Failed Lab Exam

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>I, like many of the people here, shoot for a 4.0. I am in my first semester of community college, due to the fact that my HS transcript is non-existent (I was "home schooled" but really spent my childhood doing nothing. My parents rarely taught us anything or gave us schoolbooks). I have gotten A's in everything so far, but...</p>

<p>I failed my first biology lab. Failed it HARD. I would be surprised if I got a D, even a low D. It was absolutely my fault. It is like being able to tell someone all about football, but not being able to play it - just because I know what simple squamous is doesn't mean I can identify it underneath a microscope.</p>

<p>I don't know what to do, and I am scared that despite my A's on all the other tests (one might have been a very high B), I will either fail the class or be unable to bring it back up to an A. I'm not sure if I should approach the Prof. and just apologize, or wait and see what my scores are. I've never failed anything academically, and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do! Can someone please advise me on this? Sorry if I sound stupid, but like I said, a lack of high school experience isn't helping matters.</p>

2

<p>It is always to your benefit to approach a professor at the first sign of trouble. It’s pretty common for students to understand the neat, clean pictures in a book, but not be able to translate that knowledge to the lab. Anyone who has ever dissected a frog can tell you that: the picture in the book shows organs, but the frog is just filled with guts.</p>

3

<p>I agree with going to the professor to ask for help learning the material. He/she may be able to refer you to the campus tutoring center or another student who has taken the class and done well. Don’t berate yourself- it’s all about learning how to function best in a college setting, and how to ask for and find help if you need it.</p>