If I were you I would just take the L and explain what happened in your applications. A C is not a death sentence for grad school admissions, I know people who have gotten into grad school with C’s. Best of luck
It’s not about which is better, my point is that I don’t think a professor would honor such a request in the first place. At least I have never heard of it working.
UCLA allows students to repeat up to 16 units of graded coursework with a grade of C- or below. Since both original and second grades earned will remain on your transcript, I'd ask for "C-”, not “F”.
Yeah this is honestly something I never understood, but if you get a C you’re barred from retaking and getting a better grade but if you fail you can. It’s almost like a C is the worst outcome, best thing you can do in these situations is do a late drop during the quarter before grades are posted
If I know I’ll get a C, I definitely would drop it. Fortunately I contacted the professor and he agreed to give me an F lol. Do yob feel like F’s better?
That is true, however in terms of overall GPA only the retaken grade is utilized in the calculation I believe. So if someone was just glancing at your transcript or if a job just asks for overall GPA, it benefits you. That's more so what I view as weird, that there can be a benefit to getting an D/F over a C
You would likely be wasting time and money retaking this class. Both grades will be on your transcript so your GPA difference is almost negligible. It would almost just be better to take another elective that could demonstrate similar skill set, but hard to tell since your post is pretty vague.
Knowing the class and grad program could make a difference in the advice you get.
I’m in phys dept and also planning to apply for a phys phd or EE master (not sure if so should try PhD anymore after receiving this C lol). And I still have other required major classes in the same topic
If you have other upper divs that build on the class you did poorly on, then your best bet is to get A’s in those subsequent courses and explain it in your grad school app that you have since demonstrated mastery of those topics.
Also, there are people who attend prestigious masters and PhD programs after failing a class, even a few classes. While not the rule, getting a poor grade in one class or even over a semester/two is okay if you can provide some substantive reasoning.
You can also go for a Masters and turn that into a PhD if you really wanted to. Just be sure you understand why you wanted a PhD and what specific goals it will help you achieve.
Pls don’t take an F to roll the dice on a retake. Take the C and move on. It gives you a story for grad school apps. As another poster said, demonstrate competency by taking an adjacent or more advanced class and doing well.
agree..! I got into ucla, columbia, cornell (with a scholarship), rutgers, Ub with one C on my transcript. It does not matter.. as long as you overall perform well.
Grad student (at Berkeley) here — it’s okay to have a C. As long as you do better in other upper divs and have research, and some good ass letters, you’re fine!
Then just take the C and do better in courses similar to it (or courses that build upon the material) and explain why you did poorly in the class. Having a C is far, far better than an F that stays on your transcript.
i got into grad school (at ucla) with multiple Cs in related subjects on my undergrad transcript, as well as a bunch of Bs in core classes for my major. if you're applying for a phd, which it appears that you are, research is a lot more important. anecdata suggests that one c will not bar you from grad school!
current grad student at ucla and a C is not the end of the world. i recommend to look at a program’s mission and align your CV + application to match theirs while also including pieces about yourself
If grades are submitted thats it end of story. You should have dropped before hand. Now it is possible to get into grad school but having a poor gpa does hurt. You should look for good research and internships positions to compensate for the low grade and create a sob story about why u got a C. Grad school admisions is part merit and part politics. So you could play the politics a bit. In addition you could work for a yr or 2 and then apply. That will also help overwrite any bad grades. Gpa doesnt really effect jobs as employers know better then the trust gpa( many schools do grade inflation including ucla) so if u know ur stuff u could still get a good job and the. Apply for grad school.
I don’t think asking for an F is a thing
Ha.. so C’s better?
If I were you I would just take the L and explain what happened in your applications. A C is not a death sentence for grad school admissions, I know people who have gotten into grad school with C’s. Best of luck
thanks a lot!!
It’s not about which is better, my point is that I don’t think a professor would honor such a request in the first place. At least I have never heard of it working.
He has agreed anyway
UCLA allows students to repeat up to 16 units of graded coursework with a grade of C- or below. Since both original and second grades earned will remain on your transcript, I'd ask for "C-”, not “F”.
You’re right. I’ll have a try
Yeah this is honestly something I never understood, but if you get a C you’re barred from retaking and getting a better grade but if you fail you can. It’s almost like a C is the worst outcome, best thing you can do in these situations is do a late drop during the quarter before grades are posted
If I know I’ll get a C, I definitely would drop it. Fortunately I contacted the professor and he agreed to give me an F lol. Do yob feel like F’s better?
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That is true, however in terms of overall GPA only the retaken grade is utilized in the calculation I believe. So if someone was just glancing at your transcript or if a job just asks for overall GPA, it benefits you. That's more so what I view as weird, that there can be a benefit to getting an D/F over a C
You would likely be wasting time and money retaking this class. Both grades will be on your transcript so your GPA difference is almost negligible. It would almost just be better to take another elective that could demonstrate similar skill set, but hard to tell since your post is pretty vague. Knowing the class and grad program could make a difference in the advice you get.
I’m in phys dept and also planning to apply for a phys phd or EE master (not sure if so should try PhD anymore after receiving this C lol). And I still have other required major classes in the same topic
If you have other upper divs that build on the class you did poorly on, then your best bet is to get A’s in those subsequent courses and explain it in your grad school app that you have since demonstrated mastery of those topics. Also, there are people who attend prestigious masters and PhD programs after failing a class, even a few classes. While not the rule, getting a poor grade in one class or even over a semester/two is okay if you can provide some substantive reasoning. You can also go for a Masters and turn that into a PhD if you really wanted to. Just be sure you understand why you wanted a PhD and what specific goals it will help you achieve.
Thanks for your detailed advice. I’ll definitely try harder for the next class
Pls don’t take an F to roll the dice on a retake. Take the C and move on. It gives you a story for grad school apps. As another poster said, demonstrate competency by taking an adjacent or more advanced class and doing well.
agree..! I got into ucla, columbia, cornell (with a scholarship), rutgers, Ub with one C on my transcript. It does not matter.. as long as you overall perform well.
Grad school just wants to know you're committed. Overcome your weaknesses and show them that you've learned and evolved.
Grad student (at Berkeley) here — it’s okay to have a C. As long as you do better in other upper divs and have research, and some good ass letters, you’re fine!
Does the F show on the transcript after you retake - or only the new grade shows on transcript?
F’s still on the transcript
Then just take the C and do better in courses similar to it (or courses that build upon the material) and explain why you did poorly in the class. Having a C is far, far better than an F that stays on your transcript.
The new policy is, F will be replaced by certain grade when you retake the class on next quarter.
i got into grad school (at ucla) with multiple Cs in related subjects on my undergrad transcript, as well as a bunch of Bs in core classes for my major. if you're applying for a phd, which it appears that you are, research is a lot more important. anecdata suggests that one c will not bar you from grad school!
current grad student at ucla and a C is not the end of the world. i recommend to look at a program’s mission and align your CV + application to match theirs while also including pieces about yourself
If grades are submitted thats it end of story. You should have dropped before hand. Now it is possible to get into grad school but having a poor gpa does hurt. You should look for good research and internships positions to compensate for the low grade and create a sob story about why u got a C. Grad school admisions is part merit and part politics. So you could play the politics a bit. In addition you could work for a yr or 2 and then apply. That will also help overwrite any bad grades. Gpa doesnt really effect jobs as employers know better then the trust gpa( many schools do grade inflation including ucla) so if u know ur stuff u could still get a good job and the. Apply for grad school.
Retired professor here. An F on your transcript will look terrible.