How would a D look?

<p>I've never been so adept with science, and I might end up getting a D in this chemistry class. I'm trying to transfer out. This is only my first semester of college (I go to a community college), and I think I'll end up with two A's, one high C or low B, and a D. I plan on retaking the class in the summertime if I do end up with a D.</p>

<p>How would this look? I'm definitely going for all A's next semester as well as the semesters after that. I had a hard time this semester because I wasn't sure what to expect.</p>

<p>Check with your advising/counseling office and/or college catalog to see what the requirements are for being in good academic standing. While a ‘D’ can be disastrous if you have a SERIES of them over time, one ‘D’ your first semester may not kill you at all if your GPA is still at what the college requires for good academic standing. If you can look online at your transcript, for example, you can see what your calculated G.P.A. is with your grades that you report above. Most colleges require a 2.0 for good standing. Also ask your college about its policies on ‘D’ grades. Some schools ‘accept’ D grades, and some, if you plan to transfer to another school some day, count ‘first passing grades’ and a ‘D’ can be passing in some colleges’ eyes. I say that because it means that repeating it could be a ‘waste of time/money’ if the D counts rather than the second grade. Again, you should consult with counselors/advisors at your specific school, and then again if you are transferring to a four-year institution some day (see what the accepting school’s policy is on D grades). Good luck! :)</p>

<p>The D may ‘count’ but it will hurt your GPA and may look bad to transfer institutions. Look into the retake policy at your college. At my community college, the retake grade can be used to replace the first grade for your GPA, although the first grade still appears on a transcript.</p>

<p>ALF is correct; however, do talk to transferring institutions. All schools do not have the same policies regarding “D” grades. I worked at one university where the D counted. I crossed OUT the second grade that was higher on transferring students’ transcripts, and I used the “D” in the transferring in GPA. The theory was that students who have the money/time to repeat and repeat to raise the GPA have an unfair advantage over students who take a class ‘just once’ and up to 12 credits of “D” could transfer into the institution. Thus, I still advise that if you know where you are going in the future after community college, make sure to brush up on the transfer policies of the other college(s) you plan to attend, too.</p>

<p>I just thought of a ‘p.s.’ too… since OP mentioned not being ‘adept at science’ if you are taking a class that is in a required distribution area but an area you aren’t great at, explore pass/no credit opportunities, too. That is, for an example, when engineering types have to take 2 or 3 classes in ‘the arts’ sometimes they opt for a P/NC option because they KNOW they may not excel outside their academic comfort zone/area of expertise, and so taking the class pass/no credit means a “C” will be a “P” and not kill the GPA. Now, at some schools, D counts as “Pass” and at some schools, not, but that is also something to explore the next time you have a gut feeling that a required class/area may not result in one of your top grades. I wouldn’t do it more than two or three times in four years of college, but it’s a possibility with elective credits that are not going to count for actual major requirements. Talk to a counselor/advisor about it. :)</p>