<p>Wasn't sure where to post this, but this one seemed the most appropriate.</p>
<p>I am faced with imminent failure in Calc 200, and am wondering what to do.
The hwole idea here is for me to keep my scholarships.
I pretty much know I'm gonna fail, because I just wasnt in to it the first half of the semester, scoring below 50% on my weekly quizzes(35% of course grade) and getting a 25% and 45% on my first and second exams, respectively. There is only the final exam left, and the weekly quizzes in between now and then.
For the past three weeks I havent even been going to Calc, because it is at a rather incovenient time, and most of all I've been trying to devote my time to my other classes in hopes of getting good grades in them to pull my GPA up and sort of "make up" for my bad Calc grade.
I know I'm GOING to have to take it again, but the funny thing is, all the stuff that I was failing so hard on (limits, derivatives, etc.),I get now.</p>
<p>What should I do? These are some options I've considered.
a)Just abandon it, and hope my other grades make up for it.
b)keep going to class and take my final exam, which will most likely be epic fail, and will detract from my other classes.
c)try to convince the professor to give me a "no basis" grade or something along those lines, where i wont get credit, but the grade isn't calculated in the GPA.</p>
<p>I've already calculated my GPA with all forseeable outcomes, and in the worst possible scenario, my GPA would end up at around 2.55(must stay above 2.5 to keep some scholarships).</p>
<p>Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Is it possible to withdraw from the class? A W looks much better on your transcript than an F, even if you do retake the class for credit.</p>
<p>If it's past the deadline to withdraw, then I'd say go to class and try to do the best you can. Honestly, if you're not going to class at all then you're probably going to do worse on the final than you have on the midterms and quizzes. My opinion is that in college class time is roughly 3 hours a week, not much of a time commitment considering that your "profession" right now is student.</p>
<p>Not even going to class when you are failing? That is one of the worst ideas I have ever heard. You should be going ever time, doing every assignment on-time/early and coming in with questions if you have any. Professors are usually willing to help if you put in the work/effort and it's hard material. By not going, you are ruining any chance to succeed in the class. I had issues with multivariable in temrs of comprehension, but by doing the work on time and going to class all the time, I was able to do OK in the end. I suggest you change your strategy and good luck.</p>
<p>If you haven't done this already, it might be helpful to talk to your adviser. If withdrawing is an option, I would seriously consider it. Some schools, I believe, allow withdrawals late in the semester under certain circumstances. It might be safer to retake this class when you are more prepared to put in the necessary effort.</p>
<p>Calculus was at an "inconvinent" time? What does that mean? If it was a 8 AM class and you decided that sleep was more precious, then I don't understand why didn't you schedule your calc class at a better time where you would actually show up for class. That's the most puzzling thing in this post.</p>
<p>Skipping ANY class is a set up for failure in a college class, period.</p>
<p>If you didn't like the time, then you should have signed up for a different section.</p>
<p>If preferable sections fill up quickly, then you need to get your advising and enrollment appointments as soon as possible to beat your competition to the times you want to build the best schedule for you.</p>
<p>Your department should have sent you several notices already on the withdrawal date (hard to believe that the W date hasn't already passed for almost all schools) with warnings on protecting your GPA.</p>
<p>In general, attend every class, do every homework problem assigned, see the professor during office hours for help on things that you don't understand, use the tutoring center if it's hard to see the professor during office hours.</p>
<p>Check the syllabus on grading. Some professors will count later exam grades with more weight if the student shows improvement through the semester. Sometimes they'll even ignore the earlier exam grades.</p>
<p>As you well knew, you have blown it big time. Don't add to it by being even more irresponsible. Here's my advice:</p>
<p>Go to your professor and fall on your sword: "I'm a complete idiot. I didn't take your class seriously enough and now I realize how badly I am doing. Please forgive me for disrespecting your time and skipping class and for not preparing for class and your exams like I should have. I want to let you know that I will be at every remaining class and I am studying hard to do as well as possible on the final. I realize that might not save me, I'm in such a deep hole, but I know it is the right thing to do and I've got to do all I can to keep my scholarship now that I realize how dumb I've been." I know that is humiliating, but I know a scholarship student who failed a class and when during the re-take the professor found out he was a ______ Scholar, the prof. said, "If I'd have known that, I would have helped you do some extra work so at least you wouldn't fail." Besides that, it's the right thing to do. You have shown the professor and those who trusted you with a scholarship great disrespect and humbling yourself may be the only way to begin to redeem it.</p>
<p>Go to every class, do every assignment, study your butt off for the final. When you have to meet a minimum GPA, there's a heck of a lot of difference between a D and an F.</p>
<p>Now, next semester, you need to realize that it is your <em>job</em>, your <em>work</em> to be a student. I told one of my ds today, "You do realize that you are being paid over $50,000 a year to make good grades. You don't want to lose a job like that!" That means you go to every class (a student at every class will get that letter grade bump when they are close), do the assigned work, study for the tests, and go to the professor's office hours when you don't understand something. If you aren't willing to do that to succeed and keep your scholarships, why are you at college anyway?</p>
<p>I hope you'll learn from this and get it right next time. You really don't want to learn first hand the sorrow and grief that comes from losing a scholarship and having to go home in disgrace.</p>
<p>I know how calculus feels, but a few things that are important are, how are the other students going and, does your professor curve to a certain average?</p>
<p>A lot of professors curve everything at once at the end of the semester so I would inquire about that information.</p>
<p>That being said, I think you should still give it your all. If you do well on whats remaining, and if he/she curves, who knows you may get a grade you like and won;t have to retake.</p>
<p>Well I'll be damned, you're in the same shoes I was in Fall '05; while I eventually wound up failing the class & taking a massive hit to my GPA, I still had AP credit that allowed me to get out of retaking the class and going straight to Calc. 2, which was much better.</p>
<p>Some suggestions:
*If you have previous credit (AP, IB, etc), use it so you don't have to retake it later.
*If you can withdraw, then drop that class like it's a faux pas.
*If you can't do either, then you can either try and slug it out for the remainder of the term and attempt to salvage a D, or you can crash and burn spectacularly and hope you can come out of it alive. </p>
<p>Get to tutoring immediately... it's probably even free! There are several weeks left, not to mention all Thanksgiving break, you could still get through it ! There's still time, don't go gently. No surrender! </p>
<p>Is Pass/Fail an option? Sometimes that won't count for/against GPA.
Or maybe you could get a note from your doctor...</p>