<p>My son is a freshman in engineering. He currently has an F in Calculus 101. We are trying to guide him in wether or not he needs to withdraw from that class. Of course if he withdraws then it messes up his entire engineering schedule but if he does not an F will ruin his scholarship and GPA for the next 4 years anyway. We have told him to meet with teacher and see what the chances are for improving grade and to meet with advisor to get advise on what to do. He would still have 12 hours if he drops calculus so still would be full time student. Of course he only has 2 days to decide. Any advice would be appreciated.</p>
<p>has he been applying himself? i would go talk to the teacher like you suggested.</p>
<p>there is plenty of tutoring available. has he been taking advantage of that?</p>
<p>i would hope he could get back on track. if he has to drop, can he make up a class during the summer to get back on track?</p>
<p>I would probably advise my own son to drop it to keep the scholarship.</p>
<p>Drop the class. he seems not to have grasped the concepts, so getting the grade up to a C or better seems unlikely. Plus, the scholarship is an issue.</p>
<p>Next semester, he needs to start with tutoring from the beginning…use the tutoring at the campus tutoring center…don’t know it’s new name. Try a few different tutors out and find one that is the best. the tutoring is free. </p>
<p>If possible, have him get back on track by taking Cal II in the summer at a local CC.</p>
<p>Heck, see if he can drop the class, but start tutoring now to get a head start on next semester. Not sure if that’s allowed, but try it.</p>
<p>Yes, he has been applying himself. Has gotten himself a tutor to help in Calculus.</p>
<p>When I took engineering calc I a long time ago, I dropped the class the first semester. I just was not getting it and the prof was not very good. My high school math back ground was not as strong as I thought it was or my high school grades indicated. I enrolled in the class again the next semester and got a better instructor and did fine, but it still wasn’t easy for me.</p>
<p>With the scholarship on the line, I would drop the class and try again next semester.</p>
<p>Which class is he enrolled in? Calc 125? And who is the prof? If he drops, you need to make sure the courses he’s enrolled in next semester do not depend on him having completed the Calc he’s currently enrolled in.</p>
<p>^^that. what engineering is he in? have you looked at the flowchart?</p>
<p>but one F shouldn’t cause him to lose his scholarship if his other grades are tip top.</p>
<p>Why should he finish if he’ll get an F or D? Neither will be accepted, he’d still have to retake, and both will hurt the GPA. There’s no good reason to take the F or D…none at all.</p>
<p>Drop it, but see if he can stay in the actual class anyways. Would be a good head start when he has to retake it.
The flowchart is flexible.</p>
<p>i am not suggesting he take an F or a D, but if he did decide to continue, thinking that he would be able to raise it, and, ultimately is not successful, one D or F won’t kill you. </p>
<p>if he just doesn’t get it at all at this point in the semester, by all means, drop it. </p>
<p>if it messes up his sequence and will cause him to be behind a semester, then that would be pretty costly all the way around.</p>
<p>If he doesn’t understand the concepts, he shouldn’t finish, regardless of the end grade. The question is does he have an F now because he didn’t understand the concepts and/or tested poorly in the beginning but “gets it” now that he’s had tutoring.</p>
<p>“a friend of mine” might have have made an F in college and lived to tell about it. :)</p>
<p>This was discussed at the HC Preview last weekend. He will NOT lose his scholarship without first going through a probationary period where he can raise his grades and show progression. Conversely, if he messes up his progression not allowing him to complete in 8 semesters then the impact is the $$$ for the extra term. Either way is a tough decision. I like the plan to speak with an advisor ASAP so that he can feel comfort in knowing the impact on his sequence.</p>
<p>I thought the probationary period meant the student would not receive the scholarship funds? At that point would they be trying to bring up their grades to restart the scholarship but would be paying full cost?</p>
<p>He needs to really KNOW Cal I because Cal III builds on it. </p>
<p>Sounds like he’s had some typical Fall Frosh adjustment issues, which do happen. I think he should drop the class, but find out if he can continue with the tutoring…but start the tutoring at the beginning of the textbook…with the early concepts. </p>
<p>You haven’t said what his average is. If his F is from a very low average (say a 30-40), then it probably isn’t even possible to bring it up to a passing grade w/o perfection from now on…which isn’t likely.</p>
<p>Yes, people do survive an F on a report card. However, I think the kid should drop this class, calm down, and move on with the rest of his classes. Regroup for next semester.</p>
<p>Free tutoring at Bama…</p>
<p>[Center</a> for Academic Success - The University of Alabama](<a href=“http://www.ctl.ua.edu/AcadSup/browseacadsup01.asp]Center”>http://www.ctl.ua.edu/AcadSup/browseacadsup01.asp)</p>
<p>Hey MikeW, a “friend of mine” once made an F in calculus at Alabama … still says calc was such fun that she decided to take it twice… had a tutor the second time through that made her cry but did help her get a B+ … joke was on her tutor because he is still around after 20+ years … or so I heard from my “friend”… :)</p>
<p>colobama - my “friend” didn’t get any long term benefits like you, er uh, i mean “your friend” did when she flunked her class … just the chance to have all that fun again!</p>
<p>on the bright side, my “friend” told me that classes are so much easier the second time through! at least some of them are … according to my friend. :)</p>
<p>I suggest dropping as well, but still have to ask what the grading protocol is for the semester? Does the lowest test get dropped? That can make a huge difference. </p>
<p>I have a ‘friend’ whose D bombed the first test of her math class this semester (MA 238) and the class showed up on the midterm grades as a C. This D assured her mom that it wasn’t really a conceptual thing but more of a ‘but homework isn’t required but I guess I really need to do it anyway’ thing (and also learning that the prof doesn’t give partial credit so attention to detail is critical). Anyway, the lowest test grade gets dropped in this class and replaced by the highest test grade. And she just made a 100 on the second test (high fives all around). </p>
<p>Math classes build on either other so it is vital to really learn the concepts. </p>
<p>While we haven’t found math classes to curve, they often have favorable ways to increase grades. Check the syllabus.</p>