Hey everyone,
I’m pretty torn up right now. I committed to UC Riverside and received a D in advanced journalism. Their provisions of admission state that students can’t received D/F grades, and I’m about to be rescinded. I’m a bit freaked out and I’m trying to map out what I’ll do, but I really don’t know where to start.
What happened in journalism was that I didn’t turn in any work until the last day - that is, I had a 0 in the class until the last day of school, when I walked in and turned in a bunch of work to my editor. In journalism, student editors review work and determine grades, and the teacher (let’s call him Mr. C) rarely steps in; he simply puts into the gradebook what his chosen student editors give students. My editor had told me that I could turn in work at any time throughout the semester, and that as long as my pieces were good, she would give me 100 points per piece. So on the last day of school, I turned in 8 pieces, since there were 800 points in the gradebook for the semester. My editor kept her promise and willingly took my work and tried to give me 800/800 points, but Mr. C stepped in and stopped her from doing so, claiming that it is unfair for her to do so, and he gave me a D for the semester.
While I admit that I was careless, I honestly think that some of the blame rests on the shoulders of the student editor; she should have checked with Mr. C before promising me all of those points without hesitation. I think it was unfair for me to have been misled that way, and that I should not have received a D.
My dad and I are meeting with Mr. C and my school’s principal on Wednesday, so my first question is this - do you guys have any advice or suggestions for that meeting? We’re trying to convince them that Mr. C’s grading was unfair; all I need is a C-.
But Mr. C seemed pretty resolute in his grades, so just in case this does not work out, I need a solid backup plan. I have applied to my local community college, but it is too late in the game for freshman advantage; in other words, I may not be able to register for the classes I need. Going to community college, therefore, may set me back and hurt my chances of transferring to a 4 year school. I really don’t know if there is anything I can do as far as that goes.
Another option is appealing UCR’s decision after they rescind me. I need to be able to make a solid case, but I don’t really have an excuse; if I argue that my teacher’s grading was unfair, UCR would simply tell me to take that up with my school’s administration. I was thinking of simply arguing that I am a strong student, and that this one journalism grade does not reflect my academic abilities. I have 800s in both SAT CR and writing, a 5 in AP lang, and solid English grades throughout high school. So one journalism grade shouldn’t overshadow all of those things; it should be obvious that I am still quite strong in the English/writing area. What do you guys think?
I apologize for the insanely long post; I’m just extremely nervous about my future right now -
And thanks to everyone who responds in advance.
