<p>I'm going to get a C in Biology 1201 this semester and I've never made a C before in life. I can't even retake it. My university doesn't allow grade retakes unless you make d or f.</p>
<p>On a scale of 1-10 how screwed am I for geology graduate school? </p>
<p>I'm a college student of course but I really wanted to talk to some adults. My father is no help. I've always hated biology but I didn't think I would do this bad!</p>
<p>I presume you are a freshman. College is a lot harder, isn’t it? You have many semesters of courses to make that one grade seem less important. Plus, grad schools care about grades in your major, not every course you took. Eons ago I and some fellow honors chemistry major friends got a C in a required chemistry course (an upper level course that was more math given by the head of theoretical chemistry) our junior year- I became a physician and they got PhD’s in chemistry. Your future is not decided by this one course. Hating a course happens and you learn to get through it. I guess you won’t be changing majors to a biological science…</p>
<p>I got a couple of Cs (2 or 3) and even failed one course (did retake that one and got a B, I’d basically failed on purpose - stopped going after the drop/add period was over, because I had to choose between doing the work for that class and all my other classes. Long story.) Ended up cum laude and went to a top 15 law school.</p>
<p>Do not stress about a C. I actually got a B- in a biology course freshman year, and I ended up with a degree in biochemistry and physiology. I had a C or C- going into the final. The class involved a lot of memorization, and I had thought we’d be tested on the concepts (like in the other bio classes I’d had), so had not bothered to memorize the details.</p>
<p>My daughter failed OChem in college and went on to grad school, ( after she retook it)</p>
<p>Grad schools know that freshman students struggle to adjust to college demands. One C in a freshman course is not a big deal.</p>
<p>ColdSweater, if you got to college, and you have never been this mad at yourself before, that tells me two things. One, you will figure out strategies to do better next time. Two, you have worked hard and made great choices, which you will do again. Bonus: most of the time, when you work hard you do well. Clearly, you have worked hard, and expected to do well (or at least adequately). Sometimes, you do your best with what you have and know, and life dumps you. That’s really tough the first few times, especially if you are used to doing well when you put in the effort. It happens. Forgive yourself, figure out some new strategies, and find some resources to assist you going forward. </p>
<p>Right…this is ONE C grade for ONE semester. </p>
<p>Take a deep breath! You are a freshman, right? If so, grad school is years away.</p>
<p>Can you identify why this course was so difficult for you? Was it the course? labs? Did you avail yourself of office hours with the professor? Does your school offer tutorial services for students who might benefit for this (most schools do)?</p>
<p>I think the most I oortant thing is to figure out why this course was more challenging than your other courses.</p>
<p>His tests just slay me every time. For example his last test was on genetics,translation,transcription and replication. It was 61 questions 60 minutes. The way it’s worded can sometimes be really confusing and there’s a few true false were one part is true but the other isnt. I’ll finish the test feeling confident yet end up with a C. But I can give you a detailed description of each process and probably write A+ essay. So I don’t get why I screw up my test. know grad school is a long time from now, but my dream was to go to Standfords geology program and I think I’ve ruined that already… And plus as corny as it sounds I just want my family to be proud. They won’t take pride in c’s. 
</p>
<p>You have to make a decision by yourself if you are still pursuing your goal or not, nobody can answer this. If decision is yes, you apply and see what happens. If desicion is no, then you have to choose another goal for yourself.<br>
How in a world anybody can predict if you get into Grad. School or not I have no idea. There are still so many unknown variables in this far in a future process.<br>
Truthfully, I am on your father’s side. To be of no help (aside from the shoulder to cry on) at this point is absolutely right action. It is simply to early to decide.<br>
Sorry for being no help. Here is my shoulder, college Bio is NOT a walk in a park. As a pre-med, my D. took many of them. If it is any help at all, many pre-meds around her (including HS valedictorians) got derailed from the pre-med track by the first Bio class after taking AP Bio in HS and getting the highest grades. It was normal to hear the stories like this in D’s Honors dorm…However, we heard at least one story right from the student involved. She got a C in this class and then just plunged and worked harder and got into Med. School. Having a C during freshman year is NOT AN END OF THE WORLD. But again, nobody can make this desicion for you. For some, it will be the end of their original dream and it maybe a very positive approach because it may steer them into career that is more fitting for them. Others just indure and pursue the one and only goal that they can imagine for themselves. Both categories may be successful and may be not. Only time can tell.
Love and trust your parents though.</p>
<p>Take a deep breath, OP. A C is not the end of the world, especially in your freshman year. Its fine to have long term goals and keep reaching for them. But don’t beat yourself up for a C. Its an average grade and not indicative of unacceptable performance.</p>
<p>Don’t let one early struggle change your path. </p>
<p>Take this time to figure out what to do differently. Talk to your professor. Maybe create a study group. Get a tutor. </p>
<p>Is it too late to switch to a pass/no credit grade for this class?</p>
<p>Don’t stress it. When I was in college there was one course that was so hard that everyone said the prerequisite for that class WAS that class because the majority of highly capable kids failed it the first time. College can be harder. There is very little of the “fluff” that makes up most of high school grades (like “participation” and countless graded homework assignments.) In college, your grade can be entirely on 2 essays and a final exam. Look at the experience with a critical eye… were there some reasons you didn’t do as well as you liked? We the class hard or did you not spend as much time as you should have? Re-evaluate your study habits (and LONGER isn’t always better… sometimes it’s about efficiency in learning.) Learn and move on. You’ll be fine.</p>
<p>Funny story, D has a college friend who was so cocky, told all his friends he’d be the top grade on every chemistry exam this semester or he’d jump in the lake. Well, now it’s 30 degrees out there and this weekend she’ll be watching him jump in the lake lol. </p>
<p>@coldxsweater Just piling on here, but I can assure you that one mediocre grade in one course will have virtually no bearing on your grad school prospects. Having sat on university fellowship committees, I’ve seen a lot of cases of outstandingly talented doctoral students who had a bad mark or two early in their undergraduate careers, especially before they determined their ultimate major or course of future study. (A few years ago I even discovered my father’s college transcripts, and as brilliant and accomplished an engineer as he turned out to be there were a couple of C’s on his transcript in his first couple of years.)</p>
<p>It is OK. Take a deep breath. You can still do it. See how everything goes next semester. </p>