uh oh...I really messed up now!

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>Well, I blew it. </p>

<p>I took a test on Tuesday....I had done all the reading and I did study (though I admit my study habits are not that great). </p>

<p>It was a "psych" course that focused more so on the physiological aspects of sensation.......I got the test and it was very difficult to me. Especially since this kind of science is not my thing. </p>

<p>Grades were posted today and I just got the news....I failed it, and rather miserably at that! I got 5 points below the class average......ouch. This test is 1/3 of my grade...the other 2/3 are in the mid term and final. I have till the end of October to submit monitored withdrawal and I will have that dreaded W on my transcript, but it's better than an F. </p>

<p>Even if I got perfect scores on all of the other tests, I would only have a B- in the course. That's about as close to a C I will allow myself to get on my transcripts.....I am very upset because this was one of my general education reqs......its all over now and there's nothing I can do about it but drop the course or be super woman and get perfect scores on the next two tests (yeah right).</p>

<p>Sigh....oh well...just wanted to vent my sorrows.</p>

2

<p>That sucks.</p>

<p>Well, try to learn from it at least. Maybe find out what went wrong with the studying process. Maybe you need to refine your study habits or perhaps you just happen to be in a class that you aren't as naturally good at if you know what I mean.</p>

3

<p>i had a similar situatio a couple of years ago. a class, from outside my major, sounded interesting, so i signed up. the first grade comes back, i get a C (first C on anything ever). so after spending a week pretty much in isolation (i dont handle failure well), i decided to drop the class. no biggie. (and i also even managed to finish a semester early).</p>

<p>if its a class thats not a big deal to you, withdrawal it if its that bad. colleges are pretty neutral about seeing a withdraw on your transcripts-there are SO many reason why people decide to get the "W" on their transcript. BUT, you're outta luck if its a class for your major</p>

4

<p>How is the class curved? Was the standard deviation from the mean given?</p>

<p>God, in a lot of classes I've taken, I consider getting 5 points below class average to be basically the same as class average (since many tests here have stdevs of 15+). Is getting 5 points below class av really that bad?</p>

5

<p>no, its only a general education requirement. This means, however, that I have to take TWO more science courses before I graduate instead of one more after this semester....I'll probably have to take one or two courses through summer school.</p>

<p>I am not good at studying...I never developed a habit of studying in high school and graduated in the top 5%. I just came back from being in Fance for a year where I didn't have a lot of work to do....I was learning a language, which is what I LOVE so I did very well. I even came back and placed very high on the French placement test even though prior to going abroad I knew no French. I LOVE languages so I tend to do well in them....science stuff like biology, chemistry, psychology, etc really do not tickle my fancy and as a result its very hard to do well in them. I am particularly bad at stuff that gets into fine detail and all technical. This class was filled with neuroscience majors, pre-meds, biology students and psych majors, so they were pretty into it.</p>

<p>I especially hate courses where all I have to do is read. Now, I actually did read everything prior to the test date and I went to every lecture. I do stink at studying though...I looked over my notes and in the book but it was hard to stay focused and it was easy to get lost in the terminology. When I got the test, everything seemed to blur together as far as concepts. Plus, the prof put qs like, "which of these answers is true? a only? b only? a and b? c only? or c and a but not b? I mean I HATE those kinds of questions! I really thought I would have done better on the test though....I finished the test and I went back over it, doubting a lot of what I put down, but did not change much because whenever I do (proven from past experience) I end up getting the answer wrong....I may have changed 1 or 2 though but the rest I left as is.</p>

<p>I don't think I should even go to class tomorrow, but straight to the registrar's office.</p>

6

<p>He did not give the SD, only the Mean. The score was out of 44. The class average was 31.5. My score was a 26. It wouldn't be so bad if there were more assignments to do, but this is already 1/3 of my grade and there are no other assignments besides tests.</p>

7

<p>I'm wondering how the class is curved also. 5pts below the average is basically average in most cases. (so a 59% might not be an F/D-... it might be a C/C-).. and if that's the case, you might be able to bring it up higher than a B-.</p>

8

<p>I'm going to go to class this morning just ot see what he has to say about the test as far as curving is concerned. I still think it would be a long shot if I kept the class, but I'll think about it. I have till the end of October to decide.....I just want to make the right decision, because I cannot afford anything below a B- and to be honest....I can't even deal with a B-! My GPA has had a downward trend and its very difficult to get it back up.</p>

9

<p>well, I just got out of class and the prof said he would curve the grades, but not untill the end of the semester when all three tests were factored in. Then he would go from there. He said he is pretty generous when it comes to people who are borderline (pass/fzil, D/c, c/b, etc) and takes many things into account such as how they improved in the tests following the first one. I just don't know if I want to take that chance or not...I mean, after this month, that's it as far as dropping the course. I really doubt myself in this.....what owuld you do?</p>

10

<p>
[quote]
I cannot afford anything below a B- and to be honest....I can't even deal with a B-!

