should I drop before the final? -- Virtually Advising Q+A

The Q: I am basically barely passing my accounting class. I made an 80 on the first test and I made a 49 on the second test. We have one more test and then the final. I am not one to do badly in class, so I have to figure whether or not to just give up in this class and take it agian next semester. And if I do how will that effect my G.P.A. Should I just try or should I just take it again and make an A in it?

The A: If you're looking for someone to justify you just giving up on the class, you ain't gonna find that person here. Think about it: you've already spent six weeks of your life fighting for a passing grade; why give up when the battle's just getting interesting? :)

Besides, think about the hell you might have to go through retaking the -entire- class. That's a pretty demoralizing experience, and you'll also be costing yourself the chance to take some other class that you might actually enjoy.

I'm not necessarily saying that by no means should you drop this class -- sometimes we weigh all our priorities and decide it's worth it. But take some time and test the waters first: think about whether you really are willing to put yourself through another semester of this course, whether it's worth it to sacrifice a slot that could be taken up by a cooler course in the future, whether passing this class really is out of the realm of possibility. And keep in mind that retaking the class doesn't necessarily guarantee you'll ace it the second time around.

Also, before making any final decision, talk to the prof. S/he is probably just as weirded out as you are by the fact that your grade dropped so dramatically so quickly. Try talking to him/her after class or set up some one-on-one time during office hours. Tell him/her about your concerns, and see if s/he has any advice or can help you do better. Very few profs on this planet want their students to fail (unless they're evil), and you don't sound as though you feel your professor is responsible for your low grade. Talk it over with him/her and see if you can't work something out, maybe get some good advice on how to pick your grade up for the final two tests. Given, you'll still be lucky to finish with anything higher than a C, but it's a lot better than failing, and at any rate your GPA doesn't mean a whole lot unless you've got a merit scholarship or are planning to go to grad school. (besides, one C usually won't totally ruin a GPA.)

—Myles Helfand, General Advisor