<p>DS just texted me in a panic. He got 50/100 on a CS project. He made one mistake that I guess must have carried forward, and there is no partial credit. This is his first ever failing grade on anything. He has 100 or near on all the tests and quizzes, but he’s panicked that this could bounce him out of an A. </p>
<p>I know this kind of worry might seem trivial to some, but to someone who has never seen a B in his life, it’s a big deal. He’s counting on a super-high GPA to stand out from the crowd at job application time.</p>
<p>Do these profs consider other factors like grade trends (weak first score followed by all great scores) or is strictly a hard total? Anyone else have some experiences to tell, or advice to give?</p>
<p>Most just use a hard total. I think if they considered other factors and made it more subjective, they’d have lots of students arguing about and disputing their grades.</p>
<p>But some profs do curve their grades. If everyone scored low, perhaps they’ll wind up curving that assignment or the final grades in the class.</p>
<p>How many total points will there be in the class? Are there enough other assignments so that this one won’t have a big impact on the total or is this one of only a few assignments? If there are several other assignments, one low grade might not have a big impact.</p>
<p>My S has had extra credit opportunities in almost every class. Your S might want to ask if there will be any type of extra credit opportunity to compensate for the low grade.</p>
<p>Instructors reserve the right to modify students’ grades to reflect increased effort on the part of the student, grading curves, etc.</p>
<p>In the long run, getting a B in a course hardly sets one away from the rest of the pack. Sure one might not get to wear a red hat at graduation, but having a 4.0 is not reflected on ones degree or transcript. Latin honors are reflected on undergraduate degrees and transcripts however. Graduating with any of the three cum laude honors bestowed by UA is considered a big accomplishment.</p>
<p>Employers want to see a reasonably good GPA and very rarely ask for transcripts. Even if a company only wants applicants with a 3.7+ GPA, they are still going to look at other factors such that a really high GPA will get an applicant an interview, but their other skills will get them the job. My advice for standing out in the job market is to look at what employers want now and in the future and work towards that. Recognize also that the job hunting culture varies in different parts of the country and among different companies. What impresses one company may be considered a negative at another company and vice versa.</p>
<p>Welcome to UA CS Chardo. While I admire that he has never had a “B”, from our experiences within the department that may be somewhat unrealistic. Have also found that the grades are pretty straightforward, no real special circumstances - flat out numbers. Sorry :(</p>
<p>My son got a B last year in a CS course also (after having never seen anything but A’s in his life.) He was disappointed, but as a Mom, I am glad that the pressure is off him to have straight A’s.</p>
<p>My D got her first B (B+ actually) last spring in a History class. I somewhat blamed her jumping into 3XX level classes as a freshman but it has just turned out that her History classes are very time-consuming and just hard. She has since dropped History to a minor which is actually complete! A completed minor after one year of college. I think that is pretty awesome (thank you, UA, for your generous AP credits)! </p>
<p>But I agree with RTRMom2. It has definitely taken some pressure off. D worked very, very hard through high school and the idea of making a B became more of a fear with each passing year of straight A’s. It put a lot of pressure on her to maintain her high GPA. In many ways, I’m glad to see her not have that same stress for the next 3 years.</p>
<p>Hey, tell him enough A+s can raise that GPA up…</p>
<p>Kidding!! If the very worst thing that happens to him in 4 years of college is a couple of Bs, then he’s ahead of 99% of students nationwide (made-up stat). </p>
<p>I was honors, scholarship, National Merit Finalist, National Honor Society, 3 year sports varsity, thespian, computer club president, AP, and all around good guy.</p>
<p>My first exam in Calc at UIUC I scored a 17/100.</p>
<p>Welcome to the big pond, little fish.</p>
<p>To this day, I love to tell the story that it wasn’t that bad. Somebody scored a 14.</p>
<p>My son told me that he once got a 25 on a test in one of his major’s classes.</p>
<p>He finished with a 104 in the class.</p>
<p>At some point, your son may get a B in a class. It is all right. We promised our son when he got his first B in a class, we would throw a party.</p>
<p>Just wait until he gets his first C. And believe me, it won’t be his only one. They don’t give you that extra 2500 for majoring in engineering for nothing. It’s called Combat Pay.</p>
<p>Panic may be the initial, understandable reaction, but if he learns to respond to this distress with equanimity and resolve, he will have become more resilient and thus more valuable to an employer. All great people have great failures. That’s the price of reaching for the brass ring.</p>
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<p>With a bunch of A+s in the bank, a course grade of B will be but a blip on the radar and will hardly prevent him from graduating with a 4.0+ GPA. From everything I’ve read about your son he’s a super-talented, well rounded go-getter. I have no doubt he’ll stand out from the crowd.</p>
<p>This is a time for perspective. Temporary grade disappointment will serve him far better than grade panic. No smoke, no fire, no blood . . . no emergency. Roll Tide and keep us posted, Chardo.</p>
<p>^ he calmed down soon after. Realized it’s not going to ruin his life or anything. Just initial shock at such a low grade. Knows it wasn’t lack of knowing the material, just says he needs to focus better next time. There’s that resilience.</p>
<p>Do have him talk to the prof, though, to let the prof know that this test wasn’t an example of his strengths/abilities and to find out how he can lessen the effects of this grade. Profs like it when kids come in early with grade concerns…rather than waiting til it’s too late.</p>
<p>I thought about the football parallels. An A+ team shockingly struggles early, sees a score they’re not used to, bears down and focuses, gets back on track, and crushes it as usual.</p>
If the course is graded on a curve this “poor” raw score might not be nearly as poor as your son thinks. I’ve taken exams where the median was in the low 40s and a 50 was at least a B or maybe a B+.</p>