<p>I'm an nyu freshman. I'm taking an elective course right now that isnt fulfilling any requirements, I just thought it would be interesting. It turns out that I really don't like the professor. His grading is entirely subjective; we don't have any tests or essays, just one page assignments each week that we have never gotten back or recieved any feedback on. I really don't like going to the class, and I just got my midterm report and I have a B in the class. </p>
<p>Right now, I have a 4.0 and have recieved As in my other three classes on my midterm report. I realize that a B is not that bad of a grade, but at the same time, it really annoys me because i feel like this is a completely bs class with completely bs grading and I dont want to have a B on transcript for this stupid class. How bad does it look to withdraw and have a W on my transcript for the class? Is it worse than a B? I also have the option to pass/fail the class, but does that look bad as well? </p>
<p>I know its early to be thinking about grad schools, but i really want to keep my options open for them. I also think that I might try to apply for some really competitive scholarships soon, so I dont want to throw those away because of this stupid class that I should have dropped a long time ago.</p>
<p>Hi cross4489,
The only experience I have with this is through my son. He withdrew from a physics course freshman year (he had an A-, but thought it was occupying too much of his time, taking away time he could use for other courses!) and is currently a first year student in a top 5 Ph.D. program. It didn't seem to make any difference for him.</p>
<p>thanks, that makes me feel better. I guess what I need to decide is would it be best to get a B, Withdraw, or Pass/Fail the course. I plan to talk to the professor to see what I can do to raise my grade, but because he is so subjective and plays favorites, im not sure if I really can do anything. plus i dread going to that class so i wouldnt mind just withdrawing and not ever having to deal with it again...</p>
<p>People expect you to drop a class every now and then. Don't worry about it, pretty much everyone drops a class or pass/fails it at some point (just so long as you pass that class instead of failing it!!). Anyhow, if there were any retribution for something like a W or a pass/fail course, there'd be mighty few grad students out there.</p>
<p>um, i think the question here is not whether someone can go to grad school with a W, but whether a W notation is better than a grade of a B. And honestly, I don't think so. A "W" doesn't prevent you from going to grad school, but neither does a "B". And I mean, how many "W"s are you expecting to have on your transcript? What if you're in your 4th yr and there's this important class that you're failing? Are you going to go for the second "W"?</p>
<p>Plus, grad school doesn't care about the grades you get on electives. They really don't. In your first year a "B" makes a huge difference to your GPA. By your fourth year it barely makes a dent.</p>
<p>And after all that's said, isn't this just a midterm grade? You sound like the type of student who gets mostly 4.0 grades. If so, then I bet you that you can work hard and pull off an A easy.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of your replies; they make me feel less stressed. i tend to agree with l3monkid, but the thing that worries me about the class is that i feel like the professor isnt actually grading on assignments but rather whether he likes you or not which really sucks. he actually said once during class that he didnt give a shi* about the assignments... so im not really sure where hes coming from. i just wish i would have dropped the class along time ago when a W wouldnt have showed up.</p>
<p>maybe you should go to him during his office hours. Tell him your concern about the class and ask him what he's looking for, what he expects of his students. This is really just a sugarcoated and much nicer way to say "tell me what I have to do to get an A in this class", but it tends to get profs to tell you the answer rather than scoffing you off as some grade-obsessed freshman. Showing up at his office hours also gives you a chance to get to know him, and for him to get to know you....talk about life/family/career/weather.......</p>
<p>If you were on the pass/fail border for the class and were wondering whether you should drop and get that W, I would tell you that one W is unlikely to hurt you, and that it's better than failing.</p>
<p>Since you are ready to drop over a B, I am going to tell you to chill out.</p>
<p>I did pass/fail in a course directly related to my graduate program... the semester before applying to grad schools. :)
Didn't make a difference. Was told they just needed to know I took it, less the grade info (which is good, I would have gotten a C- on it had it been graded!) I think P/F is much better than a C, if you only do one or two during undergrad. </p>
<p>Be warned though: some grad programs my friends applied to required them to "uncover" their pass/fail grades! So just be careful. It's better than a C, but don't slack off even if it is pass/fail.</p>