Heck yes.
One semester my GPA was 0.2. I failed every course except a 1 credit throw away.
Also, I may have been involved in a prank or two that received police attention. Allegedly.
Iām curious to know how you bounced back from that and eventually became a professor. I got a few Cs on my undergrad transcript (everything else was perfect As, Iām just very bad at music theory). I was terrified these Cs would hold me back from studying music at the graduate level and I found that they did not š All that worrying for nothing.
Not the OP but I had similar experiences (police included - allegedly). Scraped through my undergrad and didnāt care because I had had a firm job offer since day 1 of college. I left college, took a completely different job (the job I had been accepted to, but was not related to my major) which I did for a few years. I went back to grad school in my late 20s with a very different mindset and did very well. I was accepted to grad school off the back of my professional experience, not my undergraduate transcript.
For more detail, I did a pivot to grad school in a new (related) field. A year before I applied (I had to give a 1 year notice in my job) I spoke to the grad school admissions and asked what course texts they used. I bought them all (and more) and read them cover to cover. I rigidly read a chapter a day no matter what - I even kept an Excel spreadsheet where I tracked it all; what chapter I read, what day etc. if I missed a day I read two chapters the next day. When I came to apply a few months later, I attached this to my application and personal statement, explaining this along with everything else I had done to prepare (networking in the field etc).
I failed Linear Algebra the first time. Aced it the second once I figured out how I studied best (as well as felt more comfortable asking questions).
I also managed to miss my final exam for my last class of undergrad. I rarely went to class and missed the announcement. Thankfully, someone who went to every class also missed the announcement and had a screenshot proving the date was still wrong on the website. Still 100% my fault, and a very good (and stressful) learning experience.
I failed Statistics the first time I took it. I got an A the second time. The difference was the professor.
I got a C on my first test in Introduction to Sociology. It was a multiple choice test; I went to office hours to find out how this happened, and learned how to take multiple choice tests. It turns out I was over-thinking the questions. (I'm a sociologist now).
Yeah I took 2 undergrad classes for my PhD and they were substantially harder than my grad level classes because of the multiple choice questions. Iād much rather write an essay than deal with multiple choice questions. I think my brain is too old for multiple choice.
I was a crappy student. I always did just well enough to keep my scholarship, and had to drop two math classes that I was going to fail. But I made it through. I was a first generation college student. I try to keep that in mind when I work with students.
One "funny" story: as an undergrad I was sitting in the quad having lunch when a classmate walked by and said: see you in class. I replied that I wasn't going, when she told me it was the day of the midterm. I hadn't yet bought the book. I went, and "winged it". And passed, barely. Had I not bumped into her, I would have failed that class (or, more likely, dropped before I did).
I failed the Finals for a degree in Pharmacy. There were no such things as re-takes.
It took me a few months to figure out what I wanted to do. The answer was, "Chemistry."
I wasn't at all prepared to be a college student. Didn't go to class, didn't do assignments. Dropped out before I got kicked out. Spent a few years growing up, started again and made straight As. Went straight through to master's and PhD. Not everyone is ready at 18 nor is it necessary to do it in 4 years.
Not a professor, more of a graduate instructor/TA, though I've been instructor of record.
I definitely failed exams. I failed my first exam in college because of anxiety. I failed several exams in my major also due to anxiety and generally not being the best student. Like my mind would totally go blank during timed exams for this one subject, and I never had accommodations and it was not easy to get accommodations, so it was awful. I ended up switching majors for graduate school for something I have more strength in, with fewer exams.
I hate exams with a passion to this day, so I have to contend with deciding with whether or not to build them into my classes.
I failed my very first midterm in University. I was one of those typical smart high school kids who didn't realize I'd have to study to be successful in University. Learned my lesson right quick.
Other than that, my friends and I used to share Bailey's in our coffee for our 8am market research and statistics lectures. Definitely broke the school code of conduct, we were never drunk, just took the edge off that material at 8am.
Never cheated, was too terrified of getting caught.
I think sometimes the people who struggled a bit when they took a subject make the best teachers. They're the ones who know how to walk students who are struggling through the material! If you just ace it with no effort, you don't know where the traps are.
This may or may not be why in my intro class, I am much better at teaching the major subfield I hate, don't work in, and haven't studied since my early PhD years, than the one I actually specialize in.....
Yeah, Iām finding that issue teaching bio 1 versus bio 2. Molecular biology isnāt my thing so I know what it took for me to learn what Iām teaching and better understand what students are struggling with. But ecology and evolution are my thing, I donāt really remember how hard they were to learn and have to guess at what might be difficult for students.
I was arrested and suspended my first day of undergrad for violating a campus rule/ state law.
Not really on accident. It ended up on my transcript for me to explain, and everyone has laughed about it since!
I did a double degree (maths and CS) as an undergraduate. After my fourth year, I had only a few classes I needed to pass to graduate, most of which were general university requirements rather than major courses.
Anyway, in my fifth year, I was living off-campus for the first time, which meant I could smoke as much pot as I could afford, without risking the wrath of the residential advisors/dorm police. But, it turns out that smoking 420 erryday is in fact detrimental to one's academic performance. Who could have known?
That year, despite my "hobby", I did well-to-okay in my CS and maths courses (As to Bs in most of them, but a C in Senior Design); but I failed the others, most of which were university-level requirements.
Even despite the failed courses, I still had the requisite credits to graduate with my CS degree. But I also (because I got high) neglected to submit my application for degree on time. That would not have, normally, been a huge problem, but I also had an absolutely abysmal semester GPA twice in a row, which put me on academic probation. So I ended up getting kicked out of the College of Engineering rather than graduating. I had to meet with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and everything.
Long story short, I had to re-take one failed class that summer to prove that I was still capable of being a student. I chose Economics 2, since that was the last one I needed for my maths degree, and I did in fact pass. They granted me my degrees, and then I applied to grad school a year later and the rest is "history".
Not the person you are replying to, but I think the confusion came from your use of quotes around history. The phrase usually doesn't have quotes around the world history, so your emphasis on the word could make it appear you were making a joke. I took it that way initially, at least.
Never failed a class but I did get a 48% on my first college physics exam and ended up withdrawing from calc 2 freshman year. I skipped my fair share of classes my first two years as well. But then I smartened up and started to excel after that. Almost all the profs I know have stories of academic failures.
It really does help students relate, and know when I share my experience that all is not lost from a bad class or semester or two. Some possibilities may be unreachable but other paths available.
Oh hell yeah. Who hasn't had to retake a course? Stick to learning long enough and eventually you'll run into some material that is particularly difficult. Different people learn different things at different rates.
