ucdavis: C- in a major course...

Shun (

_suicidemessiah) wrote in

ucdavis,
@ 2009-12-17 12:20:00

C- in a major course...
I found out that I got a C- in BIS102, a major-required course. Should I just start crying now and give up on going to grad school, or is there any way I can retake this class at Davis? I know that C- is kind of a "limbo" grade because it's passing and therefore can't retake it, but it isn't accepted by many grad/professional schools. I have already e-mailed my adviser asking what to do, but she is out of office during break. I'm guessing I can't ask my prof to drop my grade down to a D because it is already in sisweb.

So UCDLJers...any insight on what to do with this lousy grade? Or should I just let the tears fall :'(

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_terra_
2009-12-17 05:59 pm UTC (link)

Have you actually looked into what the requirements are for grad school? A lot of the grad schools I've looked into personally want a B average or better in upper div classes. Some say they will not accept anything that is a D or lower. A C- is not the end of the world, and even if the school you really want does say "C or better" it does not mean it is 100% guaranteed you will not get in (the people on the board are people, not computers, if you have excellent grades elsewhere and have a strong application, you'd be surprised what they'll do for you).

Also, you can appeal to your major adviser/head adviser to retake the course. You'll also find that the people holding those positions will work their best to help you. If you appeal to them how you want to go to grad school, had too much on your plate this quarter and messed things up and want to fix it, you should be fine.

(Reply to this)

	talisein 2009-12-17 06:21 pm UTC (link)
	If you take a more advanced course in the same subject and do well, grad schools will probably overlook it. They're looking to see that you have a strong grasp of the basics. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	benjimoos 2009-12-18 04:15 am UTC (link)
	Take MCB 120L and do your damn best in it. That way you can say that even though you got a C- in BIS 102 you learned all the important stuff AND learned the technique you need to do well. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	jarhed 2009-12-19 05:59 am UTC (link)
	This is definitely sound advice. MCB120L is BIS102 but hands on. If you can't fit 120L in to your normal upcoming schedule you can take it as a special 10 week session over the summer (at least I did a few years ago) and it's a pretty good summer class. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	talisein 2009-12-18 06:55 pm UTC (link)
	Oh yeah, I suggest you don't follow this plan immediately in Winter quarter. I'm guessing you're a sophomore or junior, so you may not really know how to or have developed the discipline to study yet. Just take some more upper division courses in your major and learn how to kick ass before you go for broke. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	(Anonymous) 2009-12-17 08:03 pm UTC (link)
	You can still retake a course if it is a c- .. I didn't have any trouble last year at least, c- limbo grade thing is just a well established myth. (Reply to this)

	solid_snack 2009-12-17 09:25 pm UTC (link)
	I don't think a C- is a killer, but the cut-off varies based on the discipline and program you're applying to. In general, though, if you have a competitive GPA overall, one grade shouldn't matter. (Reply to this)

	(Anonymous) 2009-12-17 09:57 pm UTC (link)
	your life is over. you might as well drop out and kill yourself. (Reply to this)

	(Anonymous) 2009-12-18 03:50 am UTC (link)
	Sleep with professor. (Reply to this)

	ladylena07 2009-12-18 06:42 am UTC (link)
	can you take bis105? its 102 and 103 combined (Reply to this)

(Anonymous)
2009-12-21 04:46 am UTC (link)

you CAN retake a C-. The registrar will be up your butt about it (I got like two snail mail letters per class that I retook) telling you it's an "illegal repeat" but the new grade will show up on your transcript. It won't be included in your UCD GPA but grad schools will calculate things the way they want anyway. I retook two classes I had a C- in for grad school and when I checked with the schools they said, "yeah, retake it, we don't care if it's marked illegal, you have to meet the minimum requirements".

that said, a C- does count for some schools, and the bigger problem for both cases (whether it counts or not) is that the schools are going to want to see other upper division work in the same area to prove that you can handle it.

but I retook two D+ and two C- grades and I still got into professional school.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

_suicidemessiah
2009-12-22 06:31 am UTC (link)

okay so basically if I retake it, it won't replace my GPA grade, but it will be on there that I retook it? I will definitely keep that in mind. I'll also take MCB120L. Plus it'll be a good lab experience.

Do you guys know about transferring units from an out of state school to UCD? I live in NY, so I can come home during the summer and take classes here if I have to, but I'm not sure about credit/grade transfers.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	(Anonymous) 2010-01-12 09:04 am UTC (link)
	I suggest you call UCD Undergraduate Admissions Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. (530) 752-2971. They can answer any questions you have about transfer eligibility. (Reply to this) (Parent)

(Anonymous)
2009-12-25 01:30 pm UTC (link)

I wouldn't bother retaking if you got a C-. Like some other folks said, if you're taking MCB120L, just make sure you do well in it and you'll be okay. I had a D in CHE2A, retook it and got a C-. I got a D+ in CHE118C, retook it and got an A. Still, I got invites to most of the professional/grad schools I applied to and was accepted to my top choice. That being said, all my other science grades were A's and B's, especially in my upper divs, which matter a lot, and also I did pretty well on my admission exam. If you can improve from here and maintain a good GPA, schools will see that. Keep in mind certain schools won't even look a your application if you get anything below a C, so retaking a class wouldn't even help you there. Plus, retaking is ANOTHER 10 weeks of your life studying (and paying) something you hate, and if you do bad again then it just won't look good. So yeah, keep your head up and learn from this. Also, make sure you have a good personal statement and some quality exteacurriculars.

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