Has anyone here ever failed a grad school course?

[neuropsyance]

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Anyone? What happened and was it the end of the world to have to retake it?

Stats.....midterm.....not good 🙁

I understand it, but that is the hardest exam I've ever seen, and I just got a, "we should talk about your midterm" email.....

My BAI just skyrocketed.

Any and all advice appreciated, and if you're going to poke fun or insinuate that I didn't study, please don't bother posting.

Neuro

 

[erg923]

I have not, but I know a couple people who have. You would be/are required to take the class over again if you fail it. Obviously, a pain in the ass. However, my buddy was this laid back Jamaican dude (probably a lil too laid back for this field, but thats another story), and the inconvenience of having to take the class over the next fall was viewed by him as just that, a mild inconvenience. I think we can all learn something from his attitude too. This was not mentioned in his internship LORs (although I guess it was on his transcript) and he is now at a decent internship site.

 

[futureapppsy2]

I know its not uncommon for people to fail a semester of first year stats here. Our stats prof. is renowned, which is great, but his class is ultra demanding in terms of the level of understanding he expects from students. A vast majority who fail retake it, pass, match to solid, accredited internships down the line, graduate, and (presumably) get solid jobs. Not something you want to happen and not pleasant but not the end of world, I don't think. And you can still likely bring your grade up significantly before the end of the term. Good luck!

Relatedly, how much weight do internship sites give to transcripts, especially grades in practice/assessment classes? At what point do "B's" start to hurt an applicant?

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I've seen it happen most with a 1st year class and/or the first stats class. It is not uncommon, though it can definitely shake the confidence. Some people feel like they will be "left behind" because they often can't take all of the required classes (if there are pre-reqs), but after the first couple of years of graduate school, classes/research/practica become much more fluid.

 

[stigmata]

Nobody here will ever admit this as we are all the creme' de la creme'...😀 As if...

 

[FadedC]

As a side note, depending on the nature of your professor you might not be doomed just yet. If he wants to talk to you about your stats test then it's possible he may grant you a chance to redeem yourself if you can demonstrate that you know the material. Not guaranteed of course, but I wouldn't necesarily say it's unlikely either.

I've personally found that stats teachers in psychology programs are often much more forgiving then other professors because they know how hard many students have with it. But obviously your mileage may vary.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I (fortunately) haven't failed a class, but I did come a little closer than I'd have liked at one point. I've also known probably half a dozen students over the years who failed a course and were required to re-take it.

I'm not sure about other programs, but in ours, a failing grade definitely ratchets up the anxiety fairly significantly for most students, as we're kicked out if we fail two classes during our time here. Regardless, after the initial wave of panic, most people are able to successfully complete their degree.

 

[neuropsyance]

Well I failed the exam (barely), and have crunched the numbers. With other grades for things like homework already in, I could pass the class by getting a mere 67% on the final.

Now I'm not complaining about this, but that seems kind of ridiculous (and yes, I did calculate correctly).

I was actually pretty offended in our meeting though, as the professor suggested that I need to actually pay attention in class. I'm not sure where she get's the impression that I don't... I take notes on everything and have been there every single class period. It's not like I sleep through class or something.

That exam was just ridiculous.....My whole class has been freaking out!

 

[deleted176373]

I failed a final, but not a class... Others I have seen fail sections of our comprehensive exams... that's always fun to watch. Comprehensive exams were a real gut check.

Mark

 

[aagman01]

Legal hazing was the descriptor I came up with after I completed comps.

I know a few students who had to re-take a stats course while I've been in my program. To my knowledge, they all went on to fine internship sites and what not, too

I failed a final, but not a class... Others I have seen fail sections of our comprehensive exams... that's always fun to watch. Comprehensive exams were a real gut check.

Mark

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Legal hazing was the descriptor I came up with after I completed comps.

That can continue on internship, post-doc, etc. I was luck with my internship because I landed with genuinely great people, though I've heard some rough stories. On post-doc (particularly fellowships) it is practically a pre-req.

As for failing a comp....I think it probably happens more than failing a class, which takes some effort. Programs do their comps different ways, though I have seen some bloodshed (figuratively) during oral defenses. There is no such thing as over-prepared.

 

[futureapppsy2]

That can continue on internship, post-doc, etc. I was luck with my internship because I landed with genuinely great people, though I've heard some rough stories. On post-doc (particularly fellowships) it is practically a pre-req.

