Hello, please help! I’m a high school junior taking AP Chem. Last semester’s teacher suddenly got sick,and his replacement is the most rude, inflexible, horrible woman you could ever meet. The tests are insanely hard, she grades homework to a t, and has no sympathy for anyone. I am on the verge of a B and I am a stark perfectionist with a 4.0. Right now, I have 3 choices.
Drop the class now (what would colleges think?)
Cram my butt off to try to pass the AP exam, which would give me an A (though we haven’t actually learned much of the material)
Settle with the possibility of a B.
Maybe you think I’m crazy, but the thought of a B is horrifying to me. I’ve done everything right in her class, and I feel like entering a mental hospital right now.
If you drop now it would be a withdrawal on your transcript right? If that’s the case then it could look bad on your transcript when it comes time to apply to colleges. A ‘B’ grade would look much better. However, if you already know where you will be going to college you can ask the admissions office if you can drop the class. My D had 2 friends who asked and were permitted to drop a class after acceptance.
When you say you haven’t learned any of the material for the AP exam, does that mean your old teacher wasn’t preparing you for it? You had him for half the course, if you didn’t maybe he was too easy. If you were suddenly failing the class, I’d understand blaming the teacher, but you still have an A-/B+. That’s not bad at all.
I definitely wouldn’t drop the class. Chemistry is one of the key sciences colleges look for, missing out on that credit wouldn’t help you, especially if the first semester showed up on your transcript. It wouldn’t look right. Go to the bookstore or library and browse the AP prep books. If you think you will be able to master the material by May, buy one and hit the grindstone. If not, you might just have to settle for a B. I know that sucks, but it is highly unlikely one B for one semester will ruin you.
I’m sorry if I sounded a bit harsh on my first post. ^^’ You are at an unfair disadvantage due to your teacher’s sickness, and switching to a new one half way through the year is jarring. I understand the B being a personal disappointment, but unfortunately there isn’t much you can do other than trying your best. However, when you look back, it may be nice to know that you tackled a challenge head-on rather than stepping out.
For the AP test, have you tried asking your teacher how you should about preparing for it? Maybe she would know the most efficient way to study. At the very least, it would show her your initiative, which could lead to having a better relationship with her.
" The tests are insanely hard, she grades homework to a t, and has no sympathy for anyone." So you are way behind and the new teacher is trying to get the class up to speed with only a few months. How could she in good conscience be handing out As to students who haven’t learned the first half of the course? What are you expecting here? You complained that the first teacher taught nothing, you let that slide without taking responsibility for learning the material yourself and now you are unhappy that you have a teacher with high expectations who isn’t going to hand out easy A’s? Can’t have it both ways.
If getting a B in a hard class is the worst thing that ever happened to you, just about everyone on the planet would like to trade places with you.