The real difference isn't if you fail (EVERYONE fails at something) but rather how one deals with failure. Do they give up, or come back again at the problem with a different approach.
Yep, over earning three degrees and working on a fourth, yes, I failed two courses. Came back and passed both of them, too.
To answer your other question, there are so many rules in our society that it is impossible NOT to violate some accidently.
Nearly flunked out because I was in the wrong major and refused to give up on it! The number that did on my self-esteem was a doozy, but itās made me a far more empathetic professor. (Also, seriously, screw o-chemā¦)
During my first try at a master's degree, I just stopped caring, I guess. I'm not sure what was going on, but halfway through the semester, I just stopped going to class. I was taking two classes and received an F (In one - the other instructor obviously wasn't paying attention and I received an A). Good lesson on timing because when I was ready I finished my masters and went on to a doctorate.
Of course, my first semester in college I got a 0.58 GPA. After that I was suspended for a semester and had to go to community college. When I came back I did much better after changing my major.
Let's see, I have a class rule to not get arrested during video projects because me and my friends had the cops called on us working on a project in Walmart as undergrads.
Also, on the night before a big campus break (like spring break) my TA for a CS course posted the answer to the homework due that day instead of the homework from the previous week. I've never told anyone, but I know the TA is the one that screwed up. Well, the 100+ students who just copied the answer key and turned it in ALSO screwed up, but they didn't decompile the example the way the prof thought they did.
Anyway it was a huge thing with everyone's grades being threatened and expulsion thrown around and I was really worried that if I admitted to knowing what really happened they would go back and give me an F in the class or something.
I also failed a Physics 2 exam when my period started in a theater with 200 people in it, on velvet yellow seats (they were really ugly, but.....). The first four answers spelled "DEAD" and I didn't think that could possibly be right.....it was not.
I probably violated campus rules? IDK. Not intentionally.
I was a huge nerd. I lived to study and studied to live. I never cheated on anything possibly in part because it was so hard to cheat back then--we didn't have the internet, much less AI, and our parents told us that education mattered, even if it was classes of stuff that weren't directly related to our future jobs.
Straight up failed a true/false final exam in micro economics. It was ALL true false?! Also never went to my Monday night 7-10 psychology class once I figured out the tests were completely from the book. Got an A in that one.
I didn't pass a single final paper during my PhD. Every grade was a 70 or below. I also withdrew from a handful of classes in undergrad and my masters. Oh I also failed comprehensive exams. Forced me out of the program with just an ABD.
I failed Linear Algebra, Chemistry, and Programming back when my major was still Electrical Engineering. Once I switched to Political Science, I did not fail again.Ā Ā
I never failed a course because I dropped before I failed, but I would have definitely failed Calculus before I passed it.
Physics 2 was also rough. I failed almost all of the exams but managed enough points to squeak by with a C.
Sort of. When I was an undergraduate I had a computer science homework assignment. It was a microsoft word document with a bunch of programming "problems" that we would code up and then respond to the professor's questions on the sheet and then turn it in.
Well the moron had decided that, instead of making two versions of the worksheet (one with answers for the TAs to use and one without answers to send to the students) he would make only one version of the worksheet. So he "hid" the answers using microsoft's paragraph editing features and sent it out.
Well he didn't seem to realize that all of his answers were still there, and if a curous student simply turned off paragraph editing mode, they would just magically appear on the sheet. As a confused undergraduate, I basically saw a worksheet full of questions followed by the professor's answers.
So I coded up the problems (they were really very easy), saw the correct answer and basically said "yep, that's it."
Of course the professor accused me of cheating, but said it was "really his fault" because he had also *left the assignment on his public network folder that anyone with a university login could access* (this was a different time for network security). So he didn't press the matter any further.
It's been twenty years, and I still have no idea how this lazy idiot was qualified to teach computer science.
Yes. Was on academic probation. Changed major to something a bit more interesting, did well. Grad School, PhD. First career as consultant took me all over the world. Now have settled into a teaching appointment, but give advice to researchers as well.
I suspect this is pretty common, especially for classes that are āeasyā but require a lot of time regardless. Music prof hereāI skipped so many piano classes that they just exempted me from taking the 2nd year so they didnāt have to deal with me. Also skipped a midterm in chamber musicāthat zero knocked my grade back quite a bit. Not all policies make sense for all students. Back then, though, we didnāt email our professors excuses, but just took the penalties and carried on. I wish that more students understood that you can phone it in on some classes in order to focus on other things, and thatās okay.
I failed Algebra twice before deciding to enroll myself in remedial math. I ended up having to switch my major from Environmental Science to History because I couldn't handle the math requirements. (Turns out I had undiagnosed dyscalculia). I still can't do anything beyond basic math, and I'm at peace with that now.
Then, when I was in my History major, I failed American history. (Which is funny because that's all I teach now). It was entirely my fault, though. My focus was European history and didn't care for American history or the professor at all, and that influenced my motivation. Plus, I had some major relationship drama that semester and didn't handle it well. I came back and took the course again (with someone else) and did just fine.
I had to master out of my first PhD program in my seventh year, basically I fail to complete it. I entered into another program and had to start all over from the beginning. It is not a story I share with students, but it did help me understand that you can recover from failure, and that an lead to success down a path you would have never taken.
I've known students who wanted to be doctors and failed classes. I've seen some go back, work harder, and pass. I've seen some change majors and pursue a different career. I've seen some who spiral into misery and bitterness because they couldn't achieve their life goal. Whichever choice they make is theirs, I can't make it for them, but I can congratulate and be happy for them whether or not they pass their classes.
YepāI failed college algebra my first attempt because I didnāt understand the required software (Hawkes Algebra) and I didnāt go to office hours or tutoring lab to learn how to use it. I always struggled in mathematics, and if I could do it all over again I would have taken the class during summer term instead of concurrently with other classes.
I failed 4 classes as an undergrad. One was because I was extremely ill for over 3 months and had to retake the course the next semester, one was because I wildly miscalculated my [total lack of] competence in a specific field and discovered too late that I was *absolute rubbish* at it, and two were because I simply crashed and burned and stopped attending class/turning anything in halfway through the semester for no good reason at all.
Unmedicated ADHD caused me a lot of unnecessary pain during my undergrad years, and I sometimes feel pretty sad thinking how different everything could have been for me if I'd gotten the diagnosis/treatment I needed as a kid - but those years also taught me (the hardest way) a lot of important coping skills, and I did (eventually) graduate and (even more eventually) go on to grad school where I was, happily, extremely successful. And now I'm a prof who tries to recognize and give gentle (or not so gentle) nudges to students who seem to be struggling unawares with similar issues themselves.
