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

[DrJ]

Originally Posted by 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.

Actually, you are pretty screwed for a lot of post-grad programs. You can almost kiss that med or law degree goodbye.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by DrJ

Actually, you are pretty screwed for a lot of post-grad programs. You can almost kiss that med or law degree goodbye.

Yeah, he's pretty much finished if that's what he is looking for. If he's in commerce or engineering, I don't think those faculties put nearly as much emphasis on grades as they do on practical experience etc...

[DrJ]

Originally Posted by peter12

Yeah, he's pretty much finished if that's what he is looking for. If he's in commerce or engineering, I don't think those faculties put nearly as much emphasis on grades as they do on practical experience etc...

So definitely go to the registrars or your faculty with your valid (assuming your absence was caused by extenuating circumstances) excuse and get that reversed. The longer you wait the less and less chance you have in resolving this.

[Ren]

Originally Posted by DrJ

Actually, you are pretty screwed for a lot of post-grad programs. You can almost kiss that med or law degree goodbye.

Not true. Several law schools (I know the UofC, Dalhousie, and UofA for sure) will only look at your most recent two years, and several others (UBC, UVic, and a few others) will neglect a certain percentage of your courses if you've finished your bachelors.

Not sure about medical school, but one F does not automatically kill all hope of getting into law school. I know people who have done it. Besides, if you really slay the LSAT then a bad grade or two probably won't concern them as much.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

How the hell do you do so bad on a final worth half the grade and still end up a A-? That's ridiculous. I failed my Macro Econ final (around 34% too) and still ended up with a C. haha, I guess never showing up for the 2nd half of the semester would do that. Lesson learned, haven't skipped since.

I missed a mid-term once because my alarm didn't go off, told the truth and I couldn't get it deferred. It wasn't a good excuse, but at least I didn't lie.

I once got a 35% on the midterm and a 45% on the final and still got an B+. Everything I did in the class up to that point was 90% or better, but the prof had some crazy hard exams that practically everyone failed.

Was the first time that I had ever failed an exam. I was livid, but it wasn't as bad as the girl who had never gotten anything but an A in her entire life openly sobbing over her 70% on the midterm.

[DrJ]

Originally Posted by Ren

Not true. Several law schools (I know the UofC, Dalhousie, and UofA for sure) will only look at your most recent two years, and several others (UBC, UVic, and a few others) will neglect a certain percentage of your courses if you've finished your bachelors.

Not sure about medical school, but one F does not automatically kill all hope of getting into law school. I know people who have done it. Besides, if you really slay the LSAT then a bad grade or two probably won't concern them as much.

My bad about law. For med school in Canada your chances are really diminished. Yes, some schools drop lowest marks and yes some years are more emphasized than others but the applicant sitting next to you got their B- dropped so the playing field isn't leveled much.

Just get it resolved for the sake of headache in the future. I can't remember if OP is in first year but second, third and fourth aren't like your first. You may thank yourself for getting it off the transcript in the future. Again, if it's valid you should have no problem at all.

[Ren]

Originally Posted by DrJ

My bad about law. For med school in Canada your chances are really diminished. Yes, some schools drop lowest marks and yes some years are more emphasized than others but the applicant sitting next to you got their B- dropped so the playing field isn't leveled much.

Just get it resolved for the sake of headache in the future. I can't remember if OP is in first year but second, third and fourth aren't like your first. You may thank yourself for getting it off the transcript in the future. Again, if it's valid you should have no problem at all.

Yes, definitely talk to the prof/associate dean and get the matter resolved if you still can. No reason at all not to.

Regarding med school and law school, it's true that having a few bad grades will probably hurt your chances, but you're not dead in the water. Some schools will emphasize GPA, others life experience and volunteer work (especially in the law/med field), but one thing they all share is that the LSAT/MCAT (or whatever variation thereof - OAT, DAT, etc) scores are the first thing they consider, and having a really outstanding mark on these tests will overshadow a lot of bad grades.

The job of an admissions council is to decide who will make the best doctors/lawyers, and suffice it to say that a good score on these tests, along with a couple solid years and a strong set of extracurriculars, is probably a better litmus test of that than the fact that you failed an econ course in your third year or whatever the case may be. Hell, I got offers from several law programs after nearly failing my way out of school my first three years. GPA is important but is certainly not the be-all-end-all.

[something]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

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-.

B+ is technically a 3.33... and an A- is 3.6666...

They are just rounded off to get 3.3 and 3.7. When calculating, many schools (though I cannot say U of C does this, for certain) use this translation to find your precise GPA.

