Hello everyone. I’m new here, but I’ve been lurking around this website for quite some time now. Anyways, as any other senior, I was stricken with senioritis and my following laziness in my Physics class resulted in an F for first semester. I’m beyond devastated, despite the fact that it was clearly my fault. However, my grades, in my other 5 classes, are superb. I got an “A” in AP English, and a “B+” in AP Government. Looks like senioritis only affected my AP Physics grade.
My first concern is how will this nasty “F” on my transcript affect my chances of admission for UDub and for scholarships? Am I totally screwed or does my chances still pack a punch for admissions? I’ve absolutely learned my lesson, as I was nearly in tears as first semester ended for me today. My second concern is that if I get all A’s during my second semester for senior year, including Physics, will that be enough to convince the admission officers that I’ve learned my lesson and corrected my mistakes?
(A little bit of basic information, my transcript is superb with A’s and some B’s. The only significant stains on my transcript is one “C” from second semester AP US History, and the “F” for Physics. As for my essay in the application, I was very proud of it; I talked about how adversity back in my home country nurtured a growth in my maturation. I do carry a good amount of community service under my belt (around 50 hours), and I did Track & Field during Sophomore year. Regarding my SAT score, I am not very proud of it, considering I got a 1500).
JustOneDad, Physics was similar to culture shock for me. It was a class where you had to fully understand the mathematical concepts. You see, my memorization skills are really good, which is why I excel in Biology, English, History, and so on. I tried to apply my memorization skills to Physics, and I thought I could pull it off. Turns out, you needed to actually understand the concepts; to do that, you had to read the textbook multiple and multiple times.
I also had trouble in applying the concepts on how to solve problems. My mind couldn’t comprehend that. The teacher also had a role in my bad grade, though I’m not blaming him solely for it. My previous teachers, when I had trouble, stood by my side and helped me every step of the way; when I was in Chemistry back in Junior year, I was struggling so much until my angel-of-a-teacher guided me from a “D” to an “A”. However, my Physics teacher, though he helped, the help was barely anything.
There’s plenty of other reasons why Physics was a huge shocker, but I couldn’t remember any more.
Did you guys have “enough” problem sets in Physics for homework? I know that sounds like a funny question, but problems are supposed to help you work through the concepts by seeing how they function and interrelate.
I have no direct knowledge of the process at the UW, but I suspect the ‘F’ will set off some sort of alarm bells. My recommendation is to be proactive and contact them so you have a chance to affect the decision. Again, I don’t know what will happen, but you don’t want them to make a decision they’re not inclined to change if you could have had a hand in negotiating it.
If I were an admissions officer, it seems like it would be reasonable to accept your proposal to get at least a ‘B’, say, in the next course as a way of staving off something…unpleasant.
Fortunately, my teacher has a policy that if I pass the AP Physics exam in May with a 5, the highest you can get, then he’s willing to change my “F” to an “A” directly. It’s a very generous safety net, since he believes that passing the exam is of the same magnitude as passing the class.
I’m only worried because UW requires official transcripts to be sent by July 1, and your AP scores do not come until mid-July. Let’s say I send my transcript with the “F” on July 1, and then I find out two weeks later that I passed the Physics exam with a 5. My teacher going in to change the grade, is it possible, even legal, to resend a transcript with a changed grade? Saying that you have no knowledge of UW’s admissions process, it’s completely okay if you don’t know the answer. I’m going to put all my energy into second semester and into the exam, so I could at least camouflage the F in the meantime.
Wait, have you sent the transcript with the F yet? if you did, I would certainly contact them and see what they have to say about it. Mention your teacher’s policy about the AP exam as well.
If you didn’t then I wouldn’t worry too much. I would still contact them after you receive your admission letter, work hard for the AP exam, and then send in the official transcript with a statement from the teacher about his policy and that you are going to receive your AP exam grade soon.