I feel like my life is pretty much going downhill all because of a stupid grade. I am a sophomore in high school. I have all A’s and B’s, one C and well this quarter I got an F for geometry. Math has and never will be my subject. I don’t know what I want to major into yet, have no idea what my future will be and am worried sick. I think I’m depressed…
And I have no idea if I want to do cc then transfer to uni or go straight to university, but I feel this F ruined my chance of going straight to a university. I don’t feel great about my self at all, and I’ve been watching a ton of videos on youtube college stories, etc. I know I’m still young, but I’m so scared I won’t make it in life. I’ve never gotten an F. What are my chances of anything? If I do good this next quarter for geometry,do I still have a chance? MY QUESTION: WHY DO LETTERS AND GRADES HAVE TO DEFINE US? I’m so tired of feeling horrible about myself because I got a bad grade, I’m sick of it. I just want to know if this F, will it ruin me from succeeding in life? I will try and do good next quarter and get help… but i don’t know… I’m just so lost right now with life and I feel my future is at stake because of this stupid grade/class.
Btw: my overall GPA is a 2.8 which is sort of average/bad but still not horrible. 4th quarter is about to begin, let’s say I get a B or C this quarter for geometry, do I still have luck? Sorry if this is posted in the wrong discussion and I don’t want to talk to my counselor about anything because she barely helps. I just needed to get my thoughts out… 
Colleges don’t see quarter grades, unless your school specifically lists them on your transcript. Try and see if you can raise your grade up to get a good semester grade.
Beyond that - reach out for help. Talk to the teacher, counselor, other teachers. Talk to your friends. See what they’re doing to study. Look for resources online (think Khan Academy or some good series on youtube). Bottom line is to not sit there and let yourself fail - instead do everything that you can to stop that from happening. Actively learn and the grade will come.
One grade will NOT make or break you.
First breathe. Second, you are NOT your GPA. (keep that in mind) Third, focus on the issue at hand, not college (that’s for another time).
Now, the F is a quarter grade, so it won’t appear on your high school transcript. If you received B’s in the other quarters, then you should have a final grade of C (I think). So focus on what you can do right now to get a B. Talk to your teacher. Go after school, during lunch. Ask friends for help. Ask your parents for a tutor.
You’re obviously a very bright and capable student. Math may not be your thing but you can do it. It hasn’t been explained to you in a way that works for you. You need to find what does work, that’s the hardest part. Keep working to see what works best for you - watching a video may work for some people but it’s a passive method. If it’s not working, try a more active approach - working through a problem with someone, drawing pictures, talk aloud through a problem. If you need to use physical materials, get them. If you need graph paper, get graph paper. If you find using straws, string or wires to make angles works for you, use them.
An F isn’t going to dictate the rest of your life. Talk to your guidance counselor. How can you fix this grade? Retake online, summer school, community college? And please talk to your doctor, because, yes, you may be depressed now, but you don’t have to live with it forever. There are lots of ways to treat depression, if in fact you are depressed. Whatever is going on with you right now, please also discuss this with your counselor at school, because come application time, your counselor can mention it in her write up and it will help explain why you failed a class.
Now, here’s a little story to help you feel better. I am useless at math too. Way back in dinosaur times, I failed Algebra at school. I had to retake it. I got a D in Geometry. I went to cc, then transferred in to a four year Uni. It took me six years to graduate, but during that time I began travelling the world and worked too. I finally met my math requirement in college after dropping a number of remedial math classes. Back then there were no tutoring centers in college, or at least none I knew of. Very occasionally, even now in my 50s, I still have a dream that I didn’t graduate because I couldn’t meet the math requirement.
Nowadays, colleges have all kinds of extra help available, and I am sure your high school offers extra help after school, or before school. Have you asked your math teacher? I never knew to ask for help. I just cried a lot and flailed about. I didn’t have the Internet or anyone to ask. But you are doing a great thing, because here you are, looking for advice, and you are getting good advice. You can be proactive and do something to help mitigate your failing grade, and I am sure you will be successful. You are what, 15 or so? Your life isn’t going to be derailed because of one F.
To end my story, I grew up and became a successful adult. Life is good, math still sucks, and it always will, but it hasn’t affected my life one iota. Get through this, and you will come out the other side just fine. Good luck!
Have a chance at what?
College? There are plenty of people in college who got an F in one subject or the other.
In truth, it’s perfectly fine that you feel bad. You didn’t live up to your expectations. A natural reaction.
Now instead of feeling lost in an unproductive manner, what are you going to do about it? Quarter grades don’t matter, only semester grades, and you can pull off a C if you work hard to get a B or A in the class and on the final.
Go to tutoring, go to skilled friends in class, watch Khan Academy. If you work hard, this blemish will have little effect.
Of course, you could lament in a rather tired fashion of how “Grades define us” and whatnot, but it would achieve nothing. At worst, community college is not to be frowned upon, and many people who started in community college have gone on to Harvard, UChicago, etc for graduate school.
Like others say, colleges see your final grades for the class, not the quarter grades.
This F does not define you, it just simply says that you have not mastered geometry.
You need to change the way you study for this class.
- Read the chapters
- Do ALL the homework problems in the back (not just what is assigned)
- Form a study group with classmates
- Get a tutor
- Go to your teachers’s office hours EVERY TIME THEY ARE OFFERED
- Watch videos online about the topic at Khan Academy online
- Get another book of practice problems (look on amazon.com) and practice practice practice
Doing this now, in HS, will be a good learning experience…you need to monitor your tests in any class going forward and as soon as you dont’ do well, amp up your studying and don’t wait until the end of the quarter.
YOU CAN DO THIS!!
When you feel bad about your life and are getting depressed, the best way to deal with it is to take action of some kind. If you have been depressed generally, you must get some help for that. But if it is related just to your grade, then take action there too. I want to echo @SlackerMomMD, get a tutor. If your parents can’t or won’t pay for one, some schools require service hours, and there will be good math students looking for ways to serve. My oldest used to tutor in math. Or if your school has NHS, those kids are required to peer tutor. If the first tutor doesn’t explain things in a way that is clear to you, get a different tutor.
I think the best thing to do is get help when you need it. My oldest child used to sit in her room crying when she came across material she didn’t understand. My youngest doesn’t wait. She asks me to find her a tutor the minute she sees material she needs help with. It will save you a ton of time if you get help instead of sitting around struggling.
I think it is great now that you learn to ask for help when you need it. An F in one quarter will not ever matter again in your life in a few years.
Oh, and FYI, colleges love an upward trend. So if you struggle now, but can improve your grades, your previous bad grades won’t hold you back.
thank you guys, you’ve made me feel somewhat better about this situation.
It is important to talk to your counselor, or someone you trust about this. Doing it on your own is hard work. Ask others for help. It’s a sign of strength to know that you should ask for help when you need it. And please tell your parents who will probably want to help you.
@Lindagaf Thank you for sharing your advice and story. It did help me feel better.