[Young-Sneezy]

lest we forget, this is all assuming that you WANT to go to law or med school after your undergrad. Having a bachelors degree in (insert whatever here) and NOT a masters doesnt make you an unemployable leper...

[malcolmk14]

Originally Posted by something

B+ is technically a 3.33... and an A- is 3.6666...

They are just rounded off to get 3.3 and 3.7. When calculating, many schools (though I cannot say U of C does this, for certain) use this translation to find your precise GPA.

U of C definitely uses 3.3 and 3.7 to find your precise GPA.

[FlamesAllTheWay]

In all seriousness though, you have a few options:

- As I think someone already said, make sure that a) you actually need to pass that exam to pass the course, and b) If not, if you had good enough grades on all of the other course components you may come away with a D to a C- or something.
- Talk to your prof and/or if you have a valid reason for missing the exam then get a letter and send it in. Chances are it will be approved and you can write the deferred exam in mid Jan I believe.
- Withdrawal, if still possible. I believe the deadline is last day of lectures, however...
- Repeat the course. The F will stay on your transcript but if the course is a requirement for your degree you can still use the repeated course grade.
- Let the course stand... I think F = 0, D = 1, D+ = 1.3, C- = 1.7, C = 2 (the magic grade that will get you your degree no matter what in most cases), C = 2.3, C + = 2.7, B- = 3, B = 3.3 , A- = 3.7 and A/A+ = 4

I think if it's a full year course you x the number equivalent of the letter grade by 2. So assuming one F, B-, B-, B+, B+, A-, A-, A, A, A+ for a full course load fall and winter semester, your gpa is 3.2 or somewhere between a B- but closer to a B. For one year out of 4. So not the end of the world by any stretch, also depending on what year you're in. They might calculate it a little differently however.

Anyways hope that helps.

[calumniate]

Originally Posted by Rathji

I once got a 35% on the midterm and a 45% on the final and still got an B+. Everything I did in the class up to that point was 90% or better, but the prof had some crazy hard exams that practically everyone failed.

Was the first time that I had ever failed an exam. I was livid, but it wasn't as bad as the girl who had never gotten anything but an A in her entire life openly sobbing over her 70% on the midterm.

Welcome to the UofC curve. Higher level econ classes were like that. You pull a 50% and then look at the grade distribution on the test, and all the sudden you're happy. What a bunch of freak profs!

[calumniate]

Uhh wow they really updated the grading system? (just read more of the thread) Sounds strange!

[Winsor_Pilates]

If your reasons are legitimate and you bring it up fast enough, they might let you get a "W", or rewrite the exam.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Ren

Yes, definitely talk to the prof/associate dean and get the matter resolved if you still can. No reason at all not to.

Regarding med school and law school, it's true that having a few bad grades will probably hurt your chances, but you're not dead in the water. Some schools will emphasize GPA, others life experience and volunteer work (especially in the law/med field), but one thing they all share is that the LSAT/MCAT (or whatever variation thereof - OAT, DAT, etc) scores are the first thing they consider, and having a really outstanding mark on these tests will overshadow a lot of bad grades.

The job of an admissions council is to decide who will make the best doctors/lawyers, and suffice it to say that a good score on these tests, along with a couple solid years and a strong set of extracurriculars, is probably a better litmus test of that than the fact that you failed an econ course in your third year or whatever the case may be. Hell, I got offers from several law programs after nearly failing my way out of school my first three years. GPA is important but is certainly not the be-all-end-all.

This is true on the face of it, and I agree mostly, but the fact is that admissions are absolutely insane right now with the economy being so bad and that so many students are cruising through their undergraduate. The Arts, especially, are not presented as a challenge anymore. I just applied to McGill for political theory, they have 5 spots, and around 150 applicants. It gets really easy for a swamped admissions committee to start knocking off applicants based on basic criteria, such as "F's" on a transcript.

[FiftyBelow]

Probably been said already... but F grade is obviously going to be a big black mark and a red flag to any Uni admissions officer in the future.

That said, the way that F appears in the wide context in your transcript is still under your control.

If much of your other courses are C+ or lower, the F will appear like an exclamation mark or a clear sign of incompetence on a below-par transcript.

However, if you do well in the remaining courses of your degree (maintain high B to A grades) its more likely admission officers may give you the benefit of the doubt and request more information during any admission process as to why the F occurred. Don't get me wrong, the F will still appear terrible.... but it will at least allow the officers to see it potentially as an outlier in an above average transcript. Rather than them throwing out the application immediately, they'll at least seek more information first.

Furthermore, applications usually have a little place where you can explain any miscellaneous issue that you feel may hinder your admission chances.