Needed no fails this quarter to get financial aid, got one F, how to approach professor for a D-?

Paying for College
1

I’m currently a second year mechanical engineering major at UCLA. I’ve been struggling to adapt to college and the rigorous coursework presented, especially in the school of engineering. Because of my poor grades from first year, I had to have an upwards change in my cumulative GPA and not fail any of my classes. However, for one of my classes this quarter, despite getting tutored and working hard every day and giving my best efforts, my scores on the midterm and final warranted a failing grade in the class.
I intend to retake this class next quarter to fix my misunderstandings and mistakes. However, to continue next quarter, I need that financial aid and thus I need to ask my professor to change my grade from an F to a D-. I’ve never heard about a situation like this before and don’t really know how to approach my professor. I have an email written and it would be really helpful to get any sort of advice that can be offered.

Professor xxx,

Despite my best efforts, I know I did not do well in your class last quarter. I got tutored every day for your class alone to finish the homework and to understand what was taught in class, but my test scores did not reflect enough understanding. I plan to retake the class winter quarter and try again to fix my mistakes and misunderstandings from this quarter. However, my financial aid for next quarter depended on me not getting an F in any of my classes, and I tried my hardest and worked and got tutored every day for this class. While I know my test scores fully deserved that grade, is there any way you could give me a D- instead?
I’m willing to talk in person once winter quarter starts if you wish.

Happy holidays,
Xxx

2

The second-to-last sentence is a problem.

Regardless, I doubt you will be successful in begging for a different grade.

If you are insistent on writing a letter, I’d change that sentence to say, “Is there any way you could change the F to an incomplete and allow me to retake the final before the next quarter begins so that I can try to raise it to a D- and keep my financial aid for next quarter?”

3

What should I write instead Madison85?

4

I’d take out the first half of that problematic sentence. Probably won’t help to send it, but I guess you need to.

5

Intparent, do you really think it won’t help to send it? A D- is essentially the same thing as an F, and with regards to retaking it anywaus, don’t you think he would be a bit willing to help? I’m really hoping this isn’t just wishful thinking.

6

Is the second sentence true? “I got tutored every day…” That is a lot of tutoring if that means 7 days a week for 15 weeks. It wouldn’t hurt to send it. Might work if the prof remembers you for your great class attendance, asking questions in class, and attendance at office hours.

7

The teacher had certain criteria for passing the course. You didn’t meet that criteria. I can’t imagine sending this letter is going to convince him to raise your grade.

Are you losing financial aid because your GPA is too low, or are you losing it because you did not meet Satisfactory Academic Progress?

There could be an appeals process for either. I would go that route.

8

The grade has been turned in, so I doubt it would help. Professors usually rarely give Fs if they can rationalize giving a higher grade – you REALLY didn’t know the material if you got an F in most cases.

If you went to his office hours a lot this semester, that could sway him (hopefully you did). You can give it a try. You can still go through the appeals process as well. But I would also make a Plan B in case you have to leave your college.

9

Personally I think you should reconsider engineering as a major. If you did indeed get tutored every day and still failed that says a great deal about your understanding of the field.

10

Why not conclude the letter with “I’d love to sit down with you when you are back on campus to discuss my options and academic progress” without mentioning the grade change. If the professor decides to change the F to an incomplete (or a D) let it come from him. At any rate, as Erin’s Dad says, you need a course correction ASAP so might as well begin with the problematic class.

Perhaps the professor can help you identify if your math prep was weak coming in to college (it happens); if you’ve been studying the wrong things (it happens) or if the tutoring was focusing on high end problem solving when you really needed to be drilled in the fundamentals.

Don’t invest another semester before you figure out why you failed this class.

11

What course was this? My husband (the engineer) saw lots of classmates fail courses while he was in college. Differential equations was one that many students too twice at his college. One course failure…well…depends on which course…does not necessarily doom you as an engineer.

Also, it sounds like your GPA suffered, and not JUST because of this one class. What were your other grades?

12

Thumper, I also got a C and an A-
This was a statics and mechanics course
My GPA actually didn’t suffer.

13

Your GPA didn’t “suffer” because it wasn’t so good from your freshman year. Is this the first course you failed…or got below a C?

