing everything to get my grade up, but no matter how well I do on a tests, my grade doesn’t budge! I have three weeks to get my grade up to a 69.5% (he rounds up)! I’m super scared I won’t get into college…
My first choice school is Azusa Pacific University, and I applied to nursing, a decently competitive major, that requires high school chemistry. If I don’t get in, than the CSUs are my back up schools, but I’m not sure how the CSUs will view this D… And if I do get into APU (I applied early action) I’m afraid what they will say bout the D in chemistry…
Please let me know what I’m able to do! If anyone has been in my situation and managed to dig themselves out of it, advice would be great.
Find a tutor in the class. Someone who is doing well (or ask the teacher if he can recommend someone). Ask that person for their help. If there is no one, then hire a tutor. Read the work ahead of class so you know what is going to be covered and have your questions ready. The teacher should have office hours before or after school to answer questions - but if not, you will have to find someone else who can help you.
A D in Senior year class could result in your acceptance being rescinded, so do everything in your power to get that grade up. Definitely consider a tutor, ask for extra credit if possible and possibly form a study group with the students that are doing well in class.
If you’re saying you think your average is higher than 66%, you may be right. Out of the 2 million or so HS students in CA, odds are good that an incorrect test or homework score was written down for a few of them. Ask your teacher for her/his record of your grades and make sure they were all entered correctly. If you really have that 66% and it looks like you won’t be able to bring it up, then you ought to contact AZU for advice on what to do next. See http://www.apu.edu/admissions/undergraduate/counselors/
That said, whether or not your average is actually 70 misses the bigger picture. If you “bombed two tests” then you are not successfully learning HS chemistry. And that is a sign of a bigger problem! If you look at AZU nursing at http://catalog.apu.edu/undergraduate/school-nursing/traditional-nursing-program/ you will be required to take biochem and o-chem, each of which will make HS chem look like a walk in the park. Most kids, when they have trouble in a math/science class, it isn’t due to not being able to understand the material. Its not being able on a test to identify the approach needed and then correctly apply it.
This, in turn, comes from 2 factors, time and study habits. How much time are you spending each week outside of class on Chem? As for study habits, most kids (even in college) don’t know about effective study habits. If terms like “distributed practice” and “self-testing” don’t sound familiar to you, then you’re one of them. There is a recent book “Make it Stick” about what research shows to be the most effective habits and is filled with tips for current HS and college students. If you are having trouble with some of the concepts in class there are lots of resources on the web including Khan Academy and iTunesU, the teaching company also has a HS-level course that periodically goes on sale http://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/high-school-level-chemistry-2nd-edition.html
Like others have said, your faltering at Honors Chem at this stage portends very badly for a potential Nursing major. Given the competitiveness of nursing programs and their willingness to weed out less than great performers – you have to ready yourself to perhaps switch out. Good luck however.
I was looking at their program because I don’t remember hearing it mentioned as one of the direct-admit programs in CA. They may be, although the info on their website is a bit vague. Then I saw this.
I don’t know what to tell you. If you get accepted to ASU early I strongly suggest you talk with them about your grades prior to abandoning your other applications.