<p>My name is Annie and I am a freshman in college and I got to my first bump already. I am taking calc 1 this semster, however, I simply do not understand what my professor is saying. The professor I was assigned to took a leave of absence 2 weeks into school due to health reasons and the department scrambled to find a replacement and....</p>
<p>This lady speak with a heavy heavy Russian accent. I am a good student; I pay attention in class and do my homework and tries pretty hard. But I am just not getting it. It is a huge class and next Wednesday is the the day to drop a class without a grade. I am contemplating wether to do it or not. We had 2 tests so far and I pretty much bombed both of them. It was like the first Cs that I ever gotten in my life on a math test. </p>
<p>I almost wanted to cry after those two grades. I went to see her like every day but the more I listen her explaining something to me the more and more I got confused. I even recorded her lecture trying to figure what is going on. But I simply just can not understand what she is saying. Most of my classmates share my problem and we had a class of 150 to start with and now the number has dwindle to 90ish and more are expected to drop before the deadline. </p>
<p>We have 2 more tests left, including a final and some homework assignments. As of right now, the absolute best grade I can get is a C+; that is if I get 100 on my next test and an A on my final; which by all indications isn't likely going to happen. </p>
<p>My situation is strange in that I was basically forced to enroll at this school because I had a terrible medical condition my senior year in high school. And my parents and I thought it would be best for me to enroll somewhere close to home. That and the fact that my medical condition total screwed my grades my senior year and no one else would take me. I was an A/B student before I dropped to a D/F student my senior year. </p>
<p>So I would love to transfer this year. I am a business major and I am at a large technical school with a very weak business program. I always wanted to go to a strong business-oriented school but most of them requires CALC 1+2 as a basic requirement. I will make straight As on my other classes as they are quite easy for me. </p>
<p>So what should I do? Should I drop calc or not? I wanted to transfer to another business school this year but almost all of them list calc 1+2 as a basic requirement. And I don't think I would enjoy myself very much if I stayed here for 4 whole years. </p>
<p>Either drop the class or pay for a tutor. Get a recommendation from the math department or go to the college’s learning center. There probably is an upperclassmember who could give you the assistance you’ll need to get a higher grade in the class.</p>
<p>Are Calc 1 and 2 requirements for transferring? Is it possible to apply for transfer under an undeclared major and then switch to business after you transfer? Can you drop for now, take Calc 1 in the Spring, and tell colleges your plans to take Calc 2 in the summer? What grade will you get at the end of the semester if you get low Bs or Cs on the next two exams? </p>
<p>It’s obvious you’re trying very hard. Can you reach for other resources outside your professor, such as a talking to a TA, going to a tutor, asking upperclassmen or friends, and/or buying calculus books or software to help you? If you stick with it and get Bs (calculating a future grade with 100s is unreasonable), will you get a high enough grade to make you competitive for transfer?</p>
<p>Are you able to transfer colleges now, or does your medical condition still limit you?</p>
<p>I would drop the class and write a note to the dean explaining the situation, not for sympathy on your part but in the hopes that maybe they’ll take your story into account when hiring new teachers who have an inability to communicate effectively with students. Of course there are brilliant people out there who don’t speak English but that doesn’t count for anything if you can’t understand what they’re saying.</p>
<p>Thank You so much for the replies. I am all better now and I did ask the math department for help and they told me very annoyingly that I should just drop it. This is a tech-oriented school so 99% of the students in calc 1 classes are tech-majors of some sort. If I did a business degree here, I would not have to take calc 1 at all if I choose not do. </p>
<p>I would get a D+/C- in the class if I got low Bs on my next two exams and homework assignments. If that were to happen, I will not be able to take calc II in the spring either since the requirement for that is a C+ or better in calc I to move on. </p>
<p>The schools I was looking at include some of the following and I believe they all want some form of calc done before applying…</p>
<p>Michigan - Ross
NYU-Stern
UNC-Chapel Hill
UCLA
Georgetown
Babson College</p>
<p>I can still switch it to pass/fail, audit without credit hours, or drop it.
