What does an F do to college prospects?

[Anonymous]

My sophomore is flunking honors Algebra 2/Trig. Refuses to switch to an easier class, saying she really wants the challenge, even though she's failing it. Really freaked out when we suggested taking the question to her counselor.

We've hired her an excellent tutor, but it's early days and no difference is apparent yet.

If she flunks this class, what does that do to her college prospects? Does it mean, e.g., CC only?

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

rit means your dd writes an essay on what she learned from flunking a class and she moves on with her life

[Anonymous]

I would insist she drop it. Although it may be too late? Maybe she’s hearing things at school like “if you don’t take a rigorous math class you won’t get into a good college”….? But certainly an F would preclude that from happening anyway. You should not let her make this decision.

[Anonymous]

My ds failed algebra 2 in sophomore year and retook it junior year. The grade the second time replaced it in his gpa. B student and admitted to many schools that were not cc.

[Anonymous]

She will have to repeat it if she really fails...but it is unlikely she will fail because teachers look bad if kids fail. I would worry she will not have a good base for her future math courses. That said, if your tutor is good, they can give you a sense of if she knows the concepts but just is not performing on the tests or if she really needs more math support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My ds failed algebra 2 in sophomore year and retook it junior year. The grade the second time replaced it in his gpa. B student and admitted to many schools that were not cc.

Schools still may see the grade even if it's not calculated into the GPA.

[Anonymous]

She'll end up with a C.

The teacher won't flunk her.

However, she needs to step it up.

[Anonymous]

Forget college - does she need to pass the class to graduate high school?

[Anonymous]

This is a case where I think hiring a college counselor early makes sense. Sounds like you need an outside voice.

you MUST talk to the school counselor. if she's freaking out, she doesn't get it. you have to know what happens if she fails or gets a D. will she have to retake it? will she be on the path to graduating. All that.

And you have to meet with the teacher. Sophomore year is still young enough to contact the teacher directly. "failing" in November can mean a lot of things. It can mean a bad test and two bad quizzes with lots of boxes in the grade book yet to fill. Or it can be a big chunk is in there. It can also mean she bombed the early tests that cover Alg 1 and she's very far behind.

A teacher can give you guidance. A tutor will help a lot!

[Anonymous]

Retake the first semester in summer if available? And drop to regular for second semester? Colleges will see their retake in summer but if she does well, should be okay.

[Anonymous]

The A students work for the B students, the C students own the company, and the dropouts invented the product the company makes.

[Anonymous]

I got a C in Trig after starting half the year off with a D-. It's not my best subject.

Anyways, I worked my ass off, the C didn't matter for the colleges I was accepted to (large, well-regarded state schools), and many years later I received a PhD in economics.

Please don't think or imply to your child that this is the difference maker between Harvard and community college. This is resilience building. This is the reason for school.

[Anonymous]

She's in 10th grade? She'll salvage a C this year, but needs to maintain that grade or get a better one next year.

The tippy top schools are probably out, as they have their pick from many perfect applications, but there are tons of colleges on the table! TONS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My sophomore is flunking honors Algebra 2/Trig. Refuses to switch to an easier class, saying she really wants the challenge, even though she's failing it. Really freaked out when we suggested taking the question to her counselor.

We've hired her an excellent tutor, but it's early days and no difference is apparent yet.

If she flunks this class, what does that do to her college prospects? Does it mean, e.g., CC only?

Thanks.

Don't worry. If she wants to pass and has a tutor, may get a C but she won't fail.

[Anonymous]

Forget the grade - for a minute. It is -essential- for her to have a solid understanding of Algebra. She will need to build on this foundation if she takes any math going forward, for anything. There will be the SAT, requirements for college for her major, college math placement tests.

She can just drop the class. Drop it. Take it next year. Next year with a tutor. A tutor from the very beginning. Make sure she's not in honors or advanced and in over her head.

She likely doesn't want to drop for reasons: missing friends, it's embarrassing, Too bad. She'll adjust. Not is as important as learning the material, solidly.

Plus, with some pressure off, she is likely to do better in all of her other classes. One horrible class can bring everything down and make her feel worse about herself (imo), than dropping the class.