<p>
A C/C+ is better than a W. If someone sees a W, they assume D or F.
That's... not good. In my case, would they accept a note (with medical records attached if necessary) stating that I withdrew for health reasons, not due to a failing or near-failing grade?</p>
<p>Camelia, honestly, for first quarter first year, no one is really going to care. That's especially true with quarter schools since you have grades come out so often. I shouldn't have been so harsh with my post; of course there are other reasons people withdraw from courses, and people know that. I just wanted to hammer in the fact that in the OP's case, there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting a C or C+, and a W in order to get that grade off the transcript could hurt more than help. I'm not sure what Dartmouth's exact policies are. As Sybbie said, many schools have WP and WF to show academic standing when the student withdrew. Look into what the W would look like on your transcript. It's relatively unusual for someone to look at your transcript, though, and you can always explain if it comes up that you withdrew for health reasons. Everyone understands that students can get sick for entire terms, such as with mono. So, don't worry too much about it.</p>
<p>But I still think in the OP's case that a C/C+ isn't a poor enough grade to warrant withdrawing from the course, and people looking at the transcript could very well assume a lower grade. This person wouldn't have the luxury of explaining that she withdrew for health reasons.</p>
<p>I think it's a shame that someone would consider withdrawing from a class because he/she isn't getting a high enough grade (not aimed at Camelia ... she has an actual reason). My college graded on a 100 point scale, and anything below 70 was failing. I did get some grades in the 70's. In fact, I believe I may have had an actual 70 once. I had to take some classes that were really hard for me. On the other hand, I had grades in the high 90's. Those classes were obviously not so hard for me. In the end, I succeeded in some very difficult courses. Sure, my grades weren't high ... but I SUCCEEDED ... I did not give up, I did not fail, I learned something. Some of my friends did fail. Because our school did not allow transfer credit to make up failed courses, they overloaded & had to pass the failed course while taking a load of around 23-25 credits. What didn't kill us made us stronger!</p>
<p>While not everyone is willing to put up with what engineering students routinely deal with, I think it's silly to run the other way just because you aren't getting an A or a B (or even a C, dare I suggest it). And I honestly think parents do their kids a disservice when they suggest to them that they do so. We can't protect our kids from the realities of life forever. Sometimes life is tough, and we just have to buckle down and do our best. The fact that our "best" is good enough ... even if it doesn't translate into an A or B ... is an important thing to understand.</p>
<p>At some schools, if you withdraw from a class by a certain deadline, it does not appear on your transcript at all. Have you checked the withdrawal dates at your school to see if you can withdraw without it appearing on your transcript? (And I'm not suggesting that you DO withdraw..but if you decide to do so, you may be able to do so without penalty.)</p>
<p>My daughter is in the same boat. BUT at this point she isn't even sure what her grade is due to the fact that the professor grades on a curve. She will talk to him this week. If she is failing the course she will drop it. If she is getting a D she will drop it.</p>
<p>My daughter's school can withdraw by a certain deadline and not have it shown on the transcript. Her linear algebra class started with 50, now it's down to teens. To get a C in a course, you would need an A in another course to bring the GPA to 3.0. That is a lot of pressure. Luckily at her school she'll be able to take electives P/F. She is looking forward to take some humanity or architecture courses without worrying about grades.</p>
<p>My daughter also just got very sick this weekend because of exhaustion, and stayed in bed for 2 days. I was very puzzled by it because she seem to be having regular sleep schedule. She said it was mental stress over tests. She took 3 prelims in over 2 weeks period. She said it's not that classes are harder in college, it's because there are fewer tests and each test matters so much more. If you do not do well on one prelim, then it's very hard to dig yourself out. I know if she were to get a bad grade in any one of those classes this semester, she would be putting double amount of pressure on herself next semester.</p>
<p>I think she should keep the course, get a tutor, join a study group, talk to the prof or TA during office hours weekly, review previous year's problem sets and exams-especially midterms and finals.</p>
<p>It's ideal to make decisions about withdrawing from courses before the deadline after which a W appears on the transcript. I am assuming that in this case it's too late, which is why the decision is so difficult.</p>
<p>My daughter dropped a course early in the semester (it was outside her major, and she disliked it because the professor was disorganized and the readings were extensive and boring). It took her from 17 credits to 14, but there will be no indication of it on her transcript, and a 14-credit schedule is not abnormal. No loss there.</p>
<p>One important factor to consider in any withdrawal, whether or not it will appear on the student's transcript: Will dropping the course bring the student down below 12 credits (or whatever else is necessary to be considered a full-time student at the college in question)?</p>
<p>If it will, dropping the course may be a very bad idea. Not being a full-time student could have consequences outside the university. For example, depending on the student's age and the insurance company's rules, it might not be possible for the student to continue to be on the parents' health insurance policy.</p>
<p>My son, who is a college senior with a lot more credits than he needs, wanted to take a schedule that would have had fewer than 12 credits so that he could devote more time to his research project (for which he gets money rather than credits). Because of the health insurance issue, my husband and I had to insist on 12 credits, so he signed up for a meaningless introductory geography course just to get the necessary credits.</p>
<p>I wish I was as perfect as a lot of you on here.
