Bad grade in college

[Anonymous]

I had a 1.9 GPA my first year in college and was put on academic probation. My parents didn't give up on me. I stuck with it and graduated with a 3.0. My life was not ruined.

My DDs have gotten their fair share of bad grades on assignments, but always seem to bounce back.

[Anonymous]

Some presidents of US had terrible grades.

[Anonymous]

So bad grades do matter now. The old school gentlemen’s C no longer exists much like it no longer exists for prep school kids targeting top colleges. Law and medical schools are now admitting close to perfect 4.0s in the 75% along with close to perfect LSATs or MCATs. Assume that 30% of your top tier undergraduate school is filled with grinders and cheaters that may not be as smart but sit at the top of the curve. Your kid needs to learn to grind or cheat or both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, the bad grade is a possible B?

No, it's a D. He said he basically could not get his final grade up to an A for the semester even if he got 100s on every assignment. He did very well first semester. I really wish he did not tell me this because now I am going to worry.

Stop.

You are the reason your kid is so anxious. This is a minor hiccup, which will teach him something.

It won’t have life changing consequences. Let him figure it out. He is learning how to manage his own life. You do yours.

[Anonymous]

Grades matter mostly if you are trying to keep a merit award or get into medical school.

[Anonymous]

My husband got a 1.9 freshman year and now has an MBA. I got a c in calculus and a C+ in a Shakespeare class. I ended up in the Too 10 students at a Top 5 law school.

You need to see a therapist and possibly get meds for your anxiety. This is bananas. Your kid will figure this out. If they cannot, then they likely need anxiety help as well.

[Anonymous]

Yes. My son straight up failed a mid-term last semester (junior engineering major) and ended up with a B in the class (his school does not give + or -).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My feeling about it is this. Everything in life is not going to come easy for my kids and even if they work really hard, they won't be successful in everything. College is a great and supportive environment to figure out how to build yourself back up after something doesn't go well. Colleges accommodate disabilities. They offer free tutoring. There are all kinds of supports. I always feel bad for my kids when they don't do as well as they would like. But, I let them figure out what it is that they need to do differently and support them. I do offer suggestions if they ask or if I don't see that they are figuring things out.

One of my kids has disabilities that affect his ability to be successful in college. He didn't feel the need to engage in the disability support office in the beginning and as a result he didn't get accommodations that semester. - or good grades. But he learned a lot - like how to secure tutoring and when he needed to engage the disability support office. Another of my kids got their first C ever in college. She was really sad, but she was able to figure out that it was her fault for not admitting that she was struggling early enough to get the support she needed to get a better grade. It also helped her to narrow down what she wants to study - she learned that she does not, in fact, like certain subjects that she thought she did. So, I'm sorry she got a C but she grew a lot as a result.

I will say for my son, there are consequences. He is at a community college and wants to transfer to UMD-CP. As a result of the tough semester, he wasn't eligible until he completed two years at community college.

This is the way. My DS also had his worst semester in the fall and got his first C and it might genuinely impact his ability to secure a summer internship. I hate that for him, but he has to figure it out. DH and I of course make suggestions and talk through things with him. He knows we’re disappointed in how last semester went, but so is he.

[Anonymous]

This was in the 90’s bit I got a C in a hard engineering class and still got into a top 3 medical school. It will be ok in the long run.

[Anonymous]

I got a D my first quarter at university. It sucked but it didn't hold me back in any way. I took a lighter load the rest of my 1st year and focused better. I graduated on time and also got my masters. All in computer science.

The path of progress is not always linear. Stay supportive and encouraging.

[Anonymous]

I had a few disappointing grades freshman year. I was bright but had zero study skills so it took me a while to figure things out. Some schools will allow you to retake a class and replace the grade. He could also consider withdrawing if he’s not passed the deadline and trying again next semester.

[Anonymous]

Agree the panic is not warranted.

What happens if he drops the class and takes it again next semester? Not for one bad grade but if his next test is not much better he may want to reconsider and start again with the correct supports in place.

Does he want law or med school? It’s not the end of the world but there are circumstances where grades matter.

Have him find out the drop deadline, the one where it never shows up on your transcript.

[Anonymous]

I have known parents who had kids go on academic probation. Your son's situation is nothing more than a wakeup call to get a tutor or budget more time for the class. Yes, I bombed an exam or 2 freshman year-first midterms. It woke me up. I also bombed an exam another year because I thought by name the class would be a gut. It was not. I learned quickly.

[Anonymous]

it will be ok
“failure” is allowed and normal
they will figure it out and the world will not stop

[Anonymous]

Doomed to work on a trash truck. And forget getting promoted to driver. Out of reach!