So I have a huge problem. I don't know much about this forum, but a lot of people tend to reply with smart-ass comments because they have far too much time on their hands, so if you're here to do that, please refrain. With that out of the way...

I am a student at a private university in Chicago, IL and am one credit short of completing all of my undergraduate requirements. Being a North Carolina resident, I decided to take this one credit during the summer here at NCSU, transfer it back to my home institution as an elective credit, and graduate in late-August. My university requires a C or better for the final grade in order for a course to be transfer-eligible.

I majored in Political Theory and spent an overwhelming majority of my undergraduate career reading, not exactly computing anything. For whatever reason, I was possessed when I signed up for the NCSU Summer II course and am enrolled in MA 405 (there is a thread about study groups on this same forum that I started earlier today) having not done math since I took Calculus my first year in college. I heard from a friend of mine that it's pretty manageable and I figured it's a summer class, it will be a light load and I won't have a problem.

Unfortunately, I am in jeopardy of not passing the class. I did well on the first test (A-) but the material was stuff I had seen before -- since the first test, I've understood basically 0% of what has gone on during lectures. I have the second test tomorrow and I'm hardly able to complete even the most basic problems in the book for the relevant sections. When I consider the fact that this is my last course of my undergraduate career, I could have taken something within my discipline and succeeded no problem...I don't know what I'm doing in this course.

I don't know if anyone has any advice on this matter. If I drop the course now that it's past the deadline, I assume I'd get a W (at least that's what happened at my school...) which isn't a big deal because this course isn't part of a degree program and doesn't have to count for my undergrad career...but this holds up my graduation and I'd then have to go back to my home school and pay a TON of money and it would just be terrible. That's not really an option.

I'm going to try and stick it out (for better or worse), but does anyone know if I could somehow switch into MA 305, the easier version of the class at this point? It's a long-shot (probably an impossibility), but I figured I would ask -- maybe if I explain my case to the directory of the mathematics program, he/she could arrange something?

This is probably an extremely odd case, but any help would be appreciated. Thanks guys.

7/20/2011 10:51:03 PM

You're past the official date to drop a course. However, if you can get your advisor and the class instructor to let you drop the class, you can still manage it with the proper paperwork. If successful, it will be like you never took it. However, considering that you were planning to transfer the credit, failing isn't really a big deal so long as you don't plan on taking more classes at NCSU. Even if you did, you can probably choose which classes you wish to transfer. I'm not versed in those particular university policies so you'll have to do your own research along those lines.

My advice is to stay with the class. Seek out any and all academic assistance that you can. Your instructor should be a good resource for where to find extra help if you don't have your own ideas.

The likelihood of being able to add a class is very low. While technically possible, you would need the cooperation of your advisor and the instructors of the class you're leaving and the class you're entering. If you can convince those three people, your advisor will give you a change of schedule form. I'll say this: if I was the MA 305 instructor, I wouldn't let you into my class.

If I were you, my single largest priority would be to seek out any all all remediation opportunities that I could find. Considering what's at stake should you not pass the class, you should be dedicating your every waking hour to this class. If you have a job, quit it. It will probably cost you more in the long run if you have to pay for another semester at your primary university. You might want to investigate community college classes. They may have scheduling that fits with your personal timeline. Obviously, make sure the credits would transfer.

7/20/2011 11:22:50 PM

Sounds like you need to be talking with the professor directly. A lot of them are helpful and forgiving of students who actually show up to their office hours or seek out help. Odds are you could get some direct help to make some things click and a little extra curve/partial credit to get helped out with the grade.

The wrong way to try and solve this dilemma (in my opinion) would be to immediately shoot above the professor's head to the department director.

Take a look at the grading policy. It could be the case that with an A- on the first test that its possible to still achieve a C overall.

7/21/2011 12:10:05 AM

Just in case you didn't know, the department head will give zero fucks.

7/21/2011 12:17:31 AM

DZ, thanks for the posts, they're very helpful and appreciated, and I generally agree with all of your points.

From what I've researched, my home school will only count the class as a Pass, not as a grade irrespective of what I receive barring it's a C- or worse. In other circumstances I'd be tempted to drop the course because a C or low-B would tank my cumulative GPA, but it at least _looks_ like whatever I get in this class won't be calculated into my overall GPA over yonder. This makes staying in the class a win-win situations -- if I get a C or above, I'm done and if I fail, I don't lose a whole lot beyond the ~$600 in tuition.

