i cant believe it (warning... rantings within)

[Willing and Unsure]

i am 10 points short of getting a C in my chemistry class. i seriously dont get it. i know i have to go talk to my prof still about this and see if she'll bump me up. i have this odd feeling that she wont do it and then i'll be shit up a creek and my parents might not let me come back to school next year. at least not here anyway. and that will make my life a living hell.. to know that i cant be with people i know, my friends, my boyfriend, a campus that i love. *falls over crying* i absolutely hate my classes right now

 

[J.B.]

ouch.

is there any extra credit you can do??

 

[Lasz]

i am 10 points short of getting a C in my chemistry class. i seriously dont get it. i know i have to go talk to my prof still about this and see if she'll bump me up. i have this odd feeling that she wont do it and then i'll be shit up a creek and my parents might not let me come back to school next year. at least not here anyway. and that will make my life a living hell.. to know that i cant be with people i know, my friends, my boyfriend, a campus that i love. *falls over crying* i absolutely hate my classes right now

None of my damn profeesors give that to me.
I was 2 points shy in my sales class last semester.
10 points shy in my psych class lst semester.
12 points shy in my accoutning class semester.
6 points shy in my Statistics class.

Yeah I was ready to kick some ass when i got that report card.

 

[Olivianna]

Why do you think your professors should give you a break right at the end of the semester?
Just wondering...

 

[Hamletmaschine]

Why do you think your professors should give you a break right at the end of the semester?
Just wondering...

Yeah, this ought to be good. . . .

 

[Ishmael]

*looking around* Nope, ain't Kansas Toto.

Ishmael

 

[Calamity Jane]

Yeah, this ought to be good. . . .

I was thinkin the same thing... don't you end up with the grade you earned? I don't think I ever tried to talk up a grade.

You have my sympathy, W&U, but you're probably just gonna have to live with it.

 

[Willing and Unsure]

Why do you think your professors should give you a break right at the end of the semester?
Just wondering...

i've worked my butt off this entire semester in this class. its the second time i'm taking it. i spend at least 20 hours every week of my own time working on this stuff, which is way more than my professors spend outside of class. and that isnt including any time that i spent in class or with my tutor or in the help room working. i did all fo the lab reports for my group, not to mention most of the lab while we were in lab. i think i fucking deserve a break for once since i never get one for anything. and not just that, but my future in terms of going to school at all anymore depends on whether or not i get the damned C in this class. i dont normally ask for anything like this, but this is an exception to me. i work so hard for a fucking C to find i'm going to miss getting it by 10 points. i dont think so. i cant take that very well. especially since this is going to be the second time this happens to me, with the same instructor since there isnt another one that can teach the course. i sit here in tears just thinking about what all i'm going to do with my life if i cant go to school, and i have no fucking clue, except to burst into tears at how stupid i really am to think that i could actually do something with myself and actually succeed at something.

 

[J.B.]

there are professors who take attendance & class participation into concideration...

 

[LordMagicMan]

Just go talk to the prof... Sometimes they are more understanding then you think...

 

[Closet Desire]

May I ask...

...a rather cheeky question?

Are you sure that you're really studying what YOU want to?

I hated what my parents thought was important and my grades reflected it. I finally told them to fuck off (afterall I was 35 by that time!) and got my masters with a 4.0

Just something to consider.

Oh yeah--btw--they haven't spoken to me in over five years. Oh well.

 

[Carl East]

Don't you dare knock yourself down Willing, if you failed this time try harder next. I know it's easy to say especially since I'm not in your position, but knocking yourself for your failures isn't the way.

I haven't been back for long, but even I know your smarter than that. Get back up and do what you have to do, it's up to you to prove you can become everything you want to be in life.

Carl

 

[cymbidia]

Let me say first, W&U, that i sympathsize with your angst. I know how incredibly frustrating it can be for a student to work really hard, or what sems like really hard to them, only to end up without the grade they think they deserve.

