<p>My D is a freshman at a very competitive college and is struggling with a course that is not part of her intended major. She is currently running a C/C+. What looks better on a transcript, a C or a W (for withdrawal)? (She came into college with some AP credits, so losing the credit for the course is not the major concern.)</p>
<p>If she could still drop it, I would drop it. Most internship or programs abroad require 3.2 GPA or higher. They are not saying "you must take toughest courses."</p>
<p>College is not HS. When folks look at her transcript, whether for internships, grad school or jobs, they'll pay FAR LESS attention to course difficulty than to grades and gpa.</p>
<p>IMHO, the only time course difficulty matters is in the selection of kids for things like jr year PBK, national scholarships/fellowships and such. These students are rare.</p>
<p>It's one C and it's freshman year--if she were failing I'd say take the W, but if she is passing with a C I think you should encourage her to stick it out; seek help; offer to pay for a tutor--anything. Quitting at the first sign of difficulty in my mind is setting her up to have trouble later on when things get tough. What is she going to do next time she runs into trouble in a class? Part of college is learning to dig yourself out of really difficult situations and salvage C's from the wreckage of midterm F's or A-/B+'s from Cs. Best to learn that first semester freshman year rather than in a gating class for your major or in a major requirement. </p>
<p>I would also counsel her to pick an elective next semester that she is confident about and where she has a high probability of getting an A to balance the C in her GPA calculation.</p>
<p>I agree with mombot. It may take a new way of approaching studies to be successful in college. This is a good opportunity to find out the resources of the school and use them. What is the class? Is it the foundation for other classes she may be interested in taking later on?</p>
<p>If she has possible plans for a graduate/professional school with rigorous competition (ie medical or law school), I'd drop the course.</p>
<p>That gpa is VERY important and if she's generally an A/B student at a competitive college, a C, even as a freshman, will be quite a hit. As oldfort points out, the gpa is also a gatekeeper for study abroad programs. My S should have dropped a course, and didn't, and it had a huge affect on his gpa. It wasn't the only grade that impacted his denial from study abroad, but was enough to take it under the cut-off. </p>
<p>If she doesn't need the class, AND she'll still be a full time student, dropping it might be best. I understand the whole learning-to study lessons and how important that is too. Unfortunately, it's a harsh reality that gpa is king when it comes to many grad school programs. I'd protect it best I could.</p>
<p>I disagree. A W on the transcript is worse than a C if it is in a non-major class. Grad schools do not expect 4.0 averages from all their applicants. There was recently a thread similar to this in the Grad School forum, and the consensus was to stick with the course.</p>
<p>Remember, a W could mean the student was earning a D or F, and that's how most people will see it. Plus, there's something to be said for sticking out a course that is difficult to the end. It shows character.</p>
<p>Unbelieveable!! We want our kids to go to selective and challenging schools and then at the first sign of difficulty we think they should withdraw. No wonder there is so much grade inflation. Paying customers just expect good grades for their money. Any kid who is planning on going to medical or graduate school should learn to deal with some challenge and maybe even some defeats.</p>
<p>If the course is difficult AND uninteresting, she should drop it. if it's difficult because it's challenging and she realizes she needs new skills, she should definitely continue. Edad is basically right, are we paying for them to learn, or to get good grades in subjects they already master; but if it's, say, a super accelerated language class she took on a whim, I don't think it would be shameful to drop it.</p>
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Quitting at the first sign of difficulty in my mind is setting her up to have trouble later on when things get tough.
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Unbelieveable!! We want our kids to go to selective and challenging schools and then at the first sign of difficulty we think they should withdraw.
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If the course is difficult AND uninteresting, she should drop it. if it's difficult because it's challenging and she realizes she needs new skills, she should definitely continue.