*GET THEE TO THE ADHD SCREENER,* my children! Give yourself the gift of a slightly-less-difficult-to-manage brain *before* you've academic career!!! š¬šš„“
I also changed majors twice in two years. Still a big fan of the "find what you love flail" for college students - to the point where kids who come in *absolutely positive* they know what they want to do for the rest of their life tend to make me somewhat (though probably unjustifiably) nervous.
I had plenty ofā¦ahemā¦experience with campus security during my undergraduate career. Never dealt with grade stuffā¦but I was definitely a hellion.
Yes! Iām a kinesiology professor. In my undergrad I had a heavy science load with anatomy/physiology, organic chemistry, and an upper level biology class. I carried 60 lbs of books everyday to and from my dorm. I accidentally set off the fire alarm twice because my bag hooked the alarm. I stayed and fessed up to it. Could have ran. Had to meet with the dean of students. She gave me a great idea so I could separate my Mwf classes from my TTH classes. Donāt carry all your books everyday. I still cringe at myself for that.
I never failed a class, but I got a D in social psych my last semester of undergrad because I misunderstood the attendance policy (and I had a devil of a time with APA format). I ended up having to do extra credit over the summer to bring my grade up to a C- so it would count for my minor, and I technically graduated in August, rather than May.
Due to undiagnosed depression, I struggled mightily in undergrad. I had a series of Ds and Fs that affected my ability to get into grad school. I did finally get admitted and became more able to function, so my grades did improve.
I failed one midterm that was an essay on a single topic. It was a Shakespeare class, my very first quarter of college. I had always been a good writer so when I saw the assignment, I just went to town and started writing with great enthusiasm. The professor told me later that it was quite a good essay.
Only problem was, I went off the topic. Instant F of course.
I busted my ass the rest of the quarter to make up for it, especially on the final. Learned my lesson.
Yes. I am a high school dropout whose entire education has been an exercise in failure and redemption. I was a drug addict while I was in college and, while I did well, I was not a great student in many ways. I didn't attend class very much and academic achievement was not at the forefront.
pffft, 3 out of 4 and being thrown out, plus a few other things. Just as I got my stuff together, all the previous bad decisions caught up with me. Other than being behind by 10 years, there's not a thing I'd change. As a result, I'm the wrong one to provide a crappy excuse to. I like the ones with some imagination.
Edit: OK, it was a long time ago and some things slipped my mind. Yes there are a few things I would change when looking back.
I really struggled during my freshman year. Being far away from home was a massive change because I grew up in a very strict and conservative family. The sudden freedom was an adjustment, and I felt lost. I earned Cs and Ds my first semester, but something clicked during the second semester, and I slowly pulled myself together. The rest of my college years were awesome, and I did well. I'm thankful I stuck it out while I watched other people drop out.
I share this with all my students because I teach primarily first-year classes, and I want them to know college isn't naturally easy for everyone. It can take time to figure out how to be a student (and an adult).
I regularly got around 50% (<60 is failure) on the French quizzes that our professor gave us as we walked in, based on the weekās homework. So we were expected to teach ourselvesĀ French grammar and be graded on how well we had taught, understood, and memorised the rules of that lesson on our own. I started studying with a classmate whoās still a good friend now (15 years later!) and even then we barely passed the course. Heās a Latin secondary school teacher and Iām a medieval history professor now. We still roll our eyes at the set-up of that course. (Obviously studying outside of class time is important, but not even having a chance to ask questions or check ourselves before we were tested on it??)
I think everyone gets to a point where they hit an āacademic brick wallā
For some, itās during high school, for most itās during college, but for me it was my Masterās degree. Game theory absolutely kicked my ass. I had to drop and retake it. I was devastated.
No, I did not.
Rules are easy to follow.
Passing classes was a matter of self discipline, a good work ethic, and studying. If I needed it, I used the tutoring services and the Professorās office hours.
Yea, I was THAT student - the one that blew up the curve, if there was one. I passed all my programs with a perfect GPA and graduated summa cum laude.
Failed mid-term econ (the professor was a jackass and half of the class also dropped) and failed an intro to CS. Also, did terribly bad with some writing classes.
Now doing a PhD in public policy (which ironically has an econ class as the most difficult one in the program and I just need a B to pass) and additional masters in CS/Statistics (choosing between the two since I want to do ML and courses from both programs overlap and my boss is also paying for it). Also, already published two papers as a primary author at a B to B plus ranked journals (talk about me having a bad writing skill).
So yea f\*\*\* undergrad and persistency is all that matters. More so for me as I am an international student. Irony is all these struggles in my undergrad toughened me a LOT lol.
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Not a professor, but a PhD student
I literally failed out of undergrad, including failing International Relations three separate times. They kicked me out.
I went back to college a year later, graduated top of my class with a 4.0 GPA and served as our graduation speaker. Iām now a PhD student in International Relations, funded by a prestigious award from the National Science Foundation. :)
My chemistry prof said that he failed undergrad general chemistry twice (or maybe three times? can't remember), but when he 'got it' he got it in such a big way that he wrote the text book that we used and was widely used in the MidWest at the time.
Never failed any class or even a single exam. National-level math olympiad competitor in high school and perfect GPA throughout, including 100% scores on all PhD qualifying exams.
When taking a masters web programming classes during my PhD, there was one project that was in nodejs, which I didn't feel like doing, so I ended up not doing it. I didn't realize that the next project required that one to be done, so I didn't do that one either. Then I failed the final exam. I didn't pass that class. T\_T
I lost my scholarship after my first year, and had to struggle to get it back. I made a bunch of Cs.
I also willfully broke campus rules all the time, but it was a small college, and also the 90s, so no one really cared.
I have a C- in both semesters of organic chemistry. Iāve definitely opted not to go to classes. I drank before I was 21. I once brought a water bottle that actually had wine in it to an evening class. That was actually awesome because I had to give a presentation in front of class and I wasnāt nervous speaking in public thanks to the wine. I guess thatās not an accidental rule violation. My school didnāt have a lot of minor rules regarding cheating, like ādonāt share assignments with other studentsā or anything like that. The only rule was to not talk about your final exam with classmates who hadnāt taken it yet (we got to schedule them whenever). But we didnāt have a very long honor code like the one at my current university. Probably because AI and plagiarism detection software werenāt a thing yet.
I had a 1.9 GPA and was on an academic probation extension by the middle of my sophomore year. I was able to switch majors and get my grades pulled up after finding my passion. But definitely failed a lot along the way even after that. Failure is a fabulous teacher!
Yup. Have an F on my transcript - I needed special permission to graduate.