Here, though, are the facts - or the facts as i know them, from my perspective as someone with a lot of years behind me as a student, and as a teacher, too. A bunch of those classes were chemistry, too, two years of chemistry, actually, a year each of inorganic and organic. I know about college chemistry classes.

1. You walked into that class and got a handout that told you what you were expected to do to pass the class, to earn a "B", and to earn an "A".

2. You took tests. You did and wrote labs. You did homework.

3. Unless you decided not to look, you had to have a very good idea along the way of where you were with regard to that magic dividing line, the one between a "C" and the depths of hell below.

If you swear up and down that you didn't know, all you had to do was ask your teacher or the class TA. They would have been happy to tell you. Teacher's have office hours specifically to discuss those kinds of things.

4. You let this crucial grade go, W&U. You let it go to the point where you're panicked, now, because there's no time to fix it. You're looking for someone on whom to affix the blame for this grade not being what you want it to be.

It won't work, sugar.
Won't wash.
Won't go.

You don't get 10 points because you think you deserve them because you worked hard all semester, because your parents are going to freak out, or because this is the second damn time you've taken the class.

You get 10 points because you complete class work as it's assigned and because you earn them on tests.

That's it.

And the grading curve or percentage or whatever and however your grade is figured, it doesn't care if you need 10 more points either. It's fixed. It's not changing.

The fact is, sadly, that you simply didn't do the work, baby, that was necessary to get that "C" in that class in this semester.

I don't know what else to tell you.

When you get through college and go to work and come in late that one more time - and get fired for it - your boss won't give a flying fuck that you had to stop at the cleaners and walk your dog and play on Lit a while before you came to work.

Bottom lines.
That's part of what college teaches you.

The bottom line is that you didin't do the work.

It has nothing to do with what a nice person you are and everything to do with understanding the material. You didn't.

I am so sorry for the chaos this will bring into your life, W&U, but you have to look at this clearly and squarely: you earned the grade you got.

That's the bottom line.


A side note: not everyone is ready to go to college right out of high school. Sometimes we need some time away, some time to do a little growing up. I did. I had a break of almost four year between high school and college, time in which i travelled and learned and grew and changed. When i was ready, i went back, and went to college with a far deeper appreciation for what i wanted to be when i grew up and a singleminded determination to get there.

Maybe you need some time off, darlin'. Maybe it'll do you good to think things over. This might be a blessing in disguise.

 

[Hamletmaschine]

I'm sorry you're so upset and frustrated, W&U. And since I don't know the circumstances that kept you 10 points shy of a "C", I can't offer any specific suggestions for how you ought to approach your prof.

But you should know that it is impossible in most subjects to evaluate effort, or the work that one puts in behind the assignments and exams. The "effort" argument is a weak one, so tread carefully before you pull it out. (And I certainly wouldn't go to the prof. and claim that you've worked harder than she has. You have no more idea of how hard she works than she has of you.) And for God's sake, don't beg. That's just embarrassing for you and her.

If you are struggling to earn a "C" you must have performed poorly on some of the exams or assignments. There are any number of reasons why that might be: you are having problems understanding the material, you're not putting in the effort, you just had a bad day or two and bombed a couple of times, etc. You know the answer better than I do. But if you can show that your scores have improved during the semester, that is a good argument, suggesting that you may have started out slow, but got progressively better (through your dilligence and hard work, of course).

Finally, I'll second the point made by Closet Desire and Carl: just because you're struggling with this class doesn't mean you're incompetent. It just means you're struggling with this one class. If you're parents won't support your coming back to school b/c of this, then do it yourself. It may take a little longer, but if you really want it, it will mean more to you anyway because nobody gave it to you. Take it from another one who knows.

Good luck.

 

[Rick DeVille]

I'm sorry you're so upset and frustrated, W&U. And since I don't know the circumstances that kept you 10 points shy of a "C", I can't offer any specific suggestions for how you ought to approach your prof.