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Hear, hear for the above sentiments.</p>
<p>DS struggled in one course each term last year in his major. Other students dropped those courses; maybe to retake another time, maybe to change major.... Who knows? </p>
<p>The point is that he did not fold under pressure. He tried a variety of things to succeed in the course - prof office hours, new study partner, ordering a different text on line which he could better follow...</p>
<p>He ended up with a C+ in each of those courses - lowest grades he had ever had, and the grades we are proudest of. Because, as I told him at the time, aceing a test is not a life skill. Learning how to perservere in the face of difficulty <em>is</em> a valuable life skill. Finding different ways to approach problems, when your initial attempts don't work, <em>is</em> a life skill.</p>
<p>BTW, did not stop S from getting a top quality summer internship in his field. And, he is in a field where GPA is a definite element in the hiring/ employment process.</p>
<p>I'm also a freshman at a very competitive college, and I chose to withdraw from a course outside my intended major rather than take a bad grade... but only because I've been struggling with various health</a> problems all quarter that made doing well incredibly difficult. In the end, I decided to focus on recovering and doing well in my other courses rather than scraping by with mediocre grades while feeling utterly miserable physically; I think that was legitimate. However, if your daughter only wants to drop the course because it's hard, I agree that she should stick it out and do her best (whatever that may be).</p>
<p>Can she switch to P/F? Tell her to make an appointment with her first year dean who can give her good advice.</p>
<p>It is interesting to me how people are so self righteous about their point view on CC. What about this lesson to teach your kid: if you have given it all, and it is still not working, there is nothing wrong in walking away from it, learn to let go and move on. Why is it better to beat your head against the wall until it bleeds, and it ends up doing nothing for you. At work, I am constantly weighing risk and reward, and have to know which battle to pick in order to get the most out of a situation. What if because of this difficult course, the student is not able to focus on courses in her major (courses that really matter)? There is something to be said about trying to work efficiently (smart). Just because you work hard, it doesn't always mean you will succeed. Most people have a hard time of admitting failure, letting go, and move on. It always gets down to flaw in character if one should walk away and be at peace. Sometimes our kids are looking to us to let them know it's ok, not everything needs to be validation of their character, or lack of it.</p>
<p>Isn't the average Engineering GPA a 2.7 or so in US colleges. Based on some advice here we would graduate few engineers LOL. C's are not that rare in this field and many go to solid graduate programs with a few C's</p>
<p>Reed college has been cited before as having a higher % of its grads attain a PHd than most any college or university in the country.
The</a> average GPA @ Reed is about a 2.50</p>
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I am constantly weighing risk and reward, and have to know which battle to pick in order to get the most out of a situation.
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<p>I totally agree with this and sometimes you have to live to fight another day, but I thik that we should not send the message that our kids fold like napkins at the first sign of adversity. She is a freshman and more difficult courses are coming and there will come a time where withdrawing will not be an option. If she doesn't learn how to work through, reassess and regroup it could hurt her worse in the long run.</p>
<p>I also have to ask is if she has really given her all (and what does she consider giving her all)? </p>
<p>I do think it is a big shock when students move on from high school to college and the study habits one had in high school may not fly in college. </p>
<p>Is D trying to balance work and school?
Is she doing a little too much hanging out?
Has she see the professor during office hours to get feedback on what she is doing and what she can do to raise her grade?
Has she considered tutoring?
Is she keeping regular hours; eating, sleeping and getting enough rest?</p>
<p>While the course is not a part of her major, does it fulfill a distribution, core or general ed requirement that she will need down the line in order to graduate?</p>
<p>Having one or even a couple withdrawals on an otherwise solid transcript is not a big deal. I would be concerned if this happens again and again.</p>
<p>also D should be careful of the withdrawl. I went to a school that gave w's (withdrawl) wu (unofficial withdrawl) and wf (withdrawl failing the course)</p>
<p>I'd congratulate her for passing all of her courses at a very competitive college. That's a really good thing.</p>
<p>A C/C+ is better than a W. If someone sees a W, they assume D or F. It's freshman year. One C isn't the end of the world, even in the grad school/professional school/internship world.</p>