It's odd that department heads won't care, but I guess it makes sense. I went to a really small school where things are more intimate, for lack of a better term, so department heads are both accessible and always wanting to help, but in this instance the combination of me being a Non-Degree Student and the fact that NCSU is 10x the size of where I went probably points to you being right.

7/21/2011 12:37:41 AM

You can pass the class. Hit up office hours as much as you can. There's only so much reading the book will do; sit down with a TA and see if you can get them to work through problems with you. Take it slow. Just hit it hard for a few days until you see an improvement, and you'll be good.

7/21/2011 3:20:32 PM

other than having to retake it, wtf difference does it make if you fail; it's not going to transfer back, thus it won't show up on your transcript. fuck, you don't even have to send them the transcript from state if you're that worried about it

[Edited on July 22, 2011 at 3:04 PM. Reason : sp]

7/22/2011 3:02:55 PM

^ The only issue is grad schools and professional schools require ALL transcripts from any and all college courses you've ever taken...can't really withhold that.

Thanks for all the advice guys. Saw some tutors today and I think I can do this!

7/22/2011 8:13:08 PM

So long as you're not claiming credit from a given university, they'll have no way of knowing that you even took classes there.

7/24/2011 9:55:27 PM

I wish that were true, but it's not. You are legally obligated to provide all transcripts with any undergraduate course irrespective of whether or not credit was granted, at least for professional school. If you don't and it later surfaces, things could get a little nasty.

7/25/2011 5:08:32 AM

Get this: http://www.4shared.com/get/Q4WIwPCu/Finite-Dimensional_Vector_Spac.html

This little book will change your life.

7/25/2011 8:48:16 AM

Linear algebra, right? You shouldn't have taken that class unless you went through calc three. They do a lot of vector manipulation that is directly applicable to this class (or at least gives a good foundation)

Too late to point that out now.

Sounds like you thought the class may be easier given the name, though?

7/25/2011 7:55:56 PM

lolololol the funny thing is there is an easier version called MA 305

still IMO Linear Algebra is easier than Calc III
but just IMO

7/25/2011 8:56:31 PM

Regardless of anything else you do, I'd definitely talk with the professor. They may be willing to give you additional help or point you to other resources. Additionally, right or wrong, they may be willing to cut you some slack if they know your situation.

Quote :

"I'd be tempted to drop the course because a C or low-B would tank my cumulative GPA,"

as you mentioned, transfer credits don't typically count toward your overall GPA. That being said, I'd be amazed if a 3 credit course had much of an impact on your GPA. I know any one course would have had little to no impact on my overall GPA. I graduated with close to 140hrs and most programs at NCSU require 120 or more credits to graduate. At that point, I'd be really surprised if a 3 credit class could change your gpa more than a few hundreths of a point.

Quote :

"but this holds up my graduation and I'd then have to go back to my home school and pay a TON of money and it would just be terrible. That's not really an option."

Why would you have to go back to your "home school"? why couldn't you take another course at NCSU, for less, in the fall and still transfer that credit?


Good luck with it

[Edited on July 25, 2011 at 11:18 PM. Reason : ]]

7/25/2011 11:07:00 PM

Try finding a private math tutor?

7/26/2011 8:48:48 AM

Quote :

"The only issue is grad schools and professional schools require ALL transcripts from any and all college courses you've ever taken...can't really withhold that."

Why not? I realize it might be an issue for law school, once you've finished and are ready to sit for the Bar, due to the intense scrutiny you will face, but do you think that any grad or professional schools are going to go to that level of investigation to find out that you withdrew from a summer class at NCSU?

I know a couple who did just this. One started at CC, finished his AA, and then transferred to a 4 year school. Bombed his first year and transferred to another school, completely leaving out his last year of flunking.

Another took the basic community college classes, transferred to a 4 year univ, didn't like it, so halfway through she quit. Then she applied to another 4 year univ, leaving off the last semester, got accepted, loved it and did well, and now she's defending her dissertation in the fall.

[Edited on July 31, 2011 at 3:13 PM. Reason : skewl iz surriuz bidness]

7/31/2011 3:05:44 PM