What happens when you get an F? (U of C)

[peter12]

An "F" will probably knock you back so far that a graduate program is completely out of the picture. Seriously, applications are so competitive now, that getting a mark lower than a B-, at least in Social Sciences and Humanities, is pretty much the death knell for your GPA and advancing farther in academics.

That said, take heart! If things really were the ####, you can try to get a "W" from the course. Talk to your professor, see if they can be convinced and then, go right to the Dean. I've been through this once before. Basically, I got sick halfway through an examination and had to walk out. I did it with the professor's consent though, and everything was A-OK.

[Russic]

I forgot an exam once. I was even at the school ... thought it was at 12:00, it was at 10:00 and I only realized when I went to confirm the room #. I decided to be blunt and honest.

He let me rewrite the exam, but also told me that I "should really have an excuse" because technically he couldn't do anything about somebody forgetting. I of course didn't wait though, I was basically outside his office 20 minutes after the exam ended.

My own damn fault. I wasn't much of a class skipper, but I skipped the final class ... I'm sure if I would have attended the time would have been mentioned and I would have remembered.

In the end, if grad school or scholarships aren't on the line I don't see much reason to freak out beyond the fact you may be out $500. Perhaps it exists, but I don't know too many people who's gpa actually does anything for them on a resume.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by peter12

advancing farther in academics.

further?

I think farther is right in this context.

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by Russic

I forgot an exam once. I was even at the school ... thought it was at 12:00, it was at 10:00 and I only realized when I went to confirm the room #. I decided to be blunt and honest.

Yikes, that sounds like a recurring nightmare that I used to have while I was in university. I've been out of university for awhile now, but for some reason, I still have that nightmare once in awhile.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by troutman

further?

I think farther is right in this context.

Farther is the correct usage, I believe, as it connotates moving along in something to a greater extent.

But, I don't really have any idea, because further is... I have to look this up.

[onetwo_threefour]

I wouldn't take it so harshly. I got punted from university after one year of engineering. 2 F's a couple of D's, Several C's and B's and one A-. I then went to Mount Royal for two years to figure out what I really wanted to do then back to U of C. Found out that for a law school application the U of C law school looked at your GPA over your last (or maybe it was best?) 40 1/2 courses. So I took enough extra options that all but one or two of my engineering marks fell off the bottom of my transcript as far as law school was concerned. For the purposes of my law school app my G.P.A. was just north of 3.8. (high A-). IT got me ito law school, although my year of stupidity cost about an extra six grand in tuition to overcome it. Of course I had several terrible marks, not just a single F.

Oh, and grad school would have been quite possible as well asI had developed really good relationships with my profs once I got back to U of C and had great reference letters. I just didn't want to spend another 5 years before getting a job and saw law school as 3 and out. Worked well enough for me...

BTW... Further is correct. Farther should only be used for physical distance. He is farther away from me then she is. Further is for non physical relationships. He doesn't need to go much further to get his degree. Easy way to remember is that farther contains far which clearly relates to physical proximity.

[TheSutterDynasty]

B+ grades wreck my GPA. I can't imagine what getting an F would do to it.

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by Ren

I once missed an exam because of a flat tire on my way there (true story), but after I talked to the associate dean and explained my story he allowed me to write the deferred exam.

Brilliant!

OP:

Buy me a case of beer and I'll go on my work computer and make an invoice dated appropriately showing your car battery failed and I was testing it/selling you a new one. I'll even throw in something about a faulty alternator or something.

[peter12]

I'm curious (voyeuristic) as to what personal reasons caused the OP to miss his exam in the first place. Probably the most relevant piece of information.

[TylerSVT]

Originally Posted by onetwo_threefour

I wouldn't take it so harshly. I got punted from university after one year of engineering. 2 F's a couple of D's, Several C's and B's and one A-. I then went to Mount Royal for two years to figure out what I really wanted to do then back to U of C. Found out that for a law school application the U of C law school looked at your GPA over your last (or maybe it was best?) 40 1/2 courses. So I took enough extra options that all but one or two of my engineering marks fell off the bottom of my transcript as far as law school was concerned. For the purposes of my law school app my G.P.A. was just north of 3.8. (high A-). IT got me ito law school, although my year of stupidity cost about an extra six grand in tuition to overcome it. Of course I had several terrible marks, not just a single F.

Oh, and grad school would have been quite possible as well asI had developed really good relationships with my profs once I got back to U of C and had great reference letters. I just didn't want to spend another 5 years before getting a job and saw law school as 3 and out. Worked well enough for me...

BTW... Further is correct. Farther should only be used for physical distance. He is farther away from me then she is. Further is for non physical relationships. He doesn't need to go much further to get his degree. Easy way to remember is that farther contains far which clearly relates to physical proximity.

That typically happens to most students. Outside of the ones who drop out completely a lot of students end up on probation or have Low GPA's entering the university.

I did real bad my first year and bit off way more than i could chew, i was taking too many classes and i never felt prepared for University style schooling. I was also pretty immature so i a) didnt care b) thought i could scrape by. Turns out i couldnt and when i got put on probation it kind of opened my eyes. Ive talked to Dr. Gaisford before and he commended me on how much my grades have improved over the last 2-3 years and how he can see an definate increase in my overall GPA since that time.

School is hard, but it's not the end of the world. Get a degree and join the workforce and in 2-3 years you wont even remember taking classes, getting an F, or even why you needed to go to University.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by TheSutterDynasty

B+ grades wreck my GPA. I can't imagine what getting an F would do to it.