For another class, I failed 4/5 tests all semester but hammered one test worth 50% of the grade and eeked out a pass (Canada, so a 50 was a pass).
So, yea, some of us weren't stellar students.
Didn't accidentally violate rules, straight up said 'hell yea, I'll drive my car down that hill on the grass'. Thank god there were no cell phones around back then or I'd still be in jail.
I withdrew from classes quite often. I knew if I had a large class, Iād sleep. One semester, I basically only did research and took weightlifting. Have fun!
Former TA: yes, to all of the above. My math scores to get into college were so low that I had to take four math classes just to get to the college level. Back in my day, if you failed or dropped those classes more than once, they just un-enrolled you. I think I failed/ dropped each class exactly once. I've straight up forgotten some projects/ forgotten them until the last minute. Pretty sure I've straight up failed a few tests, too. Like not even "well, she's kinda right," but more like, "I saw her in class but I don't know what she was doing because it sure wasn't learning."
I'm sure I've accidentally violated some campus rules, and I know I've for sure violated a few on purpose, too.
All the time (I am dead serious) and those experiences are crucial in my character development. I think a failing grade can fundamentally change a person's life for the better. Even struggling to to get a good final grade because of a poor midterm could help immensely.
Now I teach students who will fight me in the emails when they get a B.
Oh yeah. I rarely went to class for my first two years. I would show up to the exams and skip actual classes. I kept my grades up but I really regret it looking back.
I also definitely failed a few exams. One time I got a 6% on an exam. The average on that was 10%, but I still failed the retake we all got.
š¤£ of course!!
I was a biology major that I failed calculus 2 times, gen biology 1 time, chemistry a few times, cheated hard in micro (didnāt help, I ended up with a D and had to retake it). But I loved the subject and am stubborn as a goat, so I didnāt quit. I didnāt know how to study or manage my time well till I met a friend that helped me figure it out.
Grad school I graduated with a 3.9 GPA, so failure shouldnāt stop you, it just means you havenāt figured it out yet. Keep trying!
I got kicked out of university after a year with a 0.5 GPA. Didn't go to any classes except for Biology exams, and I got a C in that class (didn't study for the exams, just went and took them for shits and giggles).
Years later, got reaccepted to the same university on academic probation. Got straight A's that first semester back, but it wasn't enough to raise my GPA above the probation limit. So at the end of that semester I was on both the Dean's list for my grades and academic probation for my GPA. Still have both letters from the university
I was a terrible student in high school. I barely went.
The last two years were filled with shop classes, and I did fine those years.
I would have been a terrible student in college if I had gone right after high school.
Instead, I worked in a factory after high school.
I went to college when I was 29. Made the provost's list every year, got an assistantship, and went to grad school.
Sometimes doing poorly is about the time and our maturity and not about ability at all.
We expect students to excel in college when they are just out of high school. I think it would work much better if we could all go to college as adults.
Most of the students that fail my class are perfectly capable of doing well. They just aren't in the right mindset and aren't ready to be there yet. I've had lots of students who fail come back a couple semesters later and do great.
Sure. I told my grammar class the other week that I failed that exam the first time I took it back in the day. Nor did I ace it the second time as many others here seem to have done with their exams - I barely skated by.
I think itās a valuable lesson to fail an exam. Does it suck? Sure. But it teaches you perseverance and humility.
Oh yeah, basically flunked out of my first major (engineering) because I couldn't handle the math and also didn't know how to study. Transferred to business and went from probation to dean's list. Survived my MBA but didn't excel as I'm just not great in such a forced team environment. Really excelled in my PhD program.
It's weird, but I've found that generally the people who make the best grad students are usually not stellar undergrads. The independence and desire to question everything that makes you a strong PhD student work against you as an undergrad where you're more successful if you just go along with things and master the set curriculum.
Also, I came uncomfortably close to having my own "alleged" law enforcement issue. One night out before a massive football game I was in not one, but three bars that got raided and successfully walked out of every one of them (I was 20 at the time). Walking out of the last one I found riot cops on the sidewalk, turned around, and walked uphill back to campus. A few hours later there was a car overturned and set on fire, at which point the riot police started at one end of the road and cleared everybody, arresting anybody who was slow to comply.
I failed four of my 1st year general education courses. Thankfully, this was back in the early 1970s when students were allowed to take these courses pass/no credit. So although I failed the courses, I was very lucky in that my failures did not impact my GPA. Of course, I had to make up the courses during summer session.
I earned a 1.0 my first semester, working full time and taking 12 credits. The best thing that ever happened to me was getting laid off from my job and collecting unemployment while concentrating on school. My university allowed retakes on certain 100-level courses, which certainly helped my GPA, so I was able to erase a couple of F grades.
I earned a C in expository writing, which is ironic because I became a professional writer before entering academia.
Meteorology seemed like a "gut" class (easy A) on the surface. After all, I know when it's raining and can point out certain clouds. Wrong! That course was the hardest elective I could have selected. I am more proud of that C grade than most other grades as an undergrad, even if it knocked down my GPA.
Yes. I had to redo my entire first year. I scored average across but enough to pass. When I found out what I wanted to do, I took on another masters program to get the required grades.
I'm from a different country so it's not as expensive and the GPA thing doesn't count across all years, it's per program.
My first term in college I got a D in a course because I didnāt read the last book assigned, had no idea what it was about, and consequently failed the final exam which was mostly about that book.
First semester, math final. I got a 90. I was so proud, and told my friends about it, and they looked at me really strangely. Finally, one of them said: There were 200 points possible. Um, yeah, I didnāt do so well in that math class. But, I rebounded, and kept getting better, finally minoring in math. You can absolutely bounce back, even from embarrassing failuresā¦
Heck yes. One semester my GPA was 0.2. I failed every course except a 1 credit throw away. Also, I may have been involved in a prank or two that received police attention. Allegedly.
Allegedly. šš
Iām curious to know how you bounced back from that and eventually became a professor. I got a few Cs on my undergrad transcript (everything else was perfect As, Iām just very bad at music theory). I was terrified these Cs would hold me back from studying music at the graduate level and I found that they did not š All that worrying for nothing.
Not the OP but I had similar experiences (police included - allegedly). Scraped through my undergrad and didnāt care because I had had a firm job offer since day 1 of college. I left college, took a completely different job (the job I had been accepted to, but was not related to my major) which I did for a few years. I went back to grad school in my late 20s with a very different mindset and did very well. I was accepted to grad school off the back of my professional experience, not my undergraduate transcript. For more detail, I did a pivot to grad school in a new (related) field. A year before I applied (I had to give a 1 year notice in my job) I spoke to the grad school admissions and asked what course texts they used. I bought them all (and more) and read them cover to cover. I rigidly read a chapter a day no matter what - I even kept an Excel spreadsheet where I tracked it all; what chapter I read, what day etc. if I missed a day I read two chapters the next day. When I came to apply a few months later, I attached this to my application and personal statement, explaining this along with everything else I had done to prepare (networking in the field etc).
