<p>Other parents have pretty much said it all and said it well. Apologies if I have missed the thought below (I have only skimmed some posts).
This could have been a direct quote from my S when he had one extremely tough class - for him - each of his first two semesters at an extremely tough Engineering school. He got C+ in each of those classes and we celebrated those grades more than his usual A’s and B+, because of what it said about him. That he had to perservere, that he did not fold under pressure, that he had to seek out help, work around problems, “make it work.” Those are such important life skills and work skills. Getting an A on a test or in a course because it’s easy for you is NOT a life skill and will not do much at all for you when you are in a tough job situation. Figuring out how to improve or turn around in a challenging situation, those are attributes that will serve you well through life.</p>
<p>For my son, there was some adjustment simply to knowing what it takes to get an A in Engineering (or at least some Engineering classes). He did figure it out and has done much better, GPA-wise, since those rough days.</p>
<p>I hope you will show your parents this thread. They may not have any experience with the context of grading in Engineering. It probably helped that my H was also an Engineer and knew what that academic environment can be like.</p>
<p>If you are doing the work, have not been flaking off (which I truly believe you haven’t) and you are now seeking academic support services at school,and based on how you come across in your posts, I really believe you will succeed in your plan to improve. If you like RPI, I hope you will be permitted to stay there. </p>
<p>I also believe, if your parents are reading, that the greatest gift we gave our son when he was struggling was to tell him we were in his corner and part of his team. We just wanted him to pull through and pass those <em>$</em>#(@! courses. I believe that his finding out that we would not be disappointed in him if he didn’t bring home his usual A’s took a huge monkey off his back and allowed him to shed a good-sized portion of the anxiety and worry. It is hard to do your best when fears and anxiety take up too much space in your brain. I think it helped him as much as some of the other things he did (which if you haven’t, you should consider): new study groups/partners, visiting prof ofc hours, buying/borrowing alternate text which worked better for him.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>