<p>Retention rates sometime are set very low on purpose. One of my first classes at CC was designed to give passing grade to only about 30% of the class because computer lab could not hold more people. It does not mean that 30% who survived were above average people. They were ordinary people with above average work ethic.
Yes, any reasonable colleg math class is more difficult to kids in this country because HS does not prepare them to proper levels. My nephew who is teaching 2nd year math at U of Chicago has mentioned that. Many profs in my classes have mentioned that, adding that problem is getting worse. Again, many who realize that and got help in college, overcame this deficiency, others fell out of their programs. </p>
<p>As I have mentioned, everybody has their own personal references, which explain difference in opinions. However, setting goals high will help, setting them low might derail your goal completely. Whatever approach is, do not create artificial obstacles in your life.</p>
<p>*But then you start limiting yourself, not taking some classes that you are interested but afraid to get a lower grade. It is not what UG school is for. You should be able to try classes outside your comfort zone. Planning too safe and not being confident will backfire at the end, IMO. Well, apparently, one can only make conclusion based on personal experience and ours are vastly different. I definitely do not consider person with all A’s to be a genius. There are plenty of pre-meds who are graduating with GPA=4.0. *</p>
<p>I don’t see how your response has much to do with what I wrote.</p>
<p>I said that most undergrad classes in the so-called harder majors aren’t geared towards the “average person”. Your statements about taking courses out of one’s comfort zone and 4.0 students do not have anything to do with what I wrote. </p>
<p>My children certainly haven’t played it safe either, so I don’t know why you’ve said that your experiences are “vastly different”. Both of my kids have taken courses outside of their strengths…learning additional foreign languages, taking additional writing courses, literature courses, philosophy courses, fine arts courses, etc…well beyond what Core/Gen Ed Req’ts were. My older son will graduate next month after 8 semesters with 181 undergrad credits because he enjoyed taking classes just for the purpose of learning. My younger son will likely graduate with about the same number of credits. </p>
<p>My point was that I don’t think classes above the 100 level are geared towards the “average person” in the STEM majors. I wouldn’t recommend that someone who barely gets an A in Cal I to continue taking math classes and end up flunking Stochastic Processes or Real Analysis just because he/she wanted to expand his/her comfort zone. If he/she wants to take those courses, do it after med school when it won’t hurt anything. It’s not “playing it safe” to make wise and thoughtful decisions (knowing one’s true limitations) so as not to screw up one’s GPA. </p>
<p>My younger son has a bad singing voice. Can’t carry a tune in a bucket. He’d never take a vocal class in college because 1) he’d hate it; 2) he’d be horribly embarrassed; and 3) he’d get a lousy grade. LOL However, my older son learned that he has a nice singing voice when he was in a few musical comedies put on by the College of Engineering and he was given several solos and many comical parts (totally expanding his comfort zone - since he has a more reserved personality). </p>
<p>And, nowhere did I suggest that students with 4.0 GPAs are all geniuses. There’s a wide gap between “average” and “genius”.</p>