[sarcasm]Getting a C is definitely a killer.. might as well go {insert something dangerous} because a C is going to ruin you. [/sarcasm]</p>
<p>"It's ideal to make decisions about withdrawing from courses before the deadline after which a W appears on the transcript."</p>
<p>Marian is totally right about this, and it is something that students should be aware of when they enter college. Obviously, there are situations that cannot be helped such as that of Camelia. However, most students do have an indication of how they are doing prior to the date to withdraw.</p>
<p>There is a difference between parental pressure about grades and a student trying to achieve certain grades if med school/law school is in his/her future. It is totally a generalization to say that graduate schools don't care. Many do, depending upon the program.</p>
<p>Marian, thanks also for the tip about full time status for health insurance. That is an incredibly important issue for parents and students to be aware of.</p>
<p>Also, see if the class is going to be curved, or if there are any "extra credit" assignments. My son is in a class that offers an extra credit assignment which equals an entire test grade and he told me that just doing it will be a "free 100%". The course will then be graded on a curve. He really does not know his average, but he knows that it is at least a B because his grades have all been above the class average.</p>
<p>Haven't had a child in college yet but I've been through college, grad school and high school with two kids and here's what I've noticed -- those who love you have a big choice in these moments -- it feels right to support the backing away from the challenge (i.e., take the W and get out of the class) but sometimes love means believing in someone even when they don't want you to, even when they want you to help them walk away from a challenge. This is risky business, no question. But make sure your child really and truly can't pull out a success with this class. There's always hope, at least usually. This could be a really good opportunity to show how much you believe in your child's abilities.</p>
<p>What you don't want though, is a child to upset and nervous about the grade that she makes herself sick. It is a fine line. I would not want to push too hard.</p>
<p>Reed says the average GPA of all students in 2006–07 was 3.1:</p>
<p>There is also something else to consider, often merit scholarship is contingent on student maintaining a certain GPA, some could be as high as 3.5. As I have mentioned before, study abroad programs and many internships require a minimum GPA. It is a tremedous pressure, especially for freshmen. Sometimes sticking it out til the bitter end is not always what's best for your kid.</p>
<p>i've gotten a couple C's, and I'm still a happy person.</p>
<p>C's do not ruin your life, contrary to popular belief on CC.</p>
<p>Back in my days, you had to have a GPA over a certain threshold in order to interview with a certain company, like IBM. So for those who says a C is not a big deal, please think again. I would withdraw if I were this student.</p>
<p>Minimum GPA for most things is 3.0. Minimum GPA for the most competitive jobs/internships/etc. is 3.5. That would be for, say, applying for a competitive internship as a freshman or sophomore as opposed to as a junior For an otherwise good student, a C won't ruin a string of solid grades. If you're applying for a job somewhere that has a high GPA requirement, then they'll probably also ask for your transcript, and that W will jump right out.</p>
<p>Anyway, there are more important things than getting the highest GPA possible. Sometimes learning and struggling through a class has its own benefits.</p>
<p>If a class is hurting a student emotionally more than it should, then my advice would change. My sister dropped a class she was doing poorly in because it was having a huge emotional tole at the time. She was way more stressed out about it than she should be about anything. My parents had originally counseled her to wait until after the second midterm, but she ended up dropping it a couple of days before (with my parents' blessing) because the emotional strain was too great. It was likely a combination of factors, but after dropping that class, things improved for her significantly. That's different than dropping because of a C/C+, though.</p>
<p>Camelia, it certainly makes sense to call your dean and ask the sensible question of whether the health people can file a report or write you a letter now (while records are in tact there) regarding poor health this term, to send to you or the registrar to attach to a transcript. I tend to think it won't ever come back to bother you, but you'll feel better if a leter is filed. If they say no, don't worry about it. Or if the dean or registrar can just note "W due to poor health that term."</p>
<p>Nervous1, WUSTL has many very difficult courses and all the freshmen have one of them, getting a C it is not big problem if she is getting good grades in the rest of the courses.</p>