Failed Calculus BC first semester....and want to drop.

Hi, i got accepted to Purdue University with aeronautical engineering technology major. ( This is not Engineering !!)

But the problem is that i am failing AP calculus BC… Second semester is going to start in a week and i don’t know what i should do.

If i decide to drop AP calculus for second semester and replace it with other semester course, am i going to get revoked?

I am regretting now…should have dropped earlier when senior year started…

by the way, I already finished Math requirement and i am taking Computer math and AP stat too, which i am getting As

What does your provisional admission contract state? Do you have to notify Purdue if you receive anything lower than a C Senior year?

Colleges generally do not like to see students get D or F grades or drop previously reported in-progress courses.

http://www.admissions.purdue.edu/apply/transcripts.php says that “If a final transcript reflects a significant downward trend in grades, Purdue reserves the right to rescind an offer of admission.”

My S had a similar problem ending up with a D in AP Calc BC. It was quite stressful as the public university he decided to attend (UMN-TC) would not definitively say whether it would be an issue (all his other grades were fine and he the same situation with more than enough math credits). With summer orientation approaching and no word from the university, we contacted them and they were casual in their response about him, of course, being admitted whereas the admission officer would not commit to whether it would be an issue until the final transcript was received and then never bothered to follow up even when S contacted him to confirm receipt of final transcript.

When S first realized he was having trouble in the Calc BC he did contact his counselor and two private schools from which he had received scholarships. Both private schools advised him to stay the course regardless of grade (he wanted this as well as he felt he was learning even though he wasn’t successful on tests) so we were shocked when UMN did not have the same view (as it was far less selective than the two privates). It all worked out in the end but the larger schools are not so holistic and primarily base admissions on gpa and test scores.

I would contact Purdue - you don’t need to initially give your specific information but you can ask if this would jeopardize admission as a general question. Each university seems to handle it differently. Some don’t like to see any course changes in senior year so you need to discuss this with them before changing/dropping classes.

^ Good recommendation. Contact the school. See what they say.

Yes, asking the school sooner rather than letting them find out by seeing the D/F grade or the dropped course on your final transcript may mitigate the situation. At the very least, if the school tells you it will rescind, then you know that you should choose another school instead.

Also wanted to add that UMN-TC specifically did not factor in AP test scores (S got a 3 on the AP Calc BC test) whereas the private universities would factor it in. Just be prepared for a vague response from Purdue until final transcripts are in. If all your other grades are good, it is highly unlikely they will rescind on one (challenging) class but there is a small risk and you will have to decide if you want to take that chance or go to a different school who will guarantee admission. Wishing you the best - do keep us updated!

@singermom4 to my knowledge few schools use AP test scores at all except in deciding whether to give class credit. And the OP was talking about a grade in the course, not the test score which doesn’t occur until end of year.