I need advice but even opinions would be helpful. I’m taking Gen Chem II right now and owing to several factors, I’m facing a situation that has a 1 in 3 chance of resulting in a C. There is no +/- grading, so it’s B/C/W. I have until 20-Apr-12 to figure out if I should take the W. Right now, I’m leaning towards it because I believe that explaining a W will be a lot easier than explaining a C, assuming that this is the only W I will have to explain. Of course, taking the W won’t necessarily ensure smooth sailing or a favorable outcome in the future. But…
Advice? Opinions?
If you take the W, the C won`t factor into your gpa. That’s what I would do. After all, your gpa is foreverrrrr…
Good Luck
I have two W so far in my Postbacc.
I agree it would be far more constructive to explain a W than a C (in my situation a C from a community college…no way!)
What I did is ask my professor if I can drop BUT still stay in the class; no grade, just attend. That way you’ll be sure to do far better once you take it again because the information will be familiar to you. That’s what I did for Gen Chem I and Trig. It help tremendously. Also, just like labmouse said, Ws don’t affect your GPA so that you can at least make it to an interview to explain and not get cut off by the GPA barrier.
“Strategery” my friend, “strategery” hehehe…
Indeed, this whole thing is very much about strategery.
Yes, I too am taking courses at a CC, so my W here will be from a CC and so would the C - that’s what FUDs the crap out of me. Regarding auditing the class - I don’t think I need that because the material is mostly review to me. We’ve had two exams and my avg there is an 89% (A) and my avg on the quizzes is an 86% (B) right now. However work-related travel and some other reasons caused me to be late on 2-3 lab reports and homework assignments and to miss one lab report altogether. My overall grade is 76% right now, with 3 exams, 4 quizzes, and 8 labs remaining. I don’t know if those are enough for me to recover the final grade to a 79% (B.)
None of the assignments, labs, quizzes, or exams will be dropped, but the instructor has 1% to 2% discretion on the final grade. However, I don’t want to rely on that because I’m not even sure if she likes me. Anyway, there’s probably a fair chance I can make up the 3% grade deficit, but if one of the remaining 3 exams is a tough one or if I miss a cation / anion in the quals lab or don’t get all my ions right etc, and the remaining labs don’t go as expected, an unexpected sickness that causes another missed lab or whatever - I could end up with that C. That’s what I’m FUD’d about.
Although I should not be agonizing over this decision on whether to drop the class, I just can’t seem to pull the trigger. I found out yesterday that Gen Chem II will no longer be offered in the evenings. Budget cuts, I suppose. That means if I drop, I’ll have Chem II, Bio II, Ochem I/II and possibly Physics II that will need to be taken during the day. If I keep the class and fail to make up the 3% I need, I will end up with an undesirable C from CC. To top it off, I won’t be able to retake because rules only allow retakes in the event of a D or worse. Quitting my job and going full-time is simply not an option. I don’t know where that leaves me. I feel a bit lost right now and just needed to vent.
I guess I’ll go view the “Snap out of it” clip now. I have until 5.00 pm tomorrow to decide, after all.
That’s a crappy position to be in. If you kept going in the class can you later on just get a 0% on an exam so you get a D or F in the class and have to retake the class. That might buy you some time.
- AnitaK Said:
That's a crappy position to be in. If you kept going in the class can you later on just get a 0% on an exam so you get a D or F in the class and have to retake the class. That might buy you some time.
That's is not a good idea. I say take the leap of faith and that extra push to get the B. Between now and finals, take a breath, stop stressing from the fear, quit looking over your shoulder, put your ass in the that chair and study. Focus on getting a B.
Work as hard as you possibly can!! You will come to that moment at the end where it no longer matters what you did, only what you have.
I am in the same spot, with gen chem II even, and took the W. After that I found out that my wonderful college “does not accommodate” part-time students AND they are no longer honoring my veteran’s scholarship (so I wouldn’t be able to take a break, catch up at the local CC, and come back). So, that means I have to transfer to another college in order to graduate on time. This, and I just got some life-altering news by way of my wife, so we are really juggling what to do about this! Even if I could stay the college I am at now, I would be a full year behind b/c of the gen chem II situation.
Solution? I am looking into a university a few hours away that offers gen chem II during the summer, which would put me back on track.
Remember, part of what you will be evaluated on when it comes time to interview, is how you are able to adapt and overcome difficult situations as they arise. Think on your feet, and do not give up! Work so that you can brag about how you dodged this bullet and kept going, build character by enduring affliction, and show it to that future ad-com.
Thanks, and I now agree with your advice. I decided to keep the course and take the leap. I did some calculations and figured out that an average of 75 on the remaining 8 labs, plus 80s on the remaining 3 exams should get me there. All of this is very much possible, but that 10% chance of a C had me freaked out - still bothers me a bit. However, I’ve made my decision and I will go at it full bore and make it work. Not having Gen Chem II in the evening next sem would have me backed up on the OChem series. I think OChem I is still offered in the evenings which is why I decided to keep this course. Bio II, Phy II and OChem II are not available in the evenings and it is my goal to clear all the rest, and then quit my job to take those 3 plus a few more sometime next year.
An update to close this thread: as I indicated in my previous post, I kept the course and took the leap because Gen Chem II is not offered in the evening next semester.
It was a good decision because I made that B with plenty of room to spare. I finished the course Monday with a composite score of 85.7% (Probable grade = B.) It would probably have been an A- if +/- grading were offered, but I’m happy with the B because forward momentum is conserved and the GPA damage is not too much. I can now proceed to OChem I if it’s offered in the evenings here.
Congrats and good luck on OCHem.
Strong work Dullhead. Glad it paid off.
C
Congrats!! My pereptual optimism always tells me divine forces are at work in one way or another… Sometimes you just have to hold your breath and jump!!
Thanks and congratulations to you as well on completing your Calculus course despite the obstacles in your way! Yes, sometimes we just have to take the leap and leave FUD behind. My grade posted and it was a B+. There was no +/- grading indicated in the syllabus so I don’t know if my grade was an exception, but I’m just happy it’s not a C.