I always had some form of bad luck when it comes to school. :(</p>
<p>I don’t blend in here very well. It is a tech school with 20,000 tech students and then there are around 900 business students. And the business school here is seen as a back-up option for student who can not make it in the enginnering field… so really would like go to another insitution if at all possible. </p>
<p>Drop or take it Pass/Fail (if you’re reasonably sure that you can pass). It is quite unlikely that you will go from essentially failing to As in order to make that C+. Add safety schools to your list that have business programs but also more extensive options in other areas if you decide to change your mind.</p>
<p>Unless you would bring yourself down to fewer than 12 credits (and therefore no longer be a full-time student) by dropping the course, drop it.</p>
<p>If you are considering transferring, your GPA is important. Taking calculus at this particular time, with this particular professor, probably isn’t.</p>
<p>You may want to investigate whether your college’s schedule would make it possible for you to take calculus during the 3-week January session, either at your own school or elsewhere (if the credits will transfer). That might make it possible for you to complete both calculus 1 and 2 this year.</p>
<p>Drop it. If transferring is your objective, there is no use in risking a lower grade. It may cost you another term at this school, but better that than not being able to transfer at all.</p>
<p>Plus you say that you are struggling to understand Calc I. If you don’t get Calc I, your grade in Calc II will likely be lower as well.</p>
<p>For most competitive Business programs, they look at the Calc grade. Pass/Fail often is not accepted at these schools.</p>
<p>I had a similar experience (not language problem, but an adjunct who didn’t communicate well) in an upper division core Marketing class at the top 40 school where I went. They switched profs at the 1/2 way point. I had an A Minus at that point. The class curve was a typical 20/50/20/10/0 at the 1/2 way point as well. Despite my best efforts, and those around me as well, I ended up with a D+ as a final grade. The final curve looked like 0/0/10/30/60 - my place on the curve hadn’t changed, but the whole class just got a zero (or slightly above) grade.</p>
<p>Needless to say the entire class went en masse to the department with a petition and their final exam papers.</p>
<p>The department re-curved the class adding 1.5 grades to everyone, giving me a B- and the failing students C-. Still am bothered by it (I feel I lost a whole grade to this poor instructor), but at least it wasn’t in my core area of study.</p>
<p>I would drop the class and then when you transfer out, retake it at the new school. Yes, try and transfer out as soon as you can if this school is not a good fit for you and you just chose it for the location. </p>
<p>The colleges you have on your list are highly competitive, you may want to apply to some safety schools as well, especially if you had a tough senior year in HS, since those grades will still be considered as a transfer student as a freshman/sophmore.</p>
<p>My advise would be to drop the class and try again next semester. If you have already taken a couple tests and are doing poorly, there is little chance that suddenly you will be able to ace the remaining exams. There is nothing wrong with taking it in the spring. If you have to, you can take the second semester in the summer, or just try to get back on track over the next year and a half. It certainly isn’t worth having a poor or failing grade on your permanent record.</p>
<p>Did you ever consider going to community college? You wanted to stay close to home this year and transfer later; you don’t like the school you’re at currently; your current school doesn’t have a decent program for your major. This seems like a situation tailor-made for community college. Plus, it would be a lot cheaper.</p>
<p>The reason I ask is that it seems like students would sometimes take anything over community college, mistakenly believing a CC will hurt them in the transfer process (it doesn’t, not even with competitive schools, because colleges understand the expense issue). While you may still have accent issues at the community college, it’s cheaper and often more flexible (they have more sections of classes like calc, so it’s tough to get “stuck” with a particular professor).</p>
<p>Anyway, I’d drop the class and take it in the spring. If you can’t get into it in the spring, take that particular class at your local CC. You can then send both transcripts when you apply for transfer.</p>
<p>Annie, I don’t mean to scare you, but here is another thing to think about before you decide whether to continue the class for a grade or pass/fail…</p>
<p>In some classes, you will find that there is a massive exodus right before drop time. Basically, the people who are already failing or doing poorly get out while they can. What’s left are all the folks who were already doing well- making As, Bs, maybe Cs. If test grades are based on a curve, that means you now have a stacked deck against you. My son figured this out very quickly- he started out with As in several classes, then found out on the subsequent midterms that the curve became brutal due to the now self-selected population. Kind of caught him a little off-guard.</p>
<p>So if your test grades are based on a curve, and a substantial group of low-performers drop the class, you will be left “competing” with the cream of the crop. :eek: You may want to consider that even if you continue pass/fail.</p>
<p>Sorry to be an alarmist, if that is not the way your classes operate!</p>
<p>doubleplay: This is great advice and something I had never thought of when trying to advise my daughter a while ago when she was having problems with a science course.</p>