Is it worth the failing grade??
 

I'm in an 8 week Chemistry class. It is the beginning of the 3rd week and my grade has dropped from 103% to 56%. The only advice my instructor can give me is to ace the tests... but how can I really ace a test when I don't understand what's on it???

I just don't know if I should drop it now and save both my time and the instructor's or try to get a better grasp on this to get better grades. I had to drop another class I was taking this summer so I could take Chem.. and now that I'm failing it I feel upset. I have never had below a B in my college course work.

I just thought I'd post this and see what kind of advice could be offered. I am at my witts end and begging for a bullet with my name on it at this point.

I am just upset and frustrated, I don't know what else to do at this point. I start my job tomorrow and I feel that my job will only make for much less studying time. But we'll see.
That's my complaint for now.

What else should I do?

You don't have much going for you. Unfortunetly, there will be classes you will fail. I barely passes Chemistry with a 70%...that was cutting it close. If you truly think you can pull it off, I would stay. Look for someone who can help you out. If you find someone smart enough, who knows what they are you doing you can pull it off. I have faith in you, GOOD LUCK!

Your best bet is to withdraw, and still sit in the classes and do the homework, then take it again next quarter with a diferent instructor.


Leviathan

agreed, find someone that is smart that knows what they're doing, and team up with them. you end up helping each other out pretty equally believe it or not. its what i do, working together with a mate has brought his maths average up from a C- to a B+, and though my marks in assessments havent moved, im no longer making mistakes in questions cuz he's sees what i dont.

your by no means a leech by teaming up with someone.

chem is tough. biochem is tougher. be happy you're not in biochem and get yourself a tutor.

A summer school class tends to be in high gear. If you can't go that fast, you should take it in a regular semester. There's more time to get help then.

I used to take summer school classes, but only using "soft" classes like Lit or Philosophy or other things which don't really require serious effort.

Drop the class and audit it, then re-take it in the fall. Take it as a lesson learned. A failing grade is a huge drag on your GPA. If you have the opportunity to withdraw without a penalty, take it.

It sounds like you have an understanding prof. I bet if you talk to him/her, auditing and re-taking would not be a problem.

editing for a stupid spelling error.

Great advice.

Drop it while you can.

Better to get out now, and take it again whithout running into trouble.

If you are at a J.C. and are looking to transfer into a University or professional school, than do not drop the course. Just get your C and pass.
The main thing professional schools look while checking academic records is academic maturity. They do not simply look at your GPA. They are looking to see if you can finish everything that you start (course work), and for gaps in your record. Gaps would be dropped classes, or semesters where you only took a few courses instead of a full load. A low grade to them does not constitute a failure on your part, but a drop will. They will most likely take into account that summer school courses are tougher than regular courses, and the low grade can be explained.

Try pharmacy school, biochem is a creampuff...

drop it

I'm going to have to go with Leviathan and Sparhawk, drop it and see if you can still sit in on it, and try and work the problems.
I dropped my first chem class in college twice then over the summer I took it at a different college even though it wouldn't transfer just so I could get a better background (got a 97%), then came back and barely scraped by with a C. Sometimes you just got to struggle through things. It will get better - did for me, my emphasis area in my bachelor's degree is "groundwater and environmental geochem now believe it or not.

drop it unless you think you can put in the time and effort to ace the rest of the class.

If it isn't in your major you might be able to change it to a Pass/No Pass option. Otherwise, dropping it seems to be your best bet.

Do you have financial aid? Dropping it could adversely affect your aid package. If so, eat the grade. You can retake it and wipe the bad grade later, if you decide to.

Lastly, even if you can withdraw you will still take it later. Once that happens, the W is replaced by your new grade, IIRC. Double check on that because I don't know how it comes out on your transcript, only that retaking the same course wipes the previous mistake (be it a bad grade or an incomplete or withdrawal).

my advice would be to jump the boat also

just stay in the class and do the best that you can, most of the time you will pass if you put in the effort. that is what i have learned in college so far. you will start to understand what is going on in the class if you really try.

Drop it if you still can but audit... then re-take it. You should do much better and will feel more confident the second time you hear all the info.

-Mikey

He needs to check to see whether his school does that, where I went until just recently (about a year ago) if you failed a class and then took it again your gpa was still hurt by your first attempt. And even now its still not a great deal because both grades show up on your official transcript.

If you can afford it moneywise, then its best to drop and retake. If you have no extra money, then you could try fighting through it, you could try finding a tutor.