Getting a D

[roardinosaur]

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Is it possible to still get into a Ph.D. program if you got one D your freshmen year.. Everything else is still an A..there's just that one glaring D from a stupid literature class.

What do you guys think?

 

[Salsybabe]

Well I had one "D" on my transcript and retook the class and received an "A." I got into PhD programs, so I don't think that'll be a big problem, especially since it was just during your freshman year.

 

[JockNerd]

Is it in a psych course?

If it's not, it won't matter at *all*. Don't bother to retake the course or anything if it's an elective. Even if it is psych, it's freshman year so you get some leeway. If it happened to be stats, personality, or abnormal.... maybe retake.

Edit: Duuuuhhhhh, you said it was a lit. course. I don't know how I missed *that*.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Shouldn't be a huge issue (non-psych). I got a C- in a JavaScript class I took for fun.....it only came up twice during interviews, and it was more to ask about why I took the class, and what it was like to get a C- on an otherwise solid transcript.

No harm, no foul.

-t

 

[thewesternsky]

I failed physics my freshman year (and got a 50 exactly when I took it over again in second year! ouch!). I expected it to come up in interviews, but it really didn't seem like an issue.

If you are worried, one thing you can do is show that this does not reflect on your abilities to handle grad school. For instance-- if physics was the only math/hard science I ever took, a professor looking at my transcript might assume that I wouldn't have the math skills to succeed in graduate school. In order to ensure it wouldn't be a problem, I made sure to do VERY well on in my stats courses, to get a good score on the quantitative portion of the GRE, and to do well in upper year chemistry and biology courses.

If the grade is in an English course, you should do everything possible to show that this is one grade and does not reflect on your writing abilities. Do well in any other English and Lit courses you take. Try to score well on the verbal and analytic writing sections of the GRE. Make sure that your personal statement is very well-written. If you do all that, that one grade will be just that-- one grade-- and shouldn't hurt your application.

Hope that helps. 🙂

 

[Cosmo 23]

No, I don't think it matters. Especially if you're not still in school. Although you should focus on writing a good essay so they know you can communicate, since it was a literature class.

I had a freshman D on my transcript but after 10 years of a career and a grad school transcript, I can't imagine anyone even looked at my undergrad transcript. And I got into multiple phd clinical and counseling psych programs. Another argument for waiting a few years to go to grad school. You have more experince to present than simply an undergrad transcript.

 

[roardinosaur]

Thanks for all of your replies-- you all made my day a little better! Normally I do extremely well in any type of English/Lit/Humanities.. however, this particular teacher and I had clashing views.. I didn't really care about the class, etc. If success on the Verbal portion of the SAT translates to success on the GRE than I should be fine..

 

[apumic]

...

 

[RayneeDeigh]

I can personally attest to the fact that you can get a bad grade here and there and still get into grad school.

My first year of university, I was completely caught off-guard and ended up with something like 3 C's, two C+'s, and three B's. I spent the next three years collecting A's to help my GPA and I knew I needed really high GRE scores since my first year grades were so bad.

Just make sure you get good GRE scores and the D really won't matter at all.