I'm screwed

[Ignatius M.D.]

So I walked into physics lecture today to find out that we had an exam. I guess I've gotten my schedule all mixed up since I've been studying so much for the MCAT this weekend, but I had no idea that it was today. The most studying I did was about 2 hours yesterday, but that was only on waves (there were 5 other chapters such as gravitation, fluids, etc.) . Going into it I had a B-, but there's no way I got better than a D on this exam. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to go from here (besides studying like hell for the final, which I will obviously do), or else has anyone had a similar situation? This is no bueno.

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[Pons Asinorum]

Consider that W. Won't kill your chances, of course a "C" in the class won't kill you either. Go talk to the professor and see where you could realistically end up. I assume that class isn't a prereq for anything you plan on taking next semester?

 

[phnerd1105]

Oh jeez, this was definitely pulled from many nightmares I've had. Of course, you would have had to have been in your underwear as well...

But seriously, talk to the professor. See if there's anything else you can do. I really feel for you, that sucks. Maybe take the W like pons said and consider retaking in the summer?

 

[eablackwell]

Consider that W. Won't kill your chances, of course a "C" in the class won't kill you either. Go talk to the professor and see where you could realistically end up. I assume that class isn't a prereq for anything you plan on taking next semester?

Isn't it too late to W at most universities by now? I thought it was around end of March/1st of April.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

Isn't it too late to W at most universities by now? I thought it was around end of March/1st of April.

Some will let you withdraw while passing up to the final. YMMV, however.

 

[fizzgig]

i would think W time is past by now? that truly sucks though. i almost had a similar situation abroad - there were 2 sections in 1 classroom with different evaluations, so i walked in one day and there was this circuits test being handed back that i didnt even know i missed (my understanding of the syllabus was 1 exam only, a final). i was able to clear it up by ensuring i was enrolled in the 1exam section vs the 2exam, but there was a lot of hyperventilation and vomit-in-mouth... i syyyympathize... i don't know exactly what to tell you to do, besides going to the prof to ask what your options are (they might know of another way to drop/withdraw, or might be able to tell you what your best scenario is if you have to stay with the class).

other than that it's free ice cream day til 8pm... go drown the panic in some ben and jerry's. i hope it works out!

 

[eablackwell]

i would think W time is past by now? that truly sucks though. i almost had a similar situation abroad - there were 2 sections in 1 classroom with different evaluations, so i walked in one day and there was this circuits test being handed back that i didnt even know i missed (my understanding of the syllabus was 1 exam only, a final). i was able to clear it up by ensuring i was enrolled in the 1exam section vs the 2exam, but there was a lot of hyperventilation and vomit-in-mouth... i syyyympathize... i don't know exactly what to tell you to do, besides going to the prof to ask what your options are (they might know of another way to drop/withdraw, or might be able to tell you what your best scenario is if you have to stay with the class).

other than that it's free ice cream day til 8pm... go drown the panic in some ben and jerry's. i hope it works out!

I forgot all about this! I've been at work since 6am and I have to stay until 8 for a National Honor Society induction! Ugh, horrible!

 

[Ignatius M.D.]

Thanks people. At Vandy you can W late in the semester if you are failing. So, this obviously depends on what grade I got, and how far it drops my B-. I'll probably go talk to the prof, but even though he's a nice guy I don't see what he can do. Idk if I should withdraw. The final will be very hard (cumulative of course), so that will be a tough thing to rely upon to bring my grade back up to a B. I have all A's in my other classes (including orgo and neuro), so maybe I should just withdraw, take the high GPA w/ lower hours, and take it next sem. Since I already took Gen Physics II (at my old uni), that would be the only pre-req I would have unfinished as of application time in June.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

Thanks people. At Vandy you can W late in the semester if you are failing. So, this obviously depends on what grade I got, and how far it drops my B-. I'll probably go talk to the prof, but even though he's a nice guy I don't see what he can do. Idk if I should withdraw. The final will be very hard (cumulative of course), so that will be a tough thing to rely upon to bring my grade back up to a B. I have all A's in my other classes (including orgo and neuro), so maybe I should just withdraw, take the high GPA w/ lower hours, and take it next sem. Since I already took Gen Physics II (at my old uni), that would be the only pre-req I would have unfinished as of application time in June.

