Retaking for better grade vs a P/F

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by helen of troy, Sep 2, 2014.

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  1. helen of troy

    helen of troy New Member

    In terms of helping a GPA that is already low, which would be the better? I am currently sitting at a 3.1 at 50 credits. I failed a 3 credit course, which is hurting my GPA, but the course subject its self is very challenging for me. Im trying to find the best advice for GPA purposes.


    Would it be best to retake the course and attempt a better grade? Maybe a C?

    Or

    Just take the test for credit and receive the pass/fail 3 credits, but no grade?

    Either way, i will need the credits for that class one way or another, but at the least damage to my gpa, if that makes sense.
     
  2. TMW2009

    TMW2009 New Member

    Depending on the school, they may have a 'grade forgiveness' policy which replace the failure on the transcript with the new final grade if you retake your course. If they don't have grade forgiveness, and the course is a requirement, you'll have to retake it again anyway in some form and it will dilute the effects of the F. Taking the test for credit won't have any mitigating effects on your grade (which you already knew), but it does get the course out of the way, if you can pass it - You did say the subject matter was challenging and you have to be honest with yourself about the chances of being able to test out.

    Best case scenario is that the school has grade forgiveness and you do better the second time around.
     
  3. helen of troy

    helen of troy New Member

    Yes, i forgot to mention that my school does have grade forgiveness. Im just trying to weigh out the pros and cons of each choice when looking in future at my overall cumulative gpa which counts every course ever taken, as opposed to just the institutional gpa. Im trying to decide if i should game and retake for maybe a C, or just retake for a pass/fail credits? My goal is to dilute that F as much as possible, but without having to do so by risking my gpa further. Thoughts?
     
  4. helen of troy

    helen of troy New Member

    Bump

    BUMP



    10 characters
     
  5. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    People fail courses for all sorts of reasons. Maybe it's a weak spot in your skill set. Maybe you were distracted that semester. Maybe you just didn't work very hard. Who knows? I'm assuming that you're worried about your GPA because you're planning on applying to grad school. If the course is in the area of your planned grad degree then you'll want to show some real competence, not just p/f. If it's in another subject area then a p/f will not matter much. Either way you'll get the credits. As TMW said, it might just come down to a matter of confidence. If you believe that you can now take the course and earn a decent grade then I'd do just that. If, on the other hand, you have honest doubts about your ability to get at least an average grade then I'd take the p/f, grab the credits and don't look back.:eek:uttahere:
     

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