As for failing a comp....I think it probably happens more than failing a class, which takes some effort. Programs do their comps different ways, though I have seen some bloodshed (figuratively) during oral defenses. There is no such thing as over-prepared.

This makes me kind of glad that my program doesn't have traditional comps. Here, students advance to candidacy based on getting certain scores on the Psych GRE (650+) and Praxis II school psych licensing exam (meet the state requirements for specialist level school psych license) and passing their dissertation proposal defense, which is considered the "oral" component of comps.

I do kind of wish my program required a Master's thesis (we get a solely coursework-based Masters part way through) just for the experience of it, although I saw that process hold up a lot of people in the clinical program at my undergrad. As a result, the program there now really pushes students to use archival data and considers them to be MA "projects" instead of "theses."

I've definitely heard some intense internship stories from friends and former coworkers, though most really liked their sites in spite of the tremendous workloads.

 

[FadedC]

The school where I got my MA also advanced their phd students based in part on their performance on the psych GRE. My current program has comps based mostly around being given real life scenarios and being asked to respond to them the way you would in the field (I believe there are written and oral parts). Not sure how unusual this is.

This makes me kind of glad that my program doesn't have traditional comps. Here, students advance to candidacy based on getting certain scores on the Psych GRE (650+) and Praxis II school psych licensing exam (meet the state requirements for specialist level school psych license) and passing their dissertation proposal defense, which is considered the "oral" component of comps.

I do kind of wish my program required a Master's thesis (we get a solely coursework-based Masters part way through) just for the experience of it, although I saw that process hold up a lot of people in the clinical program at my undergrad. As a result, the program there now really pushes students to use archival data and considers them to be MA "projects" instead of "theses."

I've definitely heard some intense internship stories from friends and former coworkers, though most really liked their sites in spite of the tremendous workloads.

 

[Ollie123]

Our comps consist of two hellish weekends (one "general" clinical, and one "research specific"), where you write two 10-page papers in response to whatever questions are generated. Ours are a bit different from some in that there are no "reading lists" or anything like that. All you get is the questions, and you just have to spend your weekend lit searching and writing. Alternatively, you can do a major area paper (MAP), where you basically just write a gigantic review/meta-analysis on a topic of your choosing that is supposed to be of psych bulletin level quality over the course of a semester.

Haven't taken them yet - I'd originally planned to do the major area paper but now think I will do comps just because I am behind enough as is. I agree that its hazing and is actually quite pointless. No one is going to remember anything they "memorize" for comps. Forcing students to slap together a paper over a weekend is not going to help them "learn" anything or formulate significant thoughts or produce good writing. I actually like the MAP idea and wish I could justify pursuing it. Its the only type of "comp" I've heard of that is even remotely representative of what people will actually be doing in their careers. It would be useful for your career. You would actually learn something that might be important, rather than just memorizing a bunch of models and citations you will quickly forget because they serve no purpose other than passing comps. That said, it is a gigantic time-suck so I can understand why some schools may want their upper-level students in the lab and doing practica instead at that stage in their careers.

 

[erg923]

I have to disagree with that. Our comps are oral. We have one clinical, one research. For the clinical one, you are presented with a detailed case description and have to discuss the ethical issues/complications inherent to the case, cultural considerations, the likely diagnoses, rule-outs, assessments you might use, how you would treat the complaints. In the research comp, you are presented with a scenario/question and the variables at hand and have to orally explain, methodology, and the analysis you might run to answer the proposed hypothesis. Its hard and teaches you to think on your feet. And you really, truly have to know the topics and what the heck your talking about.

 

[psychmama]

Our comps are divided into three parts: general, clinical and oral comps.

The generals are three days, and include the major foundational areas as well as stats. They are open book, and we take them in the computer lab under timed conditions. There is also one short paper we write on a topical issue given to us -- known as "hot topic."

Clinical comps are similar, but focus more on clinical application. They are not open book. The only thing we can take in with us is the Mini DSM (the one that just has the diagnostic categories and codes, without the commentary).

Oral comps is basically a case write-up and formal presentation that takes about 2 hrs. Our school models this on the oral case presentation which is required in NJ for licensure.

I did not enjoy studying for or taking comps, although I do think I learned some material in the process.

I wonder if anything I learned has stuck around as i prepare to start studying for EPPP?🙄