Drop it, focus all your energy on the MCAT. That W won't matter one bit. The MCAT score will. Best of luck, Vandy.

 

[DoctwoB]

Thanks people. At Vandy you can W late in the semester if you are failing. So, this obviously depends on what grade I got, and how far it drops my B-. I'll probably go talk to the prof, but even though he's a nice guy I don't see what he can do. Idk if I should withdraw. The final will be very hard (cumulative of course), so that will be a tough thing to rely upon to bring my grade back up to a B. I have all A's in my other classes (including orgo and neuro), so maybe I should just withdraw, take the high GPA w/ lower hours, and take it next sem. Since I already took Gen Physics II (at my old uni), that would be the only pre-req I would have unfinished as of application time in June.

If theres absolutely no record of the W on your transcript, I'd withdraw. Not worth torpedoing your sGPA.

 

[phnerd1105]

Thanks people. At Vandy you can W late in the semester if you are failing. So, this obviously depends on what grade I got, and how far it drops my B-. I'll probably go talk to the prof, but even though he's a nice guy I don't see what he can do. Idk if I should withdraw. The final will be very hard (cumulative of course), so that will be a tough thing to rely upon to bring my grade back up to a B. I have all A's in my other classes (including orgo and neuro), so maybe I should just withdraw, take the high GPA w/ lower hours, and take it next sem. Since I already took Gen Physics II (at my old uni), that would be the only pre-req I would have unfinished as of application time in June.

I agree with this

 

[Ignatius M.D.]

If theres absolutely no record of the W on your transcript, I'd withdraw. Not worth torpedoing your sGPA.

It shows up as a W, but not as a WF or WP. Honestly, I'm just going to compartmentalize this issue until after my MCAT is over on Saturday.

 

[eablackwell]

If your GPA is that good at the moment, I agree with the W. I applied with 1 prereq missing, didn't seem to make a difference.

 

[StudyShy]

Hopefully you did better than what you think! That sucks balls.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

It shows up as a W, but not as a WF or WP. Honestly, I'm just going to compartmentalize this issue until after my MCAT is over on Saturday.

Agree! Best of luck.

 

[Torr]

I think taking the W sounds the best at this point but I wish you could avoid retaking the ENTIRE course over again. I had a professor give me an Incomplete for a course once because I got sick for the final. I went off for winter break and just took the test later on when we all got back and had the grade changed. It's an entirely different situation than yours but just another possibility to inquire about if the professor is a nice enough guy.

 

[fahimaz7]

Way to manage your time and still meet the requirements that you have to do...

But seriously, a W in physics isn't going to look good either.

 

[tyronedamone]

Thanks people. At Vandy you can W late in the semester if you are failing. So, this obviously depends on what grade I got, and how far it drops my B-. I'll probably go talk to the prof, but even though he's a nice guy I don't see what he can do. Idk if I should withdraw. The final will be very hard (cumulative of course), so that will be a tough thing to rely upon to bring my grade back up to a B. I have all A's in my other classes (including orgo and neuro), so maybe I should just withdraw, take the high GPA w/ lower hours, and take it next sem. Since I already took Gen Physics II (at my old uni), that would be the only pre-req I would have unfinished as of application time in June.

I would definitely talk to the professor. If a curve will be applied at the end of the course you may not be in terrible shape. There is also the possibility that you may have done better than you originally thought, so you should see where you stand pre-final before withdrawing. Because it is so late in the semester, if there is a solid chance that you can salvage a decent grade I'd stick with it. If not, take the W. Good luck and feel free to PM me with any Vandy related questions.

