A complicated question

In this Issue: Question from a parent re: their student having a D in a required major class

I got a question yesterday from a parent who told me their student is likely to have a D as a final grade for a class required for their major. They were talking about options of how to handle: require their student to use their summer job earnings to pay the tuition back for that class, having the student take a different class this summer to boost their GPA, etc. They asked my opinion on the situation.

My disclaimer upfront is that this is my personal opinion as an academic advisor (and as a college mom); others at Wake Forest might have additional or different suggestions.

My first question to the family was “How were the student’s other grades?” They told me it was mostly A, B+, Bs. To me, that is a good sign, because it suggests the student is not universally struggling – the struggle seemed to be with this one class.

I suggested the family start by having an honest and non-judgmental conversation with their student about whether this major is really where the student’s heart is, or is it a subject either they don’t enjoy enough to work hard at, or it’s too difficult (even working hard). What I am getting at here is you want to figure out is this a major where their student’s aptitude and/or interest is low, and that might set the student up for struggles. If that is true, maybe some of the other academic subjects where they got As and Bs would better suit them for their major..? Worth thinking about anyway.

Once you cover that base, the next question I’d ask – mostly rhetorically – would be “What led you to get a D, do you think?” and encourage the student to be very honest and introspective, thinking about questions like:

Did I follow the syllabus exactly, or did I turn in papers late, have too many absences, not turn in homework, etc.?

Did I do the reading for class and come prepared every time, or did I procrastinate and skip on preparation?

At the first sign of trouble, did I go to my faculty member’s office hours for help? 

Did I avail myself of the free tutoring from the Bio Center, Chemistry Center, Math and Stats Center, or Writing Center and/or did I seek out free peer tutoring or academic coaching from the Learning Assistance Center? Or did I go it alone?

Did I spend too much time socializing and not enough studying?

Did I study in a time and place that was free of distraction/optimized my ability to focus and concentrate?

Did I get enough sleep, or have I been burning the midnight oil?

etc. etc. etc.

I then told the family that if their student, after reflection and self-assessment, could see things they could have done differently to get a better grade, that is a positive sign they could retake that class again and likely get a much better outcome. On the other hand, if they sincerely made a strong effort and did everything within their control to help them learn the material, maybe that class just represents a superhard subject for them, and they grade they got represents their best effort, and maybe they would not significantly bump up their grade if they retook it.

A consideration point here: many (maybe even most or all) departments require a minimum major GPA, and some require you have a no individual course grade lower than X, so if the student wants to stay in that major, they need to check the Academic Bulletin in the year they entered WFU to see the “repetition of courses” policy as well as grade policies in their intended major.

One final place to probe: ask your student whether they were struggling mentally/emotionally this semester. What I would not want to do is put a lot of pressure this summer to take a class if the student is in a bad headspace. Most of us can’t do good work if other problems are unaddressed. So if there are struggles they are having, the summer might be a good time to tackle those issues first to clear the runway for future success.

If, on the other hand, it turns out the student just blew the class off and did not know how to get back on track, perhaps the summer “task” would be having regular meetings with an academic coach to find some structures/coping mechanisms on how to handle issues of low motivation, procrastination, time management, etc. 

Anyway – that was my take on it.

Students always seeem to me to be very fearful of disappointing their loved ones with their grades. In the event your student brings you one lower than you hoped, approaching the issue with curiosity and support (rather than anger or disappointment) might help you find a quicker path to clarity and future success.