Hello everyone, I’m a UCSC junior transfer admitted for Fall with the stipulation that I complete the Math requirement this Summer. My GPA isn’t great, but that’s mostly an issue of major switching circumstances (which I’ve explained to admissions). I enrolled in Statistics this summer session which has been extremely hard for me not having taken any Math since high school geometry, with an extremely confusing class setup, the late assignments graded 0 as I accidentally turned in after the due date being I was very confused as to the absolute maze of a homework system, not attending any of the unmentioned TA study sessions, and a very arrogant and condescending professor. He’s proud of being notoriously hard, caters to math/business/science/computer majors, and we inadequately covered the entire advanced level book in the 5-week course.
I am a humanities major (currently acing my other class which is actually for my major) and my field will never have many practical applications for Stats, but it was all that was available for the prerequisite, and again my admission is contingent upon passing it this Summer. I’m completely underwater as the class was being essentially self taught with the lectures only showing 1 or 2 examples. I’m only getting about 50% of the content from the poor lectures and really hard self study pouring 40+ hours into Chegg, Stanford, and Khan Academy, and it shows. If every single student does better, the grading will be weighted a little more leniently, but I don’t think I can make the necessary at least 70% on the final to pass the class, so I’m worried things look pretty grim. I will be contacting admissions about this once the grades are posted.
Long story short; does anyone know of any similar experiences in which one was allowed to retake a failed prerequisite in the Fall?
Well, it’s not good if you don’t pass with whatever grade they said you needed. They already gave you a break, letting you do it in summer. I am going to give you one piece of advice: don’t rip everything else as the fault. That will be a huge turn-off to the UC. According to you there’s not one thing right anywhere in the course. You missed study sessions and turned an assignment in late but it’s not your fault - it’s theirs. Please don’t say that. Instead take ownership of the grade and cite the short format and a prof who was confusing.
Realistically? There’s a huge chance you might get rescinded, although UCSC might be more forgiving.
I think you’re lacking in comprehension here – I am absolutely not telling this story to blame anyone (or “rip the fault”??) and I don’t know how you extrapolated that as I opened with my own academic failings in the beginning. I am explaining the exact situation to this board so that someone specifically with similar experiences can weigh in.
Obviously, I should’ve asked someone besides professor unhelpful about which building the homework boxes were located in or about study sessions, but also that info should’ve been in the syllabus or emailed or in any possible written form of communication. I haven’t met anyone who HASN’T been confused as hell in the class, its a terrible mess. Half the roster doesn’t show up, and the ratemyprofessors reviews are overwhelmingly negative year round. I’ve heard from everyone that I shouldn’t have taken it at all.
But I also absolutely know where my own mistakes have messed me up here. I obviously wouldnt contact admissions like I would explain on here.
Doesn’t matter whose fault it is. If you don’t pass a required class for admissions, you won’t be admitted.
My daughter took a math class this summer that she needs to graduate. She didn’t know what she was doing, also had no math since high school (4 years ago). She went to every class, she sat in the front row, she made friends with others and they worked on the assignments together, she went to a TA session on a Sat morning at 8 am when she should have been working.
You may have to take another math class this fall to get into the 4 year college. Do things differently. Ask if you don’t understand the homework or how to turn it in (on time).
Yes, that is what I meant in the first place. I’ve figured out the “ask classmates not the professor” mechanisms by now, and again, I understand all of my personal shortcomings completely. Thanks for the anecdote, but is there any conclusion…? Did your daughter pass, or is she in the same boat as me? Have you spoken to any admissions faculty or anything similar to know whether or not retaking it would be the plan?
It sounds like you did not spend enough time studying. Even though the class only takes 5 weeks it covers the same material as the standard course (which I assume is semester system, or 15 weeks). So it is intensive!
The standard class meets 3x a week for a total of 45 hours, so the studying time outside of class would have been 90-135 hours to learn the material. You have to do this same work in 5 weeks. From your post you’ve spent 40 hours plus some study sessions. I suspect that had you spent 90+ hours you would be passing the class.
Okay I don’t think anyone is getting the question. I will reiterate here that I understand each of the things that I did wrong and failed to do. I know what I should have done before in the past and have learned so much from these mistakes and from the entire situation. I did try my best, I poured average 40 personal and 10 class hours into this and another 35 into my other accelerated course per week, I studied myself to exhaustion, and have paid with mental and physical health, but my best was subpar, and I still fell short of passing.
But I’m forgiving myself and moving on. I have grown exponentially (pardon the pun haha) from understanding a lot more about this whole process and this situation and now I am asking the question of what I can expect to do in the AFTERMATH of the ruins by anyone who has had a SIMILAR experience; what was anyone told from admissions, could I retake the course this Fall in a better and longer class, if my admission is cancelled even though it isn’t needed for my major where should I go from there, which depts. should I be contacting about my predicaments, etc.
Thanks, but study tips and condescension and presumptuous retrospection just aren’t quite fitting the bill for this discussion here.
If you have your grade and you didn’t pass, you need to contact UCSC and see where you stand. Be prepared that your admission will be revoked or at least suspended until you can take another math class.
I agree with you that profs don’t always cover the material it says will be covered in the syllabus. That happens during the school year too. My daughter’s summer prof didn’t come close to finishing what was originally planned. She did pass, and in fact got an A- (needed a C, was hoping for a B). She tried to stay up with the assignments on the syllabus even though they were falling behind in the class.
If there is no way to pass at this point, you need to contact UCSC. I failed a class my last quarter of college. I took the class P/F and failed it. We laugh about it now. I went back and completed the class. I also went on to get a masters degree.
This is a setback but you can regroup. Life happens. Find your plan B, if needed.
@Ohm888 Thank you so much for your incredibly brave contribution, we salute you
@twoinanddone Thanks for finishing your daughter’s story; I’m genuinely happy for her A-! I wish that it could help me out, but my story is very different. I don’t actually have my grade, but my expectations are low. I have mentioned in the OP that I will be contacting them after they are finalized. I said the opposite, that we covered EVERY chapter in the textbook as written in the syllabus; 5-8 chapters per week due the morning after the second class meeting after 9pm (0 points for anything after 11am. this meant a lot of all nighters lol) along with the midterm and final.
But the homework instructions, guidelines, and bonus lectures weren’t in the syllabus or emails at all. I didn’t know where to go, or what to do, or where to turn anything in. I was perplexed that he wouldn’t answer my questions. I made enough friends who helped me with everything, but I’d already missed the assignments and extra lectures.