how do I switch a class to pass / fail grading?

b90 · 10-04-2009, 06:28 AM

I don't think I'll pull a good grade in Calc, and I have no plans to go to graduate school anyway. Is there a deadline to do this and how do I?

Radiance · 10-04-2009, 08:15 AM

Umm, what college are you in? If you're in Revelle, you must complete the entire Calculus sequence for a letter grade.

And is this for your major? Because many majors don't allow course requirements to be taken for pass/fail.

..and I don't think you'd be taking Calculus for fun if you're opting for a pass/fail letter grade

pisces8519 · 10-04-2009, 12:23 PM

what is the difference between getting a pass/fail rather than just receiving a C as a letter grade?

b90 · 10-04-2009, 01:10 PM

I'm in Muir, Econ major.

Arctic · 10-04-2009, 01:58 PM

im pretty sure you cant take calculus pass/fail if you are econ.

pisces: if you take a class pass / fail it doesnt affect your gpa, you just credit the credit for passing it

Longdaysahead · 10-04-2009, 02:43 PM

Go to webreg. To the right of the class title there's a button called "change" press it and you can change to P/F there.

But what's up with the defeatist attitude? You still have 2+ weeks to your midterm. Worst comes to worst you take the midterm and then switch to P/F or drop if you think you did badly (deadline isn't until the Friday of week 4).

darkdude · 10-04-2009, 05:55 PM

You can't switch to P/F if you're an econ major. You must take Calc A-C for a letter grade.

Radiance · 10-04-2009, 06:27 PM

Yeah.. you can't take Calc for pass/fail if you're an Econ major.
Just a question.. if you're not planning on grad school, why does your GPA matter anyway?

b90 · 10-04-2009, 08:27 PM

I guess it doesn't matter a ton but I heard places will look at your transcripts when you go for job interviews. Thanks for the info guys.

Oyama · 10-04-2009, 11:20 PM

Practically no employers care about your transcript.

Good grades open doors, namely with professors who can THEN write stronger letters of rec about your academic ability.

Radiance · 10-05-2009, 05:31 AM

Honestly, a C+ looks better than a Pass.
A Pass looks like you're masking some grade that barely got you by, since it's so ambiguous

Arctic · 10-06-2009, 02:10 AM

Provided he was able to switch his grade to P/NP, I dont think a C+ looks better than a pass. If your GPA is higher than 2.7 a C+ WILL drag your GPA down.

Radiance · 10-06-2009, 07:42 AM

What do you think a pass implies to people who look at it on a transcript? Oh, they got a B but wanted to get a pass instead.
..they probably got something lower than that, perhaps they were afraid they wouldn't do very well? I'd rather have a C+ than a pass..

Oyama · 10-06-2009, 05:16 PM

I'd definitely rather have a P than a C+

Adcomms don't give as much thought into P's as you think, Radiance, unless it's for a crucial major-related class (ODE for Math Majors, for example). Being able to plan a schedule involves knowing what grade to expect for each class. Perhaps one knows that a particular class (like Number Theory or something) has a reputation of only 10% of students getting an A, but 75% of students getting a C or better. If I or someone had a GPA where a B would decrease my GPA, but I wanted to take this course (let's assume it doesn't require a letter grade), would I rather stress over it with the expense of my other classes, or give it equal weight to the rest of my schedule and take it for P/NP?

Honestly, talk to your professors (preferably those who serve/have served on admissions committees) and they'll tell you P's and even W's (only when you have a few; more than a couple and it'll raise a red flag) are not anything to worry about for graduate schools.