I was going along ok for most of the semester, carrying about a C average. Then some things happened in my personal life that caused me to miss a couple of weeks of class. I am obviously not the best algebra student anyway, but missing a couple of weeks really put me in a bad spot. Now I have a test tomorrow over two chapters that I am pretty sure I cannot pass. Then in a week we have the final exam that covers the entire course.
I know my options are limited, but I am thinking I’ll just go in and take the test tomorrow and do the best I can (which will be bad), and then study my ass off for the final. I do know some of the material from the rest of the course.
I’m already registered for the next level course, and I don’t know if the system will automatically boot me from it or not if I don’t get the required C- in this course. It is truly shameful that I am having this dilemma, but I don’t know what else to do. I do feel ready to go on to the next course, but I am fearful that I will not get the C- in this one.
For the record, I have always been a very good student. This is highly unusual for me and I’m terribly embarassed about it. Any advice?
Go talk to your instructor. Be honest and frank. Ask him or her what your options are. These things happen to students. Worst thing that happens, he or she doesn’t care and you retake the class.
Seconded on talking to your instructor. Explain to him/her what the “some things happened in my personal life” were, as much as you are comfortable. If they are at all related to what you’ve posted on the SDMB, your instructor should recognize them as serious.
I’m sorry I didn’t catch that you were in school this whole time. I should have advised you to contact your your Dean right after the incident happened. If your school was like mine was, you could get an official excuse, and not have to deal with things on a class-by-class basis. You ought to be able to get some help from your academic adviser or Dean even still.
For tomorrow’s test, I’d advise taking a brief review of the material, and then getting as much sleep as you can. I can offer this advice after years of doing just the opposite, and not doing well on the tests. (Where’s a sheepishly embarrassed smiley when I need one?) It’s unlikely you learn new stuff tonight, but you’ll probably do better with some sleep. I’m assuming your instructor will have you take the test anyway, just to see how you are doing. There were times I thought I was doing badly in class but ended up doing well. (The reverse was more common for me, but that’s life.)
After tomorrow - what ever happens - look into some kind of tutoring. Math in general is tougher than one might expect, particularly if you haven’t had a lot of background in it. Math tends to build on itself in ways that, say, English Lit does not. Algebra is a common sticking point as well. There’s nothing like having a person help you face-to-face with the areas in algebra that confuse you.
Being behind in a class because of family or personal problems is a very common situation. Your school ought to be set up to deal with it. Relax as much as you can and go with the flow. Easier advice to give than to take, I know.
What is the next course, pre-calc? All my subsequent math classes (I went through calculus) relied heavily on what I had learned in algebra, and profs will expect you to know what has been taught in the previous class. They don’t like to spend time reviewing stuff you should already know. Plus, if you need to take stuff like chemistry and physics you will be using algebra quite often, so it is worth it to know how to do it well.
If I were in that situation it would depend on how many more science/math classes are needed. So many classes in those areas really need a good background in algebra or else you’ll be feeling lost.
Go talk to the prof. There might be nothing he can do about the test tomorrow (or, he’ll be nice and allow you to not take it in exchange for your final exam being worth a larger percentage of the final grade*), but I’m sure he (?) will be willing to help you out for the final. Make as much of an effort as you can to get the notes and read the chapters for the classes you missed, then see if he’d be willing to explain some of the tougher concepts or go through some of the in-class examples with you during office hours, or by appointment. Pretty much every prof I’ve ever had (and this is my second bachelor’s degree that I’m working on!) would be more than willing to do that for a student that made as much effort as possible to make up for the lost time.
And if you do get the notes off a classmate; don’t just photocopy them, but retranscribe them while reading the relevant chapters in the textbook to flesh out the concepts. You might surprise yourself at how much you can teach yourself!
That happened to me once, due to a very nasty bout of insomnia; 4 days, no sleep, commuting 45mins each way to school… legally, I probably shouldn’t even have been driving. The prof waived the quiz, and told me to see a doctor and get some sleep, though he didn’t care about seeing a note. He knew I wasn’t well just by looking at me, before I even said a word! In his words, the quiz wouldn’t have been a measure of my knowledge, but a measure of my exhaustion!
Speaking as an adjunct professor, I agree with the oft-repeated comment: go talk to your instructor. Almost all of them understand that things happen, and are willing to allow some sort of make-up or re-do or something.
If you’ve got the one-in-a-hundred instructors who are inflexible about such things, you can always try dropping the course and retaking it later. Yes, that will put you a term behind in your planned course work, but that’s probably minor.
No need to feel shame, many of us have been there too.
If you actually pass with your C average intact you should be in ok shape for the next level math class. But you really want to boost that average, for one going on in the allied health field so many of your core courses will rely on you having strong math skills. Take advantage of their study halls, if times and places are not convenient (often they are not well suited for older commuter students)bring it up with the dean.
I remember seeing a friend in a summer Chem I class, i thought she had graduated but her advisor (Dietician/nutrionist program) insited she return to chem I because she completely failed to grasp her organic chem classes. He ordered her back to basic chemistry before he would let her graduate. she somehow squeaked (cheated) by in all her coursework but it all fell apart in the final semesters. But she did graduate after a busy summer of catch-up.
Another instructor chiming in. Most instructors are more than willing to help students who sincerely want to do better. I wish more of my students would come and talk to me about things like this; too often I see them fall between the cracks and not even bother to discuss options with me until like, the second to last class of the semester. :eek:
Indygrrl, FWIW I took algebra three times (dropping it at the last second) before passing with an A. I finally realized that unlike classes like English or sociology, I needed to do a LOT of math problems to get good at working them. But once that lesson sunk into my thick skull, I ended up actually enjoying the class and going on to take more just for fun. Sick, I know!
Its too late for this now, but maybe for next semester.
I like to try and “front end load” my coursework - I work very hard to get good grades on the early work. If the coursework allows, the ideal situation is to be going into the final knowing I have a C even if I don’t take it (that isn’t always possible) - or at least that if I do really badly on the final, I still have enough points to wind up with a C. It accomplishes a few things…it takes the pressure off late, it lets life get in the way later in the semester, it makes sure I have the early work down pat (cause it usually just gets harder), and it sets a reputation with the instructor that I KNOW has worked for me (benefit of the doubt, ‘she is such a good student she couldn’t possibly have meant that’). If I’m not pulling off doing well, it also gets my back end into the instructor earlier to take care of problems.
Well, the test wasn’t too horribly bad. I don’t think I failed, but I know I didn’t do a great job. The good news is that the final is heavily weighted and like I said, I do have a pretty good grasp on the earlier material. We have three more classes before the final and they are all going to be for review, so that should help.
From now on I’ll know how to tackle math classes. I didn’t realize how much time you have to commit to get a good grade.
At least I can take solace in the fact that I got a 96% in my medical terminology class for the semester. I got a 100% on that final. Woo hoo!