[/quote]
</p>

<p>why? (+chars)</p>

11

<p>Just stay in the class. He explained everything. He will curve so just breathe easy. Look over what you didn't get and look in the notes to see if you had it down already. If not, maybe you need to take more comprehensive notes. If it's already down, maybe you need to be more organized when it comes to studying.</p>

<p>Science doesn't favor me either but I had to be very smart about my studying in order to stay on top. I went to my profs personally after my mid-terms to see what I got wrong and listened to his suggestions how I could do better. That worked for me.</p>

<p>Goodness, if you're freaking out over a B-, are you sure you're ready for the demands in college? Can you handle a B- in your upper level French class? Everyone fails at some point- just laugh because you've done it. I failed my Spanish quiz a week ago, my first F in college and I'm a sophomore! I just shrugged and listened to my professor. Everyone fails at least once in college otherwise, there's no point of being in college- life sucks, so college teaches you how to suck it up and smile through hard times. </p>

<p>And it's only your first semester. You will have many, many more opportunities to bring up your GPA.</p>

12

<p>From the info you've provided so far it sounds like you're more worried than you probably need to be. 5 points below average is not that bad ... in a course with a C+/B- average (a pretty tough curve) that probably is about a C/C-. But we can't tell for sure ... I'd suggest you go back to the prof and explain your nervousness and ask if he can tell you the distribution of the scores ... I'd bet at least 1/3 of the class has a test score lower than yours ... and that a few people have scores below 10. I seriously doubt you're annywhere near flunking right now. Good luck going forward!</p>

13

<p>Actually I am a junior right now and my gpa has already been going downhill. I am afraid to get a bad grade in this course because it will significanly mess up my GPA....I have a 3.57 right now (I started with a 3.6 and then it went up to a 3.7, then down to a 3.55 due to Bs, B+ and a B-). I just don't want my GPA to get below a 3.5 and I definitely don't want a C on my report card. Also, I know for a fact that I will get As in my French (drop dead easy) and Italian (a little harder but not that much)....I am tkaing Morphology and that one is very difficult, but I would expect a B in the class at the end...hopefully.....I am also taking a History class which is similar to this psych class in that the only grades are the tests......I don't know whats going to happen with that one, but I'll know after the first test.....I would guess probably a B in that class too....so lets say I get 2 As and 2 Bs and then this psych class I get a C.... thats gonna ravage my GPA. I want to at least keep it above a 3.5 overall and a grade of C would really mess me up. Okay so B- wouldn't be THAT bad, but I don't think I'd even get that much.....</p>

<p>I stink at studying, btw so I know thats part of the problem among other things....anxiety, exhaustion, lack of sleep, and even some sloth mixed in there when it comes to certain things. Uh oh...gotta go to myhistory class...I'll check in later.</p>

14

<p>You aren't alone in freaking out about a B-. B's even freak me out. Last quarter I was so worried about my quantum mechanics class because I was only 5pts above average going into the final (40% of our grade) (the lowest I've ever been going into a final), I knew he was deciding the curve after the final also so it made me unsure of what grade I'd get. I did absolutly nothing but practice problems for 3 days & still didn't understand how to do certain problems correctly. I had a really good feeling leaving the final but knew I botched at least 2 of the 8 problems. Amazingly, I did way above average on the final giving me an A in the class... I screamed with joy when I saw my grade. I needed that class for my major but it was so hard for me to understand that I would have been happy with a C+ (and my gpa is 3.82).</p>

15

<p>bonafide20: I understand that you want your gpa to be high, but why are you so worried about it? Grad school apps? Pressure from parents?</p>

<p>Now that we're out of high school we have a chance to learn and explore... why spend so much time thinking about grades?</p>

16

<p>well...my mother is not so picky....but my father is kind of counting on me to do well and he's all "proud" if his "little girl". My sister, on the other hand started out doing okay at GA Tech, then she got involved with partying, etc, etc, etc. and she basically messed herself up big time. She got kicked out of school because of her grades and ended up going to a muc lower tier school part-time. Now, to make a long story short, she cant finish up her degree and no one knows when she will finish, if ever. Now, the difference between her and me is that I was never into the party scene and have never gotten involved with the wrong people....but the thing is, my sister is pretty much down for the count and now I am the one that is being focused on. I am expected to not only pass, but do well and graduate. I only know two people in my family with degrees....and when I saw family, I mean every member I can think of. I would be letting them down....also, I'd be letting myself down because I do want a good grade. Okay, I'd settle (reluctantly) for a B- but a C and below is just....that would really bother me because the last time I got a C on my report card was when I was in elementary school...it was in math.</p>

