So, a few months ago my DS was trying to decide whether to take Calculus III (Math 223) as a frosh, and he decided to go ahead with that. His professor arrived three weeks into the semester, and let’s just say of the students are struggling with his instruction. (He is German, and I’m sure he’s terrific at math, but no one can understand what he says in class.)
It seems to me that my son could drop the class before the end of the semester, or elect to take it P/NP, and if he did that, he would retake it next semester, hopefully with a better instructor. Even if he ends up with the same fellow, he’ll at least have a better handle on the material.
I think this is not uncommon in general but I don’t know if this is done at CWRU. I don’t see any downside because he will still have 12 credits even if he drops this class. Does anyone have any opinions on this?
Needless to say he’s going to talk to his advisor about this, as well as talking to the prof to see if there is some way to improve this situation.
This is really common. Either pass/fail or withdraw would be a good option. If he thinks he can get a d, I would do pass/fail. This will make next semester easier for him. Make sure he looks at RateMyProfessor next semester so he doesn’t get stuck with a terrible professor again. Your son is fine. I would have him go talk to one of the deans. If he really doesn’t want to pass/fail or withdraw, he could do the free tutoring hours. This is what I did to pass calc 3 when I had a terrible professor.
Thanks @ohiokid1234. None of Math 223 listings in the catalogue identify the professor. They all just say “staff”. so it is impossible to avoid duds using RateMyProfessor. (I wonder why this is the case with math as it does not seem to occur with the other classes.) However, pretty much anything would be better than the current situation, even retaking it with the same bad professor. It looks like he is going to withdraw and re-register for next semester with lots of fingers crossed.
Thanks @bopper but I don’t think it is workable to attend a second set of lectures, and the prof will notice if he is not in class which will affect his already poor grade. He has spoken to the prof, but at this point, expects he will have to withdraw and retake. That’s fine, its just a reality check and he’ll be more proactive next time he draws a bad hand.
@nycparent12 - your son may want to confirm with with his advisor but there is a freshman forgiveness policy. My son mentioned this so I checked and found this online:
“Withdrawal from a Course
The First Undergraduate Year:
For the first two semesters of enrollment, matriculated students who are beginning their college studies may withdraw from a course at any time during the semester, but no later than the last day of classes. Any course for which a grade of W is assigned will be deleted from the transcript at the end of the semester. This policy is not available for transfer students and does not apply to the summer session.”
Of course, he’ll have to retake the class but he might feel better knowing it won’t show up on his transcript.