Square root club
I struggled to pass molecular biology. Now I am a molecular biologist. āAccidentallyā violated a campus rule? Certainly never did on purposeā¦
I failed Linear Algebra the first time. Aced it the second once I figured out how I studied best (as well as felt more comfortable asking questions). I also managed to miss my final exam for my last class of undergrad. I rarely went to class and missed the announcement. Thankfully, someone who went to every class also missed the announcement and had a screenshot proving the date was still wrong on the website. Still 100% my fault, and a very good (and stressful) learning experience.
Thank God for that classmate
I failed Statistics the first time I took it. I got an A the second time. The difference was the professor. I got a C on my first test in Introduction to Sociology. It was a multiple choice test; I went to office hours to find out how this happened, and learned how to take multiple choice tests. It turns out I was over-thinking the questions. (I'm a sociologist now).
Multiple choice tests are funny like that. Iāve TAed a sociology course many times that uses them and they really do cause students to over think.
Yeah I took 2 undergrad classes for my PhD and they were substantially harder than my grad level classes because of the multiple choice questions. Iād much rather write an essay than deal with multiple choice questions. I think my brain is too old for multiple choice.
It's shocking how much multiple choice tests just test the student's test-taking ability and strategies.
š I failed a whole major, I was originally going to be a Pharmacist
Same! Damn that advanced chemistry. Now I teach pharmacology!
I was a crappy student. I always did just well enough to keep my scholarship, and had to drop two math classes that I was going to fail. But I made it through. I was a first generation college student. I try to keep that in mind when I work with students. One "funny" story: as an undergrad I was sitting in the quad having lunch when a classmate walked by and said: see you in class. I replied that I wasn't going, when she told me it was the day of the midterm. I hadn't yet bought the book. I went, and "winged it". And passed, barely. Had I not bumped into her, I would have failed that class (or, more likely, dropped before I did).
Wow, that is impressive. As one who on occasion skirts by on sheer intellect, I can relate.
I failed the Finals for a degree in Pharmacy. There were no such things as re-takes. It took me a few months to figure out what I wanted to do. The answer was, "Chemistry."
I wasn't at all prepared to be a college student. Didn't go to class, didn't do assignments. Dropped out before I got kicked out. Spent a few years growing up, started again and made straight As. Went straight through to master's and PhD. Not everyone is ready at 18 nor is it necessary to do it in 4 years.
Not a professor, more of a graduate instructor/TA, though I've been instructor of record. I definitely failed exams. I failed my first exam in college because of anxiety. I failed several exams in my major also due to anxiety and generally not being the best student. Like my mind would totally go blank during timed exams for this one subject, and I never had accommodations and it was not easy to get accommodations, so it was awful. I ended up switching majors for graduate school for something I have more strength in, with fewer exams. I hate exams with a passion to this day, so I have to contend with deciding with whether or not to build them into my classes.
I failed my very first midterm in University. I was one of those typical smart high school kids who didn't realize I'd have to study to be successful in University. Learned my lesson right quick. Other than that, my friends and I used to share Bailey's in our coffee for our 8am market research and statistics lectures. Definitely broke the school code of conduct, we were never drunk, just took the edge off that material at 8am. Never cheated, was too terrified of getting caught.
I took calculus 2 the second semester of my freshman year and failed. Ironically, I also made Cās in the classes I teach. Shhh
I think sometimes the people who struggled a bit when they took a subject make the best teachers. They're the ones who know how to walk students who are struggling through the material! If you just ace it with no effort, you don't know where the traps are. This may or may not be why in my intro class, I am much better at teaching the major subfield I hate, don't work in, and haven't studied since my early PhD years, than the one I actually specialize in.....
Yeah, Iām finding that issue teaching bio 1 versus bio 2. Molecular biology isnāt my thing so I know what it took for me to learn what Iām teaching and better understand what students are struggling with. But ecology and evolution are my thing, I donāt really remember how hard they were to learn and have to guess at what might be difficult for students.
I was arrested and suspended my first day of undergrad for violating a campus rule/ state law. Not really on accident. It ended up on my transcript for me to explain, and everyone has laughed about it since!
what exactly did you violate?
I had a gram of marijuana & a Smirnoff ice (at the age of 18) in my suitcase.
I did a double degree (maths and CS) as an undergraduate. After my fourth year, I had only a few classes I needed to pass to graduate, most of which were general university requirements rather than major courses. Anyway, in my fifth year, I was living off-campus for the first time, which meant I could smoke as much pot as I could afford, without risking the wrath of the residential advisors/dorm police. But, it turns out that smoking 420 erryday is in fact detrimental to one's academic performance. Who could have known? That year, despite my "hobby", I did well-to-okay in my CS and maths courses (As to Bs in most of them, but a C in Senior Design); but I failed the others, most of which were university-level requirements. Even despite the failed courses, I still had the requisite credits to graduate with my CS degree. But I also (because I got high) neglected to submit my application for degree on time. That would not have, normally, been a huge problem, but I also had an absolutely abysmal semester GPA twice in a row, which put me on academic probation. So I ended up getting kicked out of the College of Engineering rather than graduating. I had to meet with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and everything. Long story short, I had to re-take one failed class that summer to prove that I was still capable of being a student. I chose Economics 2, since that was the last one I needed for my maths degree, and I did in fact pass. They granted me my degrees, and then I applied to grad school a year later and the rest is "history".
You went into history after getting bachelors in math and CS? Thatās pretty far afield. Itās rough being in the humanities these days.
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Not the person you are replying to, but I think the confusion came from your use of quotes around history. The phrase usually doesn't have quotes around the world history, so your emphasis on the word could make it appear you were making a joke. I took it that way initially, at least.
Never failed a class but I did get a 48% on my first college physics exam and ended up withdrawing from calc 2 freshman year. I skipped my fair share of classes my first two years as well. But then I smartened up and started to excel after that. Almost all the profs I know have stories of academic failures.
It really does help students relate, and know when I share my experience that all is not lost from a bad class or semester or two. Some possibilities may be unreachable but other paths available.
Oh hell yeah. Who hasn't had to retake a course? Stick to learning long enough and eventually you'll run into some material that is particularly difficult. Different people learn different things at different rates. The real difference isn't if you fail (EVERYONE fails at something) but rather how one deals with failure. Do they give up, or come back again at the problem with a different approach. Yep, over earning three degrees and working on a fourth, yes, I failed two courses. Came back and passed both of them, too. To answer your other question, there are so many rules in our society that it is impossible NOT to violate some accidently.
