I am a freshman at Pratt. I got a 31/50 in Chem 101 in my mid-term. I struggled to manage my work load as I got into a Math class with a teacher that I could not follow well and by the time I shifted to another class with a teacher that I liked, I fell behind. So, I landed up spending more time preparing for Math than Chem exam. Unfortunately I landed up studying wrong stuff for Math as well, so I am worried how much I might have scored… I would appreciate any advise on how my mid-term grades of freshman year may affect? Thanks in advance.
"I would appreciate any advise on how my mid-term grades of freshman year may affect? "
I don’t understand this question – may affect what? But, what you’re going through is not all that uncommon. The Pratt curriculum is challenging and many students who excelled easily in high school are faced with major challenges for the first time. I’d encourage you to use peer tutoring resources for chem and math (that Duke pays for) and seek out help from other students (problem set get togethers are a great way to learn…) as well as TAs/professors during their office hours. Putting together a schedule to set aside time to “catch up” and practicing strong time management skills is something else you’ll have to learn as they expect you to figure stuff out on your own outside of class that wasn’t covered in lecture. This isn’t high school anymore. There’s also a reason that about 25% of Pratt students transfer to Trinity – it’s tough! Keep a positive head, don’t take it personally (which is hard…), and continue to work hard. If you need to, you can always transfer to something that suits your strengths more, but I’d encourage you to try to stick it out for now (assuming you like the material/future career prospects). Good luck.
Thank you so much for your soothing words and kind advise. When I wrote : “How will my grades affect”, I meant: Under what situations w.r.t grades will a student be asked to leave Duke? How much will my mid-term freshman grades affect my final GPA or admission to graduation?
Also, my grade seems to be put in parenthesis on Duke Sakari and there is a comment that says : “Grades in parentheses () are not included in the course grade calculation duke” Does it mean this mid-term grade won’t be considered? Would it be curved later on or should I assume that it would be a D grade?
Why don’t you just schedule time with the professor or a TA to ask these questions, and (more importantly) get advice on how to improve? Do you have a freshman advisor?
Mid term grades don’t show up on your final transcript. But you definitely need to turn it up a notch.
Seek help from the peer tutors, professor and TA. Don’t be afraid to tell them you’re lost.
Oh I didn’t know that mid term grades don’t show up on my final transcript. That is such a relief! Thank you for this good news, very comforting. Yes, I will definitely try my best to do well from my next exam on wards.
Yeah, your experience is very common. For students who are at top notch schools, the transition from high school to college classes, even if they were straight A students in high school, can be tough. By next year I’m sure you’ll be in the grove. Also college grading is not like high school grading, A poor % correct on a test does not necessarily mean that the grade is poor. In many colleges tests are designed to result in a broad distribution and tests may be “graded on a curve”. So, what that 62% correct translates to depends upon how the rest of the class does. In contrast, in high school tests are usually designed so that a student who studies hard can get a 100% correct. That is not true for all college classes. So, the situation may not be as bleak for your current classes as you fear and even if it is, it is a common situation. You will find your grove and do better. By senior year this semester’s grades won’t mean a lot.
I think Chem 101 avg was around 70% so your score was around a C.
Just got an parent email today from my daughter’s school (not Duke, but high caliber) and one of the articles reminded parents not to be surprised if grades during first term are not as strong as those earned in high school which can be discouraging to the student. Parents were encouraged to refocus their student to all of the new things they are learning and to encourage the student to us academic support and visit teachers during office hours for assistance. Hang in there, what you are experiencing is normal and you will find the groove.
Thanks a lot for all your kind words and responses! I feel so much better and energized 
Talk to a member of the E-Team, a peer advisor, your advisor or another adult on campus that you trust. Trust me, this is 100% normal and there is very little that has messed up in the first five weeks at Duke that cannot be fixed. Very, very little.
Thank you so much!