<p>I techically got a C in AP Economics (which I hated...even the validictorian and the salutatorian had trouble in that class) but grace a' the 5 point curve, I got a B....needless to say I was relieved, but I just fear I wont be as fortunate this time.</p>

<p>I have scheduled an appointed with Academic Services tomorrow to discuss some of my problems...general problems when it comes to reading, retaining informaiton, and note taking. Hopefully I can get some decent tips. Then I will make an appt with my prof to go over the test or whatever...though I am afraid to see him because he is kind of intimidating. He said he'd gladly go over tests with people but....I dunno...I feel all wierd and nervous when I have to meet with a teacher....especially when it deals with an academic problem.</p>

<p>I have till the end of the month to decide and evaluate whether or not I relaly think I can do better and its worth keeping the class. But a C would be pretty heartbreaking for me....I wouldn't cry over it probably, but I would feel like crying and would be very distraught over it if I ended up getting a C.</p>

17

<p>whatever grade you get in this class, since it doesn't relate to your major, will be less important than the grades in your major.</p>

<p>Go to office hours, talk to the professor, and see what's up.</p>

<p>as a side note: I don't like classes that curve at the end, b/c it screws over the first test. Because most of the people who fail the first test drop the course, the average grade on the test becomes higher, creating a smaller curve.</p>

18

<p>< Actually I am a junior right now and my gpa has already been going downhill. I am afraid to get a bad grade in this course because it will significanly mess up my GPA....I have a 3.57 right now (I started with a 3.6 and then it went up to a 3.7, then down to a 3.55 due to Bs, B+ and a B-). >
That's NOTHING. First of all, your GPA won't matter in the long run. Does your elementary school GPA matter now? Your junior high GPA? Your high school GPA? So why should your college GPA matter 5-10 years from now? I'll give you a homework assignment: Find someone who clearly would be much more successful in life if only he/she had earned a slightly higher GPA. Remember: the issue has to be GPA, not work ethic, drugs, people skills, etc.</p>

<p>Second of all, I get the General Motors Award for falling grades, and I'm still waiting for the sky to fall because of it. I have a Master's Degree in electrical engineering, and my GPA has been on the decline since you were in first grade and before Britney Spears was in the Mickey Mouse Club. My GPA peaked in high school. I was salutatorian, National Merit Finalist, and AP Scholar with Honor. I took Honors and AP classes to the hilt and had straight A's in my last 3 semesters of high school. I've never come anywhere close to this high-water mark ever since. If UIUC had a 4-point scale, my first semester GPA would have been just 3.56. My cumulative GPA on this 4-point scale was just 3.13. I earned my Master's Degree last year at George Mason University, and my cumulative GPA there was just 3.03, and I actually fell into academic warning status when I graduated, hehe. Of course, being on academic warning status when you already have your degree is meaningless.</p>

<p>So you see, there ARE people out there with lower GPAs than you.</p>

<p>The world doesn't owe you a living because of your GPA. On the other hand, black helicopters don't hover over you because of shortcomings in your GPA either.</p>

<p>I have no regrets about my GPA. Any regrets I have had were about obsessing over my GPA, not caring enough about what I was learning, not taking enough chances, etc. My graduate school GPA was torpedoed by an unsuccessful research project I did in my second of two years. It was an EXTREMELY ambitious project, and it proved to be beyond my abilities. I ended up with a C in this, and the attention it took away from my other studies cost me some grade points in other classes as well (which resulted in another C). However, I still had a successful project under my belt from my first year, I learned a lot from this unsuccessful project that I could never have learned from classes. (Believe me, I don't learn very well from engineering classes, regardless of my final grade. It's one thing to solve textbook-type problems on paper. It's quite another thing to make an electronic device actually work properly.)</p>

<p>In fact, both of my projects gave me something to talk about at job interviews. As a graduate student, I could have played it safe and earned A's, but I knew from past experience that I wouldn't get as much from my education if I did this, and I wouldn't have anything interesting to talk about or any relevant accomplishments to discuss at interviews.</p>

19

<p>Well, i may still keep the class. I went to an academic help center and an nice academic counselor girl told me a bunch of stuff I already knew (but did not heed int he past) plus she helped me with developed a schedule...I tend to do better if someone sets something in stone for me as opposed to just giving me general information. now I have something ot work with so I will use this to, hopefully, advance myself in the areas of time management, memory and studying so that I can better handle myself next time and do well on the test.</p>