 

[torshi]

So I walked into physics lecture today to find out that we had an exam. I guess I've gotten my schedule all mixed up since I've been studying so much for the MCAT this weekend, but I had no idea that it was today. The most studying I did was about 2 hours yesterday, but that was only on waves (there were 5 other chapters such as gravitation, fluids, etc.) . Going into it I had a B-, but there's no way I got better than a D on this exam. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to go from here (besides studying like hell for the final, which I will obviously do), or else has anyone had a similar situation? This is no bueno.

title says it all

 

[gatorade848]

how many people here are from vandy? lol I got screwed over by vandy physics department too but it was really kinda my fault; however i did get my revenge a semester later

 

[gatorade848]

and yea i am leaning toward withdraw but do talk to the professor though sometimes they are very willing to work out a compromise

 

[Ignatius M.D.]

how many people here are from vandy? lol I got screwed over by vandy physics department too but it was really kinda my fault; however i did get my revenge a semester later

Lol, the math and physics departments here are diabolical. Good news, I talked to the prof, and everyone failed the previous test . So, looks like a steep curve combined with my OK grade on the previous test will be my savior. I can still get in the B-/B range, so I'm not dropping. Gatorade, I honestly think the lab is worse. Why do they make a simple lab so painful?

 

[gatorade848]

actually my physics lab wasnt bad at all, it really depends on the TA; my TA was really helpful and even helped us on the problem set at the end of the class. but i do think thats an exception not the norm lol

i wouldnt worry about physic class at all, god may shine upon you and cancel your physics final...lol

Real life example:

remember the may nashville flood last year? my orgo professor decided to "cancel" the orgo final due to the rain and stated that if students are happy with their pre-final average, they dont have to take the final. My evil physics professor had the same issue with changing final dates so I sent him an email sunday night explaining "so this is how my orgo professor solved the problem. if students are happy with their average...".

Monday morning, the physics professor sent out an email to everyone in the class:

"ok I came up with a plan, if you are happy with your prefinal average, you dont have to take the final"

I had no finals

epic win

 

[vickpick]

1 W is no loss

 

[jsh52]

Lol, the math and physics departments here are diabolical. Good news, I talked to the prof, and everyone failed the previous test . So, looks like a steep curve combined with my OK grade on the previous test will be my savior. I can still get in the B-/B range, so I'm not dropping. Gatorade, I honestly think the lab is worse. Why do they make a simple lab so painful?

Good to hear!!!

Your situation would have been my nightmare.

 

[cliffhuxtableDO]

i know i'm joining this party late, but does the final get weighted more, or grade replacement of a low exam grade perhaps? in either situation, you can still pull up your grade. good luck.

 

[searun]

I took two "w" s to protect my 3.82 gpa - glad I did. Nobody ever mentioned it in my med school interviews. I needed that 3.82 to get Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude - so use the withdrawals intelligently. Do not abuse it - but use it when you need to.

 

[Grom]

Real life example:

remember the may nashville flood last year? my orgo professor decided to "cancel" the orgo final due to the rain and stated that if students are happy with their pre-final average, they dont have to take the final. My evil physics professor had the same issue with changing final dates so I sent him an email sunday night explaining "so this is how my orgo professor solved the problem. if students are happy with their average...".

Monday morning, the physics professor sent out an email to everyone in the class:

"ok I came up with a plan, if you are happy with your prefinal average, you dont have to take the final"

I had no finals

epic win

Wow I never knew that could happen. I couldn't imagine my orgo prof bypassing the final, since lab averages tended to be super high and the final was clearly what the class was focused on. Oh well, great for you then

 

[PanRoasted]

Watch Vandy come back with an A on the exam. Many a lol will be had.

 

[Suncrusher]

Lol, the math and physics departments here are diabolical. Good news, I talked to the prof, and everyone failed the previous test . So, looks like a steep curve combined with my OK grade on the previous test will be my savior. I can still get in the B-/B range, so I'm not dropping. Gatorade, I honestly think the lab is worse. Why do they make a simple lab so painful?

Yeah the average score on one of my 2nd sem physics tests at vandy was around 40%. The professor had to institute some hella-weird curve formula that included an e^1/something-i-dont-remember.