But you should know that it is impossible in most subjects to evaluate effort, or the work that one puts in behind the assignments and exams. The "effort" argument is a weak one, so tread carefully before you pull it out. (And I certainly wouldn't go to the prof. and claim that you've worked harder than she has. You have no more idea of how hard she works than she has of you.) And for God's sake, don't beg. That's just embarrassing for you and her.

If you are struggling to earn a "C" you must have performed poorly on some of the exams or assignments. There are any number of reasons why that might be: you are having problems understanding the material, you're not putting in the effort, you just had a bad day or two and bombed a couple of times, etc. You know the answer better than I do. But if you can show that your scores have improved during the semester, that is a good argument, suggesting that you may have started out slow, but got progressively better (through your dilligence and hard work, of course).

Finally, I'll second the point made by Closet Desire and Carl: just because you're struggling with this class doesn't mean you're incompetent. It just means you're struggling with this one class. If you're parents won't support your coming back to school b/c of this, then do it yourself. It may take a little longer, but if you really want it, it will mean more to you anyway because nobody gave it to you. Take it from another one who knows.

Good luck.

Couldn't agree more

 

[Olivianna]

i've worked my butt off this entire semester in this class. its the second time i'm taking it. i spend at least 20 hours every week of my own time working on this stuff, which is way more than my professors spend outside of class. and that isnt including any time that i spent in class or with my tutor or in the help room working. i did all fo the lab reports for my group, not to mention most of the lab while we were in lab. i think i fucking deserve a break for once since i never get one for anything. and not just that, but my future in terms of going to school at all anymore depends on whether or not i get the damned C in this class. i dont normally ask for anything like this, but this is an exception to me. i work so hard for a fucking C to find i'm going to miss getting it by 10 points. i dont think so. i cant take that very well. especially since this is going to be the second time this happens to me, with the same instructor since there isnt another one that can teach the course. i sit here in tears just thinking about what all i'm going to do with my life if i cant go to school, and i have no fucking clue, except to burst into tears at how stupid i really am to think that i could actually do something with myself and actually succeed at something.

W&U,
I asked because I wanted for you to consider the question objectively. You see, professors and TAs are in a tough bind when they cut one student some slack and do not do the same for others. Basically, it is not fair. I feel that the situation could have been different if you had expressed your concern for your grade earlier in the semester. You haven't mentioned that you had done this, so I am assuming that this is the first time you are speaking with your prof. about your grade in the course. It is difficult for teachers to do anything about last-ditch efforts to 'save a grade'. It may certainly be possible to convince your prof. of your effort in the course by pointing out how your grades have improved over the semester (if this is the case). Just remember - don't get angry when speaking with her/her - be reasonable and civil, as if you were negotiating a business deal.

I do not think you should beat yourself up over this. Passing this one course will not determine whether you are a successful person or not. Perhaps it is just a hard-knocks lesson that you will endure, that may teach you how to better handle the next hurdle that life has to offer you. And, indeed, Cymbidia offers excellent words of advice. This may really be a blessing in disguise - maybe it is time for you to get out of the classroom and gain a different kind of perspective. Anyway, just my thoughts. I wish you the best, and hope you can manage to crack even a little smile before the day is through.

 

[Willing and Unsure]

1. You walked into that class and got a handout that told you what you were expected to do to pass the class, to earn a "B", and to earn an "A".

3. Unless you decided not to look, you had to have a very good idea along the way of where you were with regard to that magic dividing line, the one between a "C" and the depths of hell below.

If you swear up and down that you didn't know, all you had to do was ask your teacher or the class TA. They would have been happy to tell you. Teacher's have office hours specifically to discuss those kinds of things.

