Anonymous
Post 02/16/2026 19:36     Subject: Bad grade in college
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
Post 02/16/2026 19:22     Subject: Re:Bad grade in college
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
Post 02/16/2026 18:48     Subject: Re:Bad grade in college
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
Post 02/16/2026 16:37     Subject: Bad grade in college
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
Post 02/16/2026 15:30     Subject: Bad grade in college
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
Post 02/16/2026 15:11     Subject: Bad grade in college
Grades matter mostly if you are trying to keep a merit award or get into medical school.
Anonymous
Post 02/16/2026 15:10     Subject: Bad grade in college
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
Post 02/09/2026 20:03     Subject: Re:Bad grade in college
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
Post 02/08/2026 17:20     Subject: Re:Bad grade in college
Some presidents of US had terrible grades.

Anonymous
Post 02/08/2026 17:18     Subject: Re:Bad grade in college
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
Post 02/08/2026 16:59     Subject: Bad grade in college
I got a D+ in a required class. I have a bachelors and a doctorate.
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2026 18:50     Subject: Bad grade in college
I got a C early in college. I got in Sigma Xi. Issue is why the C? Not prepared for that level of work? Not studying effectively? No aptitude? Learn from this.
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2026 18:47     Subject: Bad grade in college
Once you get into college, you have to donkey up exponentially to get kicked out except for ish like cheating or acts that rise to the level of criminal misconduct that puts the university/college at risk of liability.

If you’ve been through college in decades past, just think of all the insane levels of misjudgment one probably witnesses every given weekend.

Half of all graduating classes are graduating in the bottom 50% of the class. As long as you earn that C or D honestly … you’re cool

There are an astonishing number of currently successful doctors who got C’s or D’s in organic chemistry.

It’s because the students who got A’s and B’s went into academic research and science
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2026 18:42     Subject: Bad grade in college
No one cares about college grades - let this one go, and help your child do the same
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2026 17:25     Subject: Bad grade in college
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:He retakes the class and gets an A. If employers ask for a transcript he shows them that he did well in the class in the end and it's fine. I'd rather see a D to A than a few Cs.


No employer is going to ask for a transcript. For Heaven's sake.


Some do. DD is applying for internships right now and several have asked for her transcript. For some of those she has progressed to interviews so I guess they didn't care that she had a couple Cs.


Yes, asking for a transcript and reading a transcript are two very different things. Asking for a transcript is free, reading them is a) a hassle, and b) boring.

But back to the subject in hand, I have never read my own kids' transcripts after they graduated High School. I figure it is there life. I ask them how they are getting on, GPA etc, but I couldn't care less about how they do in individual classes.