It's a rite of passage. Congrats! You made it!

The good thing is that the questions in the class are a million times harder than any physics questions on the mcat. I went back and thanked the professor

Edit: did SDN remove social groups? We need a vandy group. Someone suggest a clever name to me and I'll try and create it

 

[Ignatius M.D.]

Yeah the average score on one of my 2nd sem physics tests at vandy was around 40%. The professor had to institute some hella-weird curve formula that included an e^1/something-i-dont-remember.

It's a rite of passage. Congrats! You made it!

The good thing is that the questions in the class are a million times harder than any physics questions on the mcat. I went back and thanked the professor

Edit: did SDN remove social groups? We need a vandy group. Someone suggest a clever name to me and I'll try and create it

LOL that's exactly what he did! It ended up like +13% (just to get to low 70's). I didn't know SDN had such groups.

 

[Ignatius M.D.]

Watch Vandy come back with an A on the exam. Many a lol will be had.

Unlikely, but I'm happy to entertain the idea.

Edit: I got a warning for my language :cry:.

 

[gatorade848]

are you guys talking about helms? lol

 

[mauberley]

Edit: I got a warning for my language :cry:.

Haha. I was kind of disappointed at the change in thread title.

I wonder if "I'm boned" would have been acceptable title.

 

[Ignatius M.D.]

Haha. I was kind of disappointed at the change in thread title.

I wonder if "I'm boned" would have been acceptable title.

. Hopefully this never happens again, but if it does I will try that one.

 

[Ignatius M.D.]

are you guys talking about helms? lol

Haha no, not Helms. I honestly think it happens in every physics class here. They destroy moral with ridiculous tests, and just when all hope is lost, they introduce a curve. I doubt this is unique to VU.

 

[Suncrusher]

are you guys talking about helms? lol

I was! I had him both semesters. He is so good at math that he always skips steps because to him they are obvious. And his tests are really hard because he doesn't always understand why certain questions are really tricky. But like I said, all the questions on the MCAT were a breeze compared to his tests, so I went back and thanked him

 

[gatorade848]

I was! I had him both semesters. He is so good at math that he always skips steps because to him they are obvious. And his tests are really hard because he doesn't always understand why certain questions are really tricky. But like I said, all the questions on the MCAT were a breeze compared to his tests, so I went back and thanked him

mcat physics was like elementary compared to his tests thats true. but his tests were so ridiculous that the border between a C and an A was razor thin.

 

[makeyourself]

I wonder if that is just a physics thing. We had a few tests with averages below 50, the lowest I think was a 35. That was the first time where I had a 68 lookin pretty sexy.

 

[torshi]

i know i'm joining this party late, but does the final get weighted more, or grade replacement of a low exam grade perhaps? in either situation, you can still pull up your grade. good luck.

That's what i was thinking or dropping of the lowest test grade.


thank god my chem prof is doing that. minor mistakes on my 2nd test ruined it for me

 

[takk]

.

 

[startswithb]

This is the premise of my many recurring nightmares. Even if I'm not enrolled in courses.

 

[Sailor Senshi Dermystify]

Ask for extra credit or is this test curved?

 

[Monocles]

Oh Christ. I am so sorry to hear that Vandy. Yeah, talk to your professor ASAP and see if there's any chance you can do a retake or something. You never know if they decide to give you a second chance...

I'm sort of glad our uni runs on a four test system per semester. I would have a heart attack if I were in your situation. Best of luck.

 

[alienshards]

Haha no, not Helms. I honestly think it happens in every physics class here. They destroy moral with ridiculous tests, and just when all hope is lost, they introduce a curve. I doubt this is unique to VU.

It's pretty common, but they're not ridiculous tests; it's usually pretty elementary physics. However, physics is rather different from many other sciences, and even math. You can't just memorize facts or a procedure.

What's more accurate is that they give normal tests, get disappointed in the student's performance, then at the end of the year scale it so people don't complain.

That being said, talk to you prof. They'd probably be inclined to let your final replace that test score.