So what would you do? My daughter, who just completed her 4th year at a UF in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences earned a C- in one of her classes. It was not a specific class to her degree, International Studies, but it was also not a Gen-ed class. To graduated, your last semester classes must have a C or higher. This is only her 2nd C ever! Her GPA is still well over 3.0 The class, History of Jazz, which was online had several Experiential learning opportunities. However, because she was on the traveling Model UN team she missed most of these. She did have an excuse letter for each absence from her MUN advisor. Her grade on the final exam was 100. Because of these absences however, the professor decided to give her the C- which does not allow her to graduate. UF is huge, she is terrible about advocating for herself. There is no getting to know your advisor, because you rarely get to see the same one. Now she is jobless and degreeless- help!!
What does she need to do to graduate? Retake the course with a C or higher?
There has to be more to this story.
I don’t know if she can retake the class or not? Trying to get her to communicate with an advisor is so difficult. It was an online class, but most of the ‘outside class opportunities’ were offered in Gainesville. We do not live in Florida so I don’t know if is possible to take the online class if she is not in Gainesville. Not sure what you think is missing from the story.
No school is going to tell a student with a 3.0 plus GPA that because of one C- that her four years of credits are worthless. There has to be a way for her to make up this deficiency, unless there are other issues involved.
It’s going to be ok. She needs to talk with an advisor.
I wasn’t aware of a C requirement in your final term, but if that’s the case, and she can’t get it changed, then she may need to take a class over the summer. If this is an elective, then she could take another on-line class that doesn’t require any time in Gainesville. She may graduate a bit late, but I’m sure she can continue with her job search. This is a minor bump in the road. :o3
Good Luck!
If she is terrible at advocating for herself, here is a terrific learning opportunity.
She needs to meet with the professor and find out why her absences weren’t excused. Then she needs to meet with her advisor- even a Dean if she can’t figure out who her advisor is, and explain her situation, with all the notes from the Model UN faculty person in hand, plus a copy of her final exam in the class.
She will either succeed or fail in advocating for herself, but as she enters the work world, having this experience will be invaluable. An employee gets their first paycheck- and it shows a deduction for a disability benefit she never opted for. An employee get his/her first performance appraisal and it notes that he/she is deficient in a skill which is not part of the job.
Etc. Stuff happens and an adult needs to be able to navigate the shoals of authority to get it fixed.
Keep us posted, this is a minor bump as Gator points out.
I was curious about this situation because it runs counter to any I’ve heard about in any other school and I would expect it would lead to a lot of disappointed students/families. That is especially true because there would be insufficient time for families to cancel trips to the graduation, etc. I’d think it would piss off a lot of potential contributors. I looked at UF’s web site but could find no mention of such a requirement (a C- outside the major making you ineligible to graduate) which makes me wonder if the student is not really in the position that the parents think she is.
This is what I did find:
“Additional Progression Standards: All CLAS students must meet these standards or they may be denied further registration:
Maintain a minimum overall UF cumulative grade point average of 2.0
College Probation: Students who have an overall UF cumulative grade point average under 2.0 are placed on college probation and are required to meet with an advisor to discuss their academic progress.
Achieve a minimum 2.0 GPA on all coursework each semester.
Successfully complete (with a minimum grade of C) at least one course in the major each term during the junior and senior years until major course requirements are completed. Students can pursue only the major to which they have been admitted.
Earn a minimum grade of C within two attempts (including drops/withdrawals) in each course in the major. Certain majors may require grades higher than C in specific courses. Students must meet major requirements.
Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 for courses required in the major.
Withdraw from the university no more than twice while enrolled in this college.
Graduate in a timely fashion (see Timely Graduation, below).
Students who have completed all of the academic requirements for the degree but have not obtained the degree may be denied further registration in the college. Students who have completed fewer than eight full-time semesters may be approved to continue provided the student demonstrates an educational plan that will enhance the achievement of his/her academic goals, consistent with CLAS policies. Students in this situation should consult with an advisor in the AAC.”
So the 2.0 is the minimum average across all the courses in the semester. I suppose if the students other grades are all C’s then a C-would put you below that. But otherwise, I can’t see how the described scenario is possible.
Also, absences with good reason are still absences. Credit won’t be granted for a class that the student did not attend even if the reason for not attending was out of the student’s control. Analogy, if you have not earned “sick time” you won’t be paid if you can’t work do to illness. You can usually withdraw, take a leave, etc. But you need to fulfill requirements of the class to get credit for the class. It is just like going to the supermarket without any money. You may have a fully justified reason for not having any money but you won’t be leaving with a car full of groceries because your justification was about issues you have no control over.
The idea that credit should be granted if the reason the student can’t attend and fulfill requirements for a class is outside the control of the student is a common misperception. It reminds me of a 3 year old who says “I’m sorry.” and believes that the statement erases what has been done ("But I said “i"m sorry!”). It doesn’t. It may help others involved feel better but to think it justifies credit for a class when requirements were not met is magical thinking.
That isn’t to say that thoughtful instructors should not try to provide alternatives if the requests are reasonable and if the alternatives are available to all in similar situations, are reasonable substitutes for attending, and would ensure that the student has mastered as much material as those who attended. But this is not an entitlement.
I’m doubtful that this policy exists. Lotaccount’s information suggests that it doesn’t, unless there is some major specific requirement that we don’t know about.
Edited to add that is major has specific requirements about the minimum grade for each course counting towards the major.
https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/liberalarts/majors/international-studies.aspx
Not sure what the OP means by this:
She only has one other C in her entire 4 years at Florida! I was also unable to find this on the school website. However, when I was able to log in to her ‘current student’ page, it does state that certain classes that are required for your specific degree, (in this case, International Studies) during your last semester classes you must receive a final grade of C or above.
Also, she was allowed to walk for her graduation on this past Sunday night. All grades and transcripts were posted this morning.
Here is a link to courses for the major. Is the jazz class part of Category A or B? If neither, then it doesn’t count towards the major.
Tell her to put her big girl pants on and get her a** into the advisor’s office, and figure it out. Sheesh.
@lostaccount - I am not making excuses for her nor am I looking for a fight! I have no reason to put anything but the truth here, because I am just looking for advice, not criticism.
The best advice anyone can give you is to insist that your daughter contact an advisor/dean/whomever at UF about this situation and that you accompany her to the meeting to find out what she needs to do.
You are getting advice; you’re just interpreting it as criticism.
The D does not need her parent at the meeting.
The D DOES need to work quickly to minimize the damage…
Please have her contact advising. If that class was not in her major (but was an elective), then they may allow her to graduate (the audit system used by UF isn’t perfect), either way, she’ll feel a lot better after talking with someone and coming up with a plan.
She may want to reach out to her program’s advisor (as well as the CLAS AAC). That person is likely more knowledgeable about her degree requirements. If that’s Cynthia Tarter (I’m not familiar with CLAS), then this is her contact info:
Right, the parent shouldn’t attend the meeting.
The History of Jazz is a course that counts for the major. It is in category B (mentioned in a previous post). For the International Studies major, all classes that are part of the major must have a minimum grade of C. There is nothing in the rules about the “final semester.”
According to the info on the department website, the student has not fulfilled the degree requirements. Can another class be taken this summer?
The OP said:
Not correct, the student is using this class it to fulfill the requirement of the major. Students need classes in Category A and B, and this is a selection from category B.