When is it worth withdrawing/auditing from a class?

[Ricemarine]

To sum it up, I bombed my first exam, 43%. This exam was 18.33% of my grade... I have 2 more exams worth the same amount, then a final worth 25% of my grade and homework which is worth 20%.

When is it a good time to withdraw/audit? Or is it worth putting more pressure into trying to get at least a passing grade?


I thought I would be able to do mediocre on the test, but I pretty was overwhelmed on how there were only a few problems but they were very complicated. Along with the fact every point matters, I was pretty devastated after the exam. I knew the general ideas, I just could not implement them properly...

So, if I average 80%'s on the my final, homework, and other two exams, I pass, 73% (edited, bad calculating, initially thought 67%). If I average 90%'s, I pass with an 81%. 100%'s gets me a max of 89.5% for the quarter. The teacher plans to make 70-75% the cutoff point.


Are there any tips to weed out the possible mistakes I can make on exams besides doing more problems out of the book?

I also came to realize that when I am confident I am going to get a passing grade on something afterwards, it ends up just the opposite (costed me a linear algebra final, F)... Any counter to that?

 

[Mashed Potato]

my school has an F replacement plan, which was if you failed a class you could take it over and the new grade would replace the old one. I believe we could replace non-F's also with a few people signing off. If your school has that, look into it.



If not, I always waited till the last possible day to withdraw from class just to be sure there was no way i was gonna pass with a decent grade.


I always asked what the average grade was of people taking said class. That will tell you a lot about the teacher.

Ask your teacher if there is anything you can do to help your grade? Sometimes showing them that you care helps a lot. Take the time out of your schedule to visit them during their office hours. Most teachers are willing to help a student who cares.

If not, try your ass off and withdraw at the last minute if there is a slim chance of passing.

Hope this helped

-Mashed

 

[rocadelpunk]

find out what avg/median was and ask prof if there'll be a curve at end of the quarter/semester.

Ask if he'll be willing to weight your final more.

Find out your school's policy on course forgiveness/etc. Also, you might be able to withdraw from a course v.s. dropping it. I.e. it'll show up on your transcript as a W, but you'll be in the class for a few more weeks.

One or two on a transcript won't hurt you, but I wouldn't make a habit out of it.

Make a note that you if you're struggling in a class, seek help ASAP and get it figured out instead of waiting till the test.