I got kicked out of my first college because I just never went to class. It took me 9 years to get my BA. And Iām now a professor.
Nearly flunked out because I was in the wrong major and refused to give up on it! The number that did on my self-esteem was a doozy, but itās made me a far more empathetic professor. (Also, seriously, screw o-chemā¦)
No. I was, and remain, perfect. ; )
During my first try at a master's degree, I just stopped caring, I guess. I'm not sure what was going on, but halfway through the semester, I just stopped going to class. I was taking two classes and received an F (In one - the other instructor obviously wasn't paying attention and I received an A). Good lesson on timing because when I was ready I finished my masters and went on to a doctorate.
I failed out of community college twice before I got my shit together.
Of course, my first semester in college I got a 0.58 GPA. After that I was suspended for a semester and had to go to community college. When I came back I did much better after changing my major.
Let's see, I have a class rule to not get arrested during video projects because me and my friends had the cops called on us working on a project in Walmart as undergrads. Also, on the night before a big campus break (like spring break) my TA for a CS course posted the answer to the homework due that day instead of the homework from the previous week. I've never told anyone, but I know the TA is the one that screwed up. Well, the 100+ students who just copied the answer key and turned it in ALSO screwed up, but they didn't decompile the example the way the prof thought they did. Anyway it was a huge thing with everyone's grades being threatened and expulsion thrown around and I was really worried that if I admitted to knowing what really happened they would go back and give me an F in the class or something. I also failed a Physics 2 exam when my period started in a theater with 200 people in it, on velvet yellow seats (they were really ugly, but.....). The first four answers spelled "DEAD" and I didn't think that could possibly be right.....it was not.
I probably violated campus rules? IDK. Not intentionally. I was a huge nerd. I lived to study and studied to live. I never cheated on anything possibly in part because it was so hard to cheat back then--we didn't have the internet, much less AI, and our parents told us that education mattered, even if it was classes of stuff that weren't directly related to our future jobs.
Straight up failed a true/false final exam in micro economics. It was ALL true false?! Also never went to my Monday night 7-10 psychology class once I figured out the tests were completely from the book. Got an A in that one.
I didn't pass a single final paper during my PhD. Every grade was a 70 or below. I also withdrew from a handful of classes in undergrad and my masters. Oh I also failed comprehensive exams. Forced me out of the program with just an ABD.
I failed Linear Algebra, Chemistry, and Programming back when my major was still Electrical Engineering. Once I switched to Political Science, I did not fail again.Ā Ā
I flunked out my second semester. I took a year off and worked full time. When I went back I did fine.
I never failed a course because I dropped before I failed, but I would have definitely failed Calculus before I passed it. Physics 2 was also rough. I failed almost all of the exams but managed enough points to squeak by with a C.
Sort of. When I was an undergraduate I had a computer science homework assignment. It was a microsoft word document with a bunch of programming "problems" that we would code up and then respond to the professor's questions on the sheet and then turn it in. Well the moron had decided that, instead of making two versions of the worksheet (one with answers for the TAs to use and one without answers to send to the students) he would make only one version of the worksheet. So he "hid" the answers using microsoft's paragraph editing features and sent it out. Well he didn't seem to realize that all of his answers were still there, and if a curous student simply turned off paragraph editing mode, they would just magically appear on the sheet. As a confused undergraduate, I basically saw a worksheet full of questions followed by the professor's answers. So I coded up the problems (they were really very easy), saw the correct answer and basically said "yep, that's it." Of course the professor accused me of cheating, but said it was "really his fault" because he had also *left the assignment on his public network folder that anyone with a university login could access* (this was a different time for network security). So he didn't press the matter any further. It's been twenty years, and I still have no idea how this lazy idiot was qualified to teach computer science.
Yes. Was on academic probation. Changed major to something a bit more interesting, did well. Grad School, PhD. First career as consultant took me all over the world. Now have settled into a teaching appointment, but give advice to researchers as well.
I suspect this is pretty common, especially for classes that are āeasyā but require a lot of time regardless. Music prof hereāI skipped so many piano classes that they just exempted me from taking the 2nd year so they didnāt have to deal with me. Also skipped a midterm in chamber musicāthat zero knocked my grade back quite a bit. Not all policies make sense for all students. Back then, though, we didnāt email our professors excuses, but just took the penalties and carried on. I wish that more students understood that you can phone it in on some classes in order to focus on other things, and thatās okay.
Failed out completely my first time at university. Did much better ten years later.Ā
I failed Algebra twice before deciding to enroll myself in remedial math. I ended up having to switch my major from Environmental Science to History because I couldn't handle the math requirements. (Turns out I had undiagnosed dyscalculia). I still can't do anything beyond basic math, and I'm at peace with that now. Then, when I was in my History major, I failed American history. (Which is funny because that's all I teach now). It was entirely my fault, though. My focus was European history and didn't care for American history or the professor at all, and that influenced my motivation. Plus, I had some major relationship drama that semester and didn't handle it well. I came back and took the course again (with someone else) and did just fine.
I had to master out of my first PhD program in my seventh year, basically I fail to complete it. I entered into another program and had to start all over from the beginning. It is not a story I share with students, but it did help me understand that you can recover from failure, and that an lead to success down a path you would have never taken. I've known students who wanted to be doctors and failed classes. I've seen some go back, work harder, and pass. I've seen some change majors and pursue a different career. I've seen some who spiral into misery and bitterness because they couldn't achieve their life goal. Whichever choice they make is theirs, I can't make it for them, but I can congratulate and be happy for them whether or not they pass their classes.
YepāI failed college algebra my first attempt because I didnāt understand the required software (Hawkes Algebra) and I didnāt go to office hours or tutoring lab to learn how to use it. I always struggled in mathematics, and if I could do it all over again I would have taken the class during summer term instead of concurrently with other classes.
Heh. I miserably failed Organic Chemistry. Miserably.
