Coming to grips with your mid-semester
grades: Don’t Panic, Seek Advice!
October is typically when you will do
your first serious self-analysis of how this semester’s classes are
progressing. This is brought on by two events: the posting of mid-term grades
and the deadline for withdrawing from a class.
Mid-term grades are due to the
registrar from your professors on October 21. Professors will only report
grades of D or below. These poor grades are then distributed to students within
a day or two. If you don’t get any mid-term report from the registrar, that
will indicate that you are passing all of your classes, though not perhaps with
the grade you are hoping for. More important is if you do see a mid-term grade
of D or F. My first piece of advice is
to not panic! Recognize that the
mid-term grade report is for your benefit only. It will not appear on any
transcript. But now you really must act quickly to address this problem. Seek out the professor of that class right
away. You need to talk with the professor about options for improving: how to
approach the material in a different way, or how to make up for a late paper,
or how to find a tutor.
Your professor might suggest that you
consider withdrawing from the class. Withdrawing means that you are no longer
enrolled in the class, and that you no longer go to class and do not turn in
any more assignments, take any more tests. This means that the number of credit
hours you are earning will go down – and that’s something to discuss with your
Financial Aid officer if you are concerned about your financial aid status.
(Typically this is only an issue if you are currently on probation.) A
withdrawal will appear on your transcript as a “W”, but it will not be computed
in your GPA. If you are considering withdrawing from a class you will need a
form from the registrar and this form needs to be signed by your advisor, so it
would also be a good thing to go talk with your advisor before getting the form
to talk about this option. The deadline for withdrawing from a class is October
30!
Hopefully, all your classes are going
well and you are enjoying the coming Fall weather and all of the great sports
going on at TU. I wish you well from Southern California.
