Undergrad taking a grad course...failed 1st test. Should I drop??

[ElizaThornberry]

So I am currently an undergrad senior taking a grad level Advanced Cell Bio course. I actually had to get an override to be placed in the course because I really enjoyed other cell bio courses. I studied. ...in depth for this exam....followed the book and ended up getting a 48% with a curve. The test was only out of 10 points but is 10% of my total grade. I am annoyed because what I studied for didn't show up on the exam. I need advice on if I should drop the course or not because the deadline is Oct. 12. I am afraid that since I have dropped some classes before that vet schools will deem me a "quitter". Advice???

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[MixedAnimals77]

As far as dropping I guess it would depend as to what your circumstances are- do you need this course? would getting a B in the course kill your GPA? Would dropping this course drop you below full time credit hours?

As for being a quitter dropping classes no such thing. If you drop before the drop date it doesn't even show up on your transcript- no one but you will ever know. I dropped classes at various times for one reason or another-maybe my schedule didn't work out as I had hoped, or a different class opened up that I would have rather taken. Now if you withdrew that's a different story as that is on your transcript. There is a place on VMCAS to explain things ie withdrew for the semester because a person got in a serious car wreck etc.

 

[PippyPony]

Also withdrawing isn't even that bad -- I withdrew from an online course because it was crummy and took it somewhere else instead. Did not stop me from getting into vet school.

 

[mmmdreamerz]

I took a W in physics because I was not on a same wavelength as a professor...took it the following semester. No one cared.

 

[ElizaThornberry]

As far as dropping I guess it would depend as to what your circumstances are- do you need this course? would getting a B in the course kill your GPA? Would dropping this course drop you below full time credit hours?

As for being a quitter dropping classes no such thing. If you drop before the drop date it doesn't even show up on your transcript- no one but you will ever know. I dropped classes at various times for one reason or another-maybe my schedule didn't work out as I had hoped, or a different class opened up that I would have rather taken. Now if you withdrew that's a different story as that is on your transcript. There is a place on VMCAS to explain things ie withdrew for the semester because a person got in a serious car wreck etc.

I don't need this particular course. However, if I drop this 4 credit course I will need to make it up in the spring semester because my school offers no bio courses in the summer. I already need 4 more credits of bio to graduate, if this was dropped, I would need 8 more credits (still doable). Right now I am actually getting an F technically because this has been the only grade and this test was worth 10% of my total grade....very few points in the class. I would be happy with a B, but am scared of getting a D or an F. At this point in the semester, dropping a course will result in a "WX"....which will show up on transcripts. I wouldn't have a very good explanation though, it would be just that I found out that I bit off more than I could chew.

 

[ElizaThornberry]

Also withdrawing isn't even that bad -- I withdrew from an online course because it was crummy and took it somewhere else instead. Did not stop me from getting into vet school.

how many times have you withdrawn though? This would be my fifth withdrawal. (I have been in college since 2013...mostly part time).

 

[EngrSC]

I have not one, but TWO WUs on my transcript, which are way worse than Ws. Granted they’re from 2006-ish. I was just accepted to SGU and interviewed at LMU (and have a slew of other schools to hear from still). Personally I wouldn’t sweat it if your grades are otherwise strong. I don’t think adcoms will look at your application and automatically throw it out because you dropped a graduate level class as an undergraduate student.

 

[ajs513]

Maybe I’m an extreme example of this and don’t follow this if you can help it, but I had two W’s, three F’s, and a D on my transcript. Some extenuating circumstances associated with that and a little bit of bad work ethic. But I ended up doing just fine.

 

[EngrSC]

Maybe I’m an extreme example of this and don’t follow this if you can help it, but I had two W’s, three F’s, and a D on my transcript. Some extenuating circumstances associated with that and a little bit of bad work ethic. But I ended up doing just fine.

Sameeeeeee

 

[that redhead]

how many times have you withdrawn though? This would be my fifth withdrawal. (I have been in college since 2013...mostly part time).

Would it be a withdrawal or would it just be a drop? Not all dropped courses show up on your transcript

I think if there is a good explanation behind a W, you should be OK (pending the rest of your application of course).

 

[ElizaThornberry]

Would it be a withdrawal or would it just be a drop? Not all dropped courses show up on your transcript

I think if there is a good explanation behind a W, you should be OK (pending the rest of your application of course).

It would be a withdrawal unfortunately (because next week are midterms)....and my explanation would be that I very well might fail the course at this point. Does not seem like a good reason.

 

[that redhead]

It would be a withdrawal unfortunately (because next week are midterms)....and my explanation would be that I very well might fail the course at this point. Does not seem like a good reason.

I suppose it depends on how much you think you can turn it around in the course. Far better to get a W than a D, for example.

 

[PippyPony]

how many times have you withdrawn though?

Only once.

Even if you have multiple withdrawals I would imagine that's better than an F, but I'm not an admissions committee.