4. You let this crucial grade go, W&U. You let it go to the point where you're panicked, now, because there's no time to fix it. You're looking for someone on whom to affix the blame for this grade not being what you want it to be.

first off cym, its really hard to know what you need to do to get what grade when the grading scale is not set until the end of the semester. and i am not making that up. i have done my best the entire semester in this class knowing that's how they do that. i cant ask my teacher or TA because they will tell me that they dont know and send me in circles (I know this, because this is what has happened to me this semester when i asked). I am not trying to blame anyone for this. i have been in during office hours help hours, review sessions, before and after class to discuss many different things. my professors and TA's know me by name and actually ahve a short conversation when they see me on campus (i think it's important that they all know who i am, even in the large lectures of 400+ people). i have not let this go to the point where i'm panicked now. i have let this go to the point of its the first time that i could actually find out what my grade is. i dont blame others because of my failures unless they have stopped me completely from doing what i need to do (which very rarely ever happens)

 

[Willing and Unsure]

Re: May I ask...

...a rather cheeky question?

Are you sure that you're really studying what YOU want to?

I hated what my parents thought was important and my grades reflected it. I finally told them to fuck off (afterall I was 35 by that time!) and got my masters with a 4.0

Just something to consider.

Oh yeah--btw--they haven't spoken to me in over five years. Oh well.

i'm in engineering, which is where i want to be. 1 year of general chemistry is required as part of the freshmen year courses. i know i'm not good at chemistry so i spend extra amounts of time working on it so i can understand it and actually do it. if i ever pass chemistry, then i can move on to my professional school (which is industrial engineering). but until then, i cant move on. and i'm at the point in my schooling (the end of my second year) where i cant keep taking this class anymore. i'm already behind a good amount in my plan of study that i cant afford to be behind anymore. that's why i had a tutor, and a tutorial class, and i went to every review, class, help session, lab, recitation, and whatever else came up for the class. not to mention i did almost every single homework problem that was assigned, even though homework isnt collected or graded. i work my ass off in this class, as well as all my others. and its the second time i've worked my ass off in this one, and i still cant fucking pass it. my parents are supportive of me, but they cant afford to keep sending me to an out of state school if i cant pass my classes (which chemistry is the only one i havent passed).

i really just wish i knew why i cant pass chemistry. its not the math, its not the concepts.

 

[Willing and Unsure]

there are professors who take attendance & class participation into concideration...

they dont take attendance, except during lab.. and there is no class participation grade... its either you go, or you dont go, they dont care, except for lab

 

[Willing and Unsure]

I do not think you should beat yourself up over this. Passing this one course will not determine whether you are a successful person or not. Perhaps it is just a hard-knocks lesson that you will endure, that may teach you how to better handle the next hurdle that life has to offer you. And, indeed, Cymbidia offers excellent words of advice. This may really be a blessing in disguise - maybe it is time for you to get out of the classroom and gain a different kind of perspective. Anyway, just my thoughts. I wish you the best, and hope you can manage to crack even a little smile before the day is through.

i do beat myself up over this. to know that i've worked so hard for something, and then not get it is the most disappointing thing for me. this isnt a blessing for me. the only thing i know how to do is go to school. that's why i'm here, so i can learn something else and be functional in the world. there isnt really anyting else i can do right now anyway besides stay in school. i cant even get a job at home this summer, unless i go to work at a gas station which my parents wont let me do. and i would go to ups to get a job, but they arent hiring at all around me. so there is nothing else for me to do except go to school.

 

[SouthernMale]

I sympathize with you I am an engineer and chemistry almost killed me but I made it. If you are smart enough to make it in engineering you can do the C in chemistry. Can you take it at another school during the summer and transfer it? Just a thought. On the lighter side damn good thing you don't want to be a chemical engineer!

By the way I had a girl friend who had to take it three times (interior design was her major).

This may not really help but I do understand how frustrated you feel with chemistry.

 

[Willing and Unsure]

this is the second course of the two that i have to take. i took the first one twice, and now i've taken the second one twice. chemistry is not a good subject for me adn hasnt been since day one. i will not spend a fifth semester in chemistry. i absolutely refuse it. i dont care what anyone tells me, i will not retake this one ever again.

and as far as taking this elsewhere, the only way i can do that is if the community colleges by me offer the honors level equivalent, which they dont do in the summer. so i cant take it there.

 

[AzureAngel]

Ha. Didn't read thoroughly.