B+ grades are not bad. They actually show you're human.

In the greater scheme of things, marks don't really mean a whole heck of a lot; at least not in my experience. Maybe in Med school they do, but in business? Not really.

[something]

I didn't bother reading all the posts so I am sorry if what I am saying has been said before.

An F grade does not affect your graduating GPA. It might affect your GPA as far as scholarships go, but will not count to your graduating GPA.

If you are concerned about graduate school, you will not have to worry about the GPA, you will have to worry about how to explain your F to the schools you apply to.

If your reasons for missing the exam are legitimate, incapacitating, and were not foreseeable, you are eligible to re-write the exam. You can write it during the deferral period, or with permission, at a time arranged with your professor.

What you should do is verify and document if you can in any way what it is that prevented you from writing the exam. If you cannot, don't sweat it. Subsequent to this, speak with your professor. If that doesn't work, or if you are unsatisfied with your professor's response, contact the dean of your faculty and proceed this way. It can't hurt to speak with either a counselor, or an academic adviser.

Good luck, it happens to more students than you would know.

*Check with an academic adviser if an F affects your graduating GPA... As I remember, it does not.

[Young-Sneezy]

Originally Posted by TheSutterDynasty

[Arrogant, jerk post]

I didn't realize there was anything below a B.

[/Arrogant, jerk post]

[translation post]

I am an average student and struggled in some courses like everyone else, but cant admit it

[/translation post]


*Never gotten an F before, but i think it affects your gpa the same way as any grade would, in this case, because its so low, negatively. But i doubt you'll have to drop out of school because of it. I think the biggest deterrent is that it is on your transcript...so if someone aka an employer NEEDED to see it for some reason, it might look negative..

Also, talk to your prof personally...if it is a legit reason, and he/she has any kind of soul (which they hopefully will) ive found that generally they can aid you in some kind of way..

One time last year i slept in until like 2 pm on a thursday accidentally, the same day i had a midterm at 2pm...i arrived 40 minutes late, without the note sheet we were allowed, and died on the test, and my prof let me just use my final exam mark for the final and midterm marks...granted its not the same situation, but you get the idea.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by BigBrodieFan

Does Ontario still use the 13-point grading system- does anyone know?

In the States-
90-100= A 4 points
80-90= B 3 points
70-80= C 2 points
60-70= D 1 point
60 and below = F

Looks like it works this way in Alberta too?

You have the letter grades and the GPAs right but there is no universal measurement for percentages.

In my geology class (I just finished writing the exam for it less than an hour ago and am now done university, forever BTW) an 80 is only like a B-.

Yet in my 4th year poli sci class I got a 78 on my paper on that is a B+.

Generally the percentage scale you posted is the one most commonly used but there is no strict system for that. The letter do correspond with the GPAs though.

The 3.3 for a B+ and a 3.7 for an A- is the bane of not only my, but soooo many other people's existence though. The GPA #s don't move down equally with letter grades and it over-punishes people who get B+ and/or over-rewards people who get an A-.

[Wombat19]

Well I guess it all depends on what department you are in. Say if you are in engineering, an F really isn't that big of a deal as long as your other marks are decent, it will just set your graduation back a year.

As everyone else in this thread has said, go talk to your prof right now and see if you can get it deferred, or see if you can withdraw from the class.

If you are just worried about the bad mark killing your GPA don't stress it. If my GPA survived the a combination of 23 c+/c/c- and 3 d's you will be fine with 1 f.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by Sly

But I still managed a A- which is so ****ed up.... I'm thinking if the class average was THAT low for me to pull off an A- with a 34% on the exam.. then I guess the exam was THAT difficult to every one else.... NEVER taking stats again...

I'm guessing if you had paid attention in that class, you could have figured out how that happened.

[Chump]

You can hopefully get the exam deferred. You'll have to fill out this form:
http://www.ucalgary.ca/registrar/fil...F%20EXAM_0.pdf

The form makes it sound like it is very difficult to get an exam deferred but when I missed an exam I managed to get it deferred and my only reason was that I thought the exam was at 3:30 when it was actually at 12. When I was talking to the guy at the registrar he said that if you haven't deferred an exam in the past they will likely let you defer one. I hope it all works out for you.

[ResAlien]

No one's thought to add a K to the end of this thread title?

What happens when you get an F? (U of C)

I'm disappointed.

[Codes]

Originally Posted by peter12

An "F" will probably knock you back so far that a graduate program is completely out of the picture. Seriously, applications are so competitive now, that getting a mark lower than a B-, at least in Social Sciences and Humanities, is pretty much the death knell for your GPA and advancing farther in academics.

Once upon a time, in my very first semester of my very first year of university, I failed calculus. Many years have passed since that fateful day, but in the end, I came out just fine! Mind you, that was my only F, and I managed to keep most of my other grades a B+ or better.

In my experience, if you have good relationships with your professors, and you're interested in their research, they're often more than happy to go to bat for you. But, then again, my grad studies are in Microbiology, so maybe it's different than the Humanities/Social Sciences.

My advice, speak to the professor and/or dean, and don't BS them. Just give it to them straight, and thank them for their time regardless of their ruling.

Repeat the class, kick ass, and move on.

[TSXCman]

The OP really needed to give more info, but basically if he acted today and it was still in the 24hour window he had a chance for a deferral. After that I don't think you can do anything except ask