I am a junior in high school and I am currently taking an elective film class that is graded on a pass/fail basis. A couple of weeks ago, we wrote screenplays for the films that we are going to start filming this friday. I just received an email today from my teacher that basically said that he doesn’t like my screenplay and that if I don’t fix it by friday he will fail me for the class. I am kind of freaking out right now, because I certainly don’t want an F on my junior year transcript. Since I suspect this F is to some extent inevitable, I am wondering what effect it will have on my college admissions this fall. Will colleges reject me if they see that I failed an elective class during the second semester of my junior year? (the answer, I’m guessing, is yes but I really need someone to tell me that it won’t affect me at all)
If it makes a difference, I am applying to some highly selective colleges (which probably makes my situation even worse)
We can’t say that it won’t affect you at all. An F on your transcript, even in an elective, will hurt you in selective college admissions.
I would go to your teacher immediately to ask how to fix the screenplay. While I’m usually not one to recommend this, do whatever he says- even if you don’t like the idea. It’s better to just follow his direction and get a passing grade than fail the course.
I agree with the others. I do find it hard to believe that a teacher will fail you because they don’t “like” what you’ve written. I suggest you make sure you know the grading rubric for the assignment.
An F in an elective will hurt your college application at least to a some extent (which may vary from college to college)…
Why is an F inevitable?
I strongly suggest you meet with the teacher ASAP and make any necessary changes to your screenplay before Friday.
In addition, it is likely that part of the grade will be based on your filming, the final product etc. – as noted above you need to find out the grading rubric.