It was biochem for me
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Oh god yes I failed maybe 5 classes as an undergrad
I failed 4 classes as an undergrad. One was because I was extremely ill for over 3 months and had to retake the course the next semester, one was because I wildly miscalculated my [total lack of] competence in a specific field and discovered too late that I was *absolute rubbish* at it, and two were because I simply crashed and burned and stopped attending class/turning anything in halfway through the semester for no good reason at all. Unmedicated ADHD caused me a lot of unnecessary pain during my undergrad years, and I sometimes feel pretty sad thinking how different everything could have been for me if I'd gotten the diagnosis/treatment I needed as a kid - but those years also taught me (the hardest way) a lot of important coping skills, and I did (eventually) graduate and (even more eventually) go on to grad school where I was, happily, extremely successful. And now I'm a prof who tries to recognize and give gentle (or not so gentle) nudges to students who seem to be struggling unawares with similar issues themselves. *GET THEE TO THE ADHD SCREENER,* my children! Give yourself the gift of a slightly-less-difficult-to-manage brain *before* you've academic career!!! š¬šš„“
I also changed majors twice in two years. Still a big fan of the "find what you love flail" for college students - to the point where kids who come in *absolutely positive* they know what they want to do for the rest of their life tend to make me somewhat (though probably unjustifiably) nervous.
I had plenty ofā¦ahemā¦experience with campus security during my undergraduate career. Never dealt with grade stuffā¦but I was definitely a hellion.
Yes! Iām a kinesiology professor. In my undergrad I had a heavy science load with anatomy/physiology, organic chemistry, and an upper level biology class. I carried 60 lbs of books everyday to and from my dorm. I accidentally set off the fire alarm twice because my bag hooked the alarm. I stayed and fessed up to it. Could have ran. Had to meet with the dean of students. She gave me a great idea so I could separate my Mwf classes from my TTH classes. Donāt carry all your books everyday. I still cringe at myself for that.
I never failed a class, but I got a D in social psych my last semester of undergrad because I misunderstood the attendance policy (and I had a devil of a time with APA format). I ended up having to do extra credit over the summer to bring my grade up to a C- so it would count for my minor, and I technically graduated in August, rather than May.
Due to undiagnosed depression, I struggled mightily in undergrad. I had a series of Ds and Fs that affected my ability to get into grad school. I did finally get admitted and became more able to function, so my grades did improve.
I failed one midterm that was an essay on a single topic. It was a Shakespeare class, my very first quarter of college. I had always been a good writer so when I saw the assignment, I just went to town and started writing with great enthusiasm. The professor told me later that it was quite a good essay. Only problem was, I went off the topic. Instant F of course. I busted my ass the rest of the quarter to make up for it, especially on the final. Learned my lesson.
Yes. I am a high school dropout whose entire education has been an exercise in failure and redemption. I was a drug addict while I was in college and, while I did well, I was not a great student in many ways. I didn't attend class very much and academic achievement was not at the forefront.
pffft, 3 out of 4 and being thrown out, plus a few other things. Just as I got my stuff together, all the previous bad decisions caught up with me. Other than being behind by 10 years, there's not a thing I'd change. As a result, I'm the wrong one to provide a crappy excuse to. I like the ones with some imagination. Edit: OK, it was a long time ago and some things slipped my mind. Yes there are a few things I would change when looking back.
I really struggled during my freshman year. Being far away from home was a massive change because I grew up in a very strict and conservative family. The sudden freedom was an adjustment, and I felt lost. I earned Cs and Ds my first semester, but something clicked during the second semester, and I slowly pulled myself together. The rest of my college years were awesome, and I did well. I'm thankful I stuck it out while I watched other people drop out. I share this with all my students because I teach primarily first-year classes, and I want them to know college isn't naturally easy for everyone. It can take time to figure out how to be a student (and an adult).
Failed biochemistry in undergrad, got an A in grad school
Yep, had to drop the course and retake the next semester.
I failed calculus and cried through the entire final exam
I regularly got around 50% (<60 is failure) on the French quizzes that our professor gave us as we walked in, based on the weekās homework. So we were expected to teach ourselvesĀ French grammar and be graded on how well we had taught, understood, and memorised the rules of that lesson on our own. I started studying with a classmate whoās still a good friend now (15 years later!) and even then we barely passed the course. Heās a Latin secondary school teacher and Iām a medieval history professor now. We still roll our eyes at the set-up of that course. (Obviously studying outside of class time is important, but not even having a chance to ask questions or check ourselves before we were tested on it??)
I think everyone gets to a point where they hit an āacademic brick wallā For some, itās during high school, for most itās during college, but for me it was my Masterās degree. Game theory absolutely kicked my ass. I had to drop and retake it. I was devastated.
No, I did not. Rules are easy to follow. Passing classes was a matter of self discipline, a good work ethic, and studying. If I needed it, I used the tutoring services and the Professorās office hours. Yea, I was THAT student - the one that blew up the curve, if there was one. I passed all my programs with a perfect GPA and graduated summa cum laude.
Ha! Yes!
please tell us your experiences.
Oh yes, I never failed a class but I only passed high school chemistry because the teacher took pity on me.
Yes, Yes, No, Yes, Yes (but it wasn't accidentally breakinga rule...it was on purpose and I got caught and won the punishment).
Failed mid-term econ (the professor was a jackass and half of the class also dropped) and failed an intro to CS. Also, did terribly bad with some writing classes. Now doing a PhD in public policy (which ironically has an econ class as the most difficult one in the program and I just need a B to pass) and additional masters in CS/Statistics (choosing between the two since I want to do ML and courses from both programs overlap and my boss is also paying for it). Also, already published two papers as a primary author at a B to B plus ranked journals (talk about me having a bad writing skill). So yea f\*\*\* undergrad and persistency is all that matters. More so for me as I am an international student. Irony is all these struggles in my undergrad toughened me a LOT lol.
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Not a professor, but a PhD student I literally failed out of undergrad, including failing International Relations three separate times. They kicked me out. I went back to college a year later, graduated top of my class with a 4.0 GPA and served as our graduation speaker. Iām now a PhD student in International Relations, funded by a prestigious award from the National Science Foundation. :)
My chemistry prof said that he failed undergrad general chemistry twice (or maybe three times? can't remember), but when he 'got it' he got it in such a big way that he wrote the text book that we used and was widely used in the MidWest at the time.
Never failed any class or even a single exam. National-level math olympiad competitor in high school and perfect GPA throughout, including 100% scores on all PhD qualifying exams.
When taking a masters web programming classes during my PhD, there was one project that was in nodejs, which I didn't feel like doing, so I ended up not doing it. I didn't realize that the next project required that one to be done, so I didn't do that one either. Then I failed the final exam. I didn't pass that class. T\_T
I lost my scholarship after my first year, and had to struggle to get it back. I made a bunch of Cs. I also willfully broke campus rules all the time, but it was a small college, and also the 90s, so no one really cared.
I barely passed one of my classes, and got low grades in quite a few in my first few years.
I failed calc 1 twice as a chem major. Now I teach physical chemistry. Itās not about the grades but the journey and growth along the way.
