<p>Long story short, I'm a Junior at a top 15 university. First year here, did my first two years at a CC.</p>
<p>I'm a business major, took a 12 credit semester. I'm not a math genius, nor am I weak in the subject..I'd say somewhere a little above average.</p>
<p>I took one business course this semester, and had the exam for it yesterday. Quite sure I did horrible, will be lucky to get out of the class with a C..most likely a D. My other classes went quite well, going to pull A's in all the others most likely.</p>
<p>I feel like crap right now. This class is going to destroy my GPA.</p>
<p>Oh man…been there done that. Only I didn’t have a bunch of other good grades as back-ups! You really don’t know how you did until you get the grade back and it’s not the end of world even if you didn’t do well. Life goes on and in the big scheme of things it won’t matter in the least. You are not defined as a grade–it just feels like that sometimes. Onward and upward.
I made a 56 on a chem exam once which turned out to be a “C”…and then I made a 56 on the final which turned out to be an “A”. Thank goodness for the curve! At the time my dad told me his story about making a ZERO on an exam which turned out to be the highest grade in the class (the rest were negative numbers).
Try to talk to prof before FINAL grades get posted and maybe you can see where you stand and anything you can do. But don’t worry yourself sick over it–not worth it.</p>
<p>The one time in college I thought I had done terribly on an exam I got an A. It turned out grad students in Urban Planning are a lot dumber than undergrads!</p>
<p>Your perception of horrible might not be horrible after all, got to get your grade before you attach any label to it.<br>
Second, if you indeed, did really bad, then the only suggestion is to work harder. I do not have any other tricks up in my sleeve. The harder class require harder work. Which is not just sitting and reading over and over, you need to undestand every concept, and understand it correctly. If not sure, use prof’s office hours to verify your understanding, you paying for it, might as well use it.</p>
<p>I remember being certain (positive!) that I had gotten a C as a final grade in Finance in college. I was stunned to find a B- posted (back when we looked at paper on a wall for our grades ). And have spent the next 30 years sure that there was some mistake! So just saying, you never know until the final grade is in. I got a few really low grades in college (I remember specifically my intro Chem weeder class and intro Econ). Went on to take four more Econ classes, never lower than a B in any of them. What I am saying is that an occasional low grade on a college transcript is not a disaster. </p>
<p>It is a big step up in competition from a CC to a top 15 university, too. Even when you are on your game all the time (attending all classes and taking careful notes, completing every assignment and going to office hours for all things you don’t understand, memorizing it ALL for exams), it is just a tough environment. MiamiDap is not wrong that working harder is usually the answer to get at least up to a C or a B in the class. Sometimes the As go to students who already studied the subject and came back for a second pass somehow, though (someone who already has some accounting background from working in a small business, and takes intro accounting, for example). That can be hard to compete against.</p>
<p>Hang in there, you should take some encouragement from your good grades in your other classes. If you have to take more of the same subject (say, your D is in intro Accounting, and you have to take a second semester), get a tutor.</p>
<p>Something to else to keep in mind as a business major: Neither employers nor business schools will care about this grade. They care about the skills and experience you bring to a job. If you apply to an MBA program, they want to know what you accomplished professionally since graduating. </p>
<p>If the concern is that you didn’t master the material and you think you will need it, and you do get a C or D, retake the class. Otherwise, don’t lose sleep over it. (And, yes, go talk to the prof about it - they want to know you take your grades and the coursework seriously and are concerned that you haven’t mastered the material that you should have. They may have thoughts or ideas about what you need to do/can do to improve.)</p>
<p>Word of Wisdom? Advice? Top 15?
First, know school rankings are very artificial and arbitrary. The companies in the business of selling their rankings are very good at promoting the “importance” and “relevance” of rankings.
Next, know that sometimes we perform better than other times. Sometimes we do better than we think, sometimes the opposite.
If you are prepared as can be, then you’ll have no trouble sleeping at night whether you get an A or a D. You will know you have done your best. If you are not as prepared as you could be, then you are asking for trouble. Pretty much the same goes in adult life, too.</p>
<p>"Something to else to keep in mind as a business major: Neither employers nor business schools will care about this grade. They care about the skills and experience you bring to a job. If you apply to an MBA program, they want to know what you accomplished professionally since graduating. "
Well, OP does not know the grade yet. As of now, it could be an “A”
Another point, I was asked about my UG GPA after close to 30 years of experience and having MBA. You never know, different complanies have different policies. I did not remember my GPA any more and told them that. I also told them that I graduated Magna Cum Laude, which I clearly remember, so that they can estimate if they want. It was not the reason for the offer. however, it is nice to brag at least about something during interview. Remember, interview is just a sales pitch, you are selling yourself, the more positive points you have, the better your chances.<br>
Again, at the time that I applied to MBA, it was no such thing as having any kind of accomplishments. I just took GMAT. But again, I did not apply to top programs either. I have been working full time and decided to get an MBA only because employer was paying, I did not need another degree, I had a collection of them by that time. I believe also that if you have a very higg GPA, you can afford a lower GMAT score as admission is based on combination, but that also could have changed.<br>
I also believe that one bad grade is not the end of the world by no measure. however, it is worthwhile to learn from this experience if indeed the grade is low.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone, I feel a lot better after reading all the responses.</p>
<p>I studied a lot for this exam, but I think I need to work on my study habits. Coming from a community college to such a rigorous institution, I think I’m just not studying the way they expect us to.</p>
<p>Definitely a good learning experience. Hopefully I can come out of the class with a C, and I’ll get my act together next semester.</p>
). And have spent the next 30 years sure that there was some mistake! So just saying, you never know until the final grade is in. I got a few really low grades in college (I remember specifically my intro Chem weeder class and intro Econ). Went on to take four more Econ classes, never lower than a B in any of them. What I am saying is that an occasional low grade on a college transcript is not a disaster. </p>