14

Blossom, if it comes to it, I will meet up wth him. However, the sooner the change can happen, the better because the quarter starts on Monday.
My background in the math needed for the class was fine, I just needed more practice with what we needed to do in class. The quarter system just made it a bit hard for me to have that time.

15

Thumper, I’ve also failed a chemistry and a computer science class last year.

16

I know there are a lot of problems with my other grades and everything. But I graduated salutatorian of my high school, with ample leadership positions and it was just a really difficult transition to college, when everyone is as smart, if not smarter than you. And to a quarter system where you only have ten weeks to learn enough material for a year, where you take a midterm week 3, get results week 4 and then have to take another midterm for another class that same week. This continues until you get all your results week 10, and when you really need a break, it’s time to study for finals.
I’ve had a harder time than most adjusting to this, and along with other personal problems, I know I haven’t been doing well in school and it appears I should just switch out of my major, or even just take the not college route.
However, being an engineer has been my dream. I had an internship over the summer working with medical devices and I can’t imagine myself doing anything else for the rest of my life.
Right now, I just need advice on how to best approach this problem, not the problem of my life choices. If it doesn’t work out, so be it and I’ll take out loans, but I’m still trying and just seeking advice, so please, only relevant answers.

17

You can only take a loan for $5500 for 2014-2015 academic year. How much is COA for the year?

18

If you failed three courses, your aid was suspended likely because you did not meet Satisfactory Academic Progress.every school has a SAP appeal process. The thing is…to keep your aid, you are required to pass a certain number of courses in which you enrolled. You got three F grades. If you withdrew from any courses, that is also counted in the SAP criteria.

Your school has an appeals process. But it sounds like this was your “second chance”…as you failed two courses last year too.

Can you pay the full cost to attend this college for the upcoming term?

I would immediately discuss this with your advisor, and maybe the dean of students. If you cannot pay for,the upcoming term out of pocket, you may need to leave the school for the term. What you need to find out is what you have to do to get your aid reinstated.

Some schools will ask that you take time off from their school…and possibly enroll in a community college. But you need to check. CCs are usually affordable if you can commute from home. This would do two things. First…it would give you the chance to I orove your college course grades, and build your confidence. In addition, it would show the college that you can actually take and pass these courses. You would need to aim for A or B grades in all courses.

But you need to talk to someone at your school ASAP. Find out what your options are.

It might also be that you would be better off at a school on semesters (although to be honest…I’m not sure the quarter system is all the issue).

And most important…you need to figure out why you failed three course. What went wrong? Did you get behind on the work? Did you underestimate the amount of study time needed? Did you not seek help soon enough? Did you not really have the underlying knowledge to do,well in these courses?

As an engineering major, you have a lot of applied math and science courses ahead of you. You need to feel confident that the higher level, and more difficult courses are not going to be a problem.

Engineering is a tough major. What made you think this was THE field for you?

19

A lot of times when you ask a professor to change your grade like that, they’ll come at you with a question like, “Why didn’t you come to me before final grades were in?” I would try to think of a reason for that. Were you in office hours a lot or did you rely more on the tutoring sessions? If not, they might ask why you weren’t. If you were, they might ask why you didn’t talk about withdrawing before the final grades were in.

(I’m also concerned that it may actually be too late to change the grade. If it’s been sent to the Registrar’s office, the professor may not be able to apply a curve or change the grade at this point. That might be something worth checking because it would be a shame for this to screw you up.)

When you’re working on your appeal (I would recommend getting that process started as soon as possible, regardless of whether or not you send this letter out), I would try to construct a scenario for how you can do better in the future. Engineering classes probably get harder, not easier. In addition to tutoring I would definitely talk about things like office hours, extra time spent, maybe joining a study group or study hall to ensure that you’re not in this position again. It’ll be tough if you were already on probation but I would recommend trying.

I hope this works out for you. Engineering can be tough and I really admire your passion for the subject. Not everyone is cut out for it (I know I’m not!) but if you can find some way to hang on and develop new strategies for moving forward.

20

I think you need to meet with your adviser and see what he thinks you should do. Ask if if approaching the professor is a good plan, if asking for an incomplete would be allowed, ask what courses you should take. Even your explanation that you don’t have enough time to get into the courses in just 10 weeks may mean that this isn’t the school for you. You seem very overwhelmed and it seems ‘more of the same’ just won’t work for you.