 

[deleted676737]

how many times have you withdrawn though? This would be my fifth withdrawal. (I have been in college since 2013...mostly part time).

I had two Ws and three Ds on my transcript when I was applying and had no issue getting accepted to 3/4 of the vet schools I applied to (admittedly, with the caveat that none of those poor grades were in science courses and I was extremely selective about applying to schools that did not weigh cumulative GPA heavily or at all in order to give myself a fighting chance). I would say that five Ws is a lot but, on the other hand, there is zero denying that a W is always going to be preferable to a D or especially an F. If you genuinely don’t think there is any way to bring your grade in this class up to at least a C, then it may be worth going forth with the withdrawal, particularly since it sounds like it isn’t a pre-requisite for any vet schools.

Just make sure to really rock the last few semesters of your undergrad in spite of this and finish with a good, upward trend.

 

[JustPaws]

how many times have you withdrawn though? This would be my fifth withdrawal. (I have been in college since 2013...mostly part time).

I had 3 Ws but a very high GPA. My withdrawals were also related to finances so...

 

[ElizaThornberry]

I suppose it depends on how much you think you can turn it around in the course. Far better to get a W than a D, for example.

I mean, I want to earn the A and I can but....everything I studied for and that he went over in class was NOT on the test. I do not like courses like that and assume that tests from here on out will be ambiguous in the same way. To make matters even more complicated, I will not get my money back for a 4 credit course at this point and I am a senior. So if I drop I will have to take 12 credits of bio in the spring (on top of a 4 credit foreign language) & my school offers NO bio courses in the summer. 12 credits of bio would be difficult because the 4 credit courses are usually accompanied with labs...

 

[ElizaThornberry]

I had 3 Ws but a very high GPA. My withdrawals were also related to finances so...

All of mine were very early in my college career due to carelessness and poor study habits. Plus, I changed my major a few times so...some classes I deemed useless and got rid of them.

 

[joshuv]

If I were you, I'd meet 1 on 1 with the professor ASAP. Explain your situation and voice your concerns. See if other options beside dropping are available. For example, I know in certain graduate programs, students rarely earn less than a B- even if they are the bottom 20% of the class. Reasons for this include research funding depending on grades and the fact that everyone is specializing in a particular micro area that learning is graded more on growth rather than absolute mastery of the subject.

If the professor seems aloof or basically says you get what you get, then I'd drop the course. Then briefly explain later why you dropped. It seems there is high risk for relatively low return. I'd also pursue the interest in cell bio through other classes or research opportunities. Remember, 45 gpa is very sensitive as there is only 45 credits that comprise it.

 

[ElizaThornberry]

If I were you, I'd meet 1 on 1 with the professor ASAP. Explain your situation and voice your concerns. See if other options beside dropping are available. For example, I know in certain graduate programs, students rarely earn less than a B- even if they are the bottom 20% of the class. Reasons for this include research funding depending on grades and the fact that everyone is specializing in a particular micro area that learning is graded more on growth rather than absolute mastery of the subject.

If the professor seems aloof or basically says you get what you get, then I'd drop the course. Then briefly explain later why you dropped. It seems there is high risk for relatively low return. I'd also pursue the interest in cell bio through other classes or research opportunities. Remember, 45 gpa is very sensitive as there is only 45 credits that comprise it.

I am going to speak to him tomorrow about where I am at. I have considered auditing or doing the course as pass/fail. I am not a grad student though....so idk if I'll be treated the same. Likewise, he should give credit where credit is due because it is not an easy course and I am in the room with students who are trying to obtain PHD's.

 

[EB73674]

I am going to speak to him tomorrow about where I am at. I have considered auditing or doing the course as pass/fail. I am not a grad student though....so idk if I'll be treated the same. Likewise, he should give credit where credit is due because it is not an easy course and I am in the room with students who are trying to obtain PHD's.

I think if you’re able to declare it pass/fail and then work your butt off to get a pass, that would be the ideal solution - but ONLY if you can definitely pass it. Auditing would be a reasonable change too if you think it’ll be hard to pass the class and can deal with not receiving any type of credit. Taking something pass/fail or auditing is worlds better than a super low grade or another W!

I would also caution you to do what YOU feel will result in YOUR best outcome. No one knows your motivations or study habits better - if you think you need to get out and are unlikely to pull up your grade above a C, don’t let anyone persuade you otherwise. At this point in the game, a very poor grade would likely be difficult to recover from. I was persuaded to stay in Organic 2 by a well-meaning but difficult professor, and I ended up with a disaster grade (D+) that I’m going to have a LOT of trouble explaining to adcomms. Nothing is worse than a D or F, no matter how many Ws you have, but a pass/fail or audit would be best.

 

[battie]

A withdrawal is always better than a D or F. See where your meeting with the prof goes tomorrow. If it feels like you can't turn it around, drop it. Absolutely. You'll figure out the scheduling issues later. But getting a D or an F as a senior is a struggle to recover from.