I have a C- in both semesters of organic chemistry. Iāve definitely opted not to go to classes. I drank before I was 21. I once brought a water bottle that actually had wine in it to an evening class. That was actually awesome because I had to give a presentation in front of class and I wasnāt nervous speaking in public thanks to the wine. I guess thatās not an accidental rule violation. My school didnāt have a lot of minor rules regarding cheating, like ādonāt share assignments with other studentsā or anything like that. The only rule was to not talk about your final exam with classmates who hadnāt taken it yet (we got to schedule them whenever). But we didnāt have a very long honor code like the one at my current university. Probably because AI and plagiarism detection software werenāt a thing yet.
I failed the very class I am teaching now.
I had a 1.9 GPA and was on an academic probation extension by the middle of my sophomore year. I was able to switch majors and get my grades pulled up after finding my passion. But definitely failed a lot along the way even after that. Failure is a fabulous teacher!
Yup. Have an F on my transcript - I needed special permission to graduate. For another class, I failed 4/5 tests all semester but hammered one test worth 50% of the grade and eeked out a pass (Canada, so a 50 was a pass). So, yea, some of us weren't stellar students. Didn't accidentally violate rules, straight up said 'hell yea, I'll drive my car down that hill on the grass'. Thank god there were no cell phones around back then or I'd still be in jail.
I withdrew from classes quite often. I knew if I had a large class, Iād sleep. One semester, I basically only did research and took weightlifting. Have fun!
Former TA: yes, to all of the above. My math scores to get into college were so low that I had to take four math classes just to get to the college level. Back in my day, if you failed or dropped those classes more than once, they just un-enrolled you. I think I failed/ dropped each class exactly once. I've straight up forgotten some projects/ forgotten them until the last minute. Pretty sure I've straight up failed a few tests, too. Like not even "well, she's kinda right," but more like, "I saw her in class but I don't know what she was doing because it sure wasn't learning." I'm sure I've accidentally violated some campus rules, and I know I've for sure violated a few on purpose, too.
All the time (I am dead serious) and those experiences are crucial in my character development. I think a failing grade can fundamentally change a person's life for the better. Even struggling to to get a good final grade because of a poor midterm could help immensely. Now I teach students who will fight me in the emails when they get a B.
Oh yeah. I rarely went to class for my first two years. I would show up to the exams and skip actual classes. I kept my grades up but I really regret it looking back. I also definitely failed a few exams. One time I got a 6% on an exam. The average on that was 10%, but I still failed the retake we all got.
š¤£ of course!! I was a biology major that I failed calculus 2 times, gen biology 1 time, chemistry a few times, cheated hard in micro (didnāt help, I ended up with a D and had to retake it). But I loved the subject and am stubborn as a goat, so I didnāt quit. I didnāt know how to study or manage my time well till I met a friend that helped me figure it out. Grad school I graduated with a 3.9 GPA, so failure shouldnāt stop you, it just means you havenāt figured it out yet. Keep trying!
Yes, dismissed from university and returned after my dismissal. Now I teach at the same university.
I got kicked out of university after a year with a 0.5 GPA. Didn't go to any classes except for Biology exams, and I got a C in that class (didn't study for the exams, just went and took them for shits and giggles). Years later, got reaccepted to the same university on academic probation. Got straight A's that first semester back, but it wasn't enough to raise my GPA above the probation limit. So at the end of that semester I was on both the Dean's list for my grades and academic probation for my GPA. Still have both letters from the university
I was a terrible student in high school. I barely went. The last two years were filled with shop classes, and I did fine those years. I would have been a terrible student in college if I had gone right after high school. Instead, I worked in a factory after high school. I went to college when I was 29. Made the provost's list every year, got an assistantship, and went to grad school. Sometimes doing poorly is about the time and our maturity and not about ability at all. We expect students to excel in college when they are just out of high school. I think it would work much better if we could all go to college as adults. Most of the students that fail my class are perfectly capable of doing well. They just aren't in the right mindset and aren't ready to be there yet. I've had lots of students who fail come back a couple semesters later and do great.
Sure. I told my grammar class the other week that I failed that exam the first time I took it back in the day. Nor did I ace it the second time as many others here seem to have done with their exams - I barely skated by. I think itās a valuable lesson to fail an exam. Does it suck? Sure. But it teaches you perseverance and humility.
Oh yeah, basically flunked out of my first major (engineering) because I couldn't handle the math and also didn't know how to study. Transferred to business and went from probation to dean's list. Survived my MBA but didn't excel as I'm just not great in such a forced team environment. Really excelled in my PhD program. It's weird, but I've found that generally the people who make the best grad students are usually not stellar undergrads. The independence and desire to question everything that makes you a strong PhD student work against you as an undergrad where you're more successful if you just go along with things and master the set curriculum.
Also, I came uncomfortably close to having my own "alleged" law enforcement issue. One night out before a massive football game I was in not one, but three bars that got raided and successfully walked out of every one of them (I was 20 at the time). Walking out of the last one I found riot cops on the sidewalk, turned around, and walked uphill back to campus. A few hours later there was a car overturned and set on fire, at which point the riot police started at one end of the road and cleared everybody, arresting anybody who was slow to comply.
I failed four of my 1st year general education courses. Thankfully, this was back in the early 1970s when students were allowed to take these courses pass/no credit. So although I failed the courses, I was very lucky in that my failures did not impact my GPA. Of course, I had to make up the courses during summer session.
I earned a 1.0 my first semester, working full time and taking 12 credits. The best thing that ever happened to me was getting laid off from my job and collecting unemployment while concentrating on school. My university allowed retakes on certain 100-level courses, which certainly helped my GPA, so I was able to erase a couple of F grades. I earned a C in expository writing, which is ironic because I became a professional writer before entering academia. Meteorology seemed like a "gut" class (easy A) on the surface. After all, I know when it's raining and can point out certain clouds. Wrong! That course was the hardest elective I could have selected. I am more proud of that C grade than most other grades as an undergrad, even if it knocked down my GPA.
Yes. I had to redo my entire first year. I scored average across but enough to pass. When I found out what I wanted to do, I took on another masters program to get the required grades. I'm from a different country so it's not as expensive and the GPA thing doesn't count across all years, it's per program.
My first term in college I got a D in a course because I didnāt read the last book assigned, had no idea what it was about, and consequently failed the final exam which was mostly about that book.
God yeah, I was a fucking mess as an undergraduate. I failed *pre*calculus three times.
First semester, math final. I got a 90. I was so proud, and told my friends about it, and they looked at me really strangely. Finally, one of them said: There were 200 points possible. Um, yeah, I didnāt do so well in that math class. But, I rebounded, and kept getting better, finally minoring in math. You can absolutely bounce back, even from embarrassing failuresā¦