How bad is getting an F in college?

Tell you the truth, an F wouldn't look so good when applying for grad schools. A lot of it depends though--is this class for your major? An F in a class for your major is much worse in terms of getting into grad school. Is this your only F? More than one F on your transcript=definitely not a good sign.

There are things you can do about this though. You think you could possibly withdrawal from the class and take a W? A W on a transcript looks MUCH better than an F. If worse gets to worst though, and you do get an F, you can always retake the course and get a better grade. Our school has a policy that if you get an F, retake the course, the F is completely replaced with the new grade.

Just remember that the semester is not anywhere near done. You can still recover your grade. Just find out what you have to do (like get a certain grade on these tests, papers, assignments). Also, try talking to the prof about your concerns. I know, sometimes it's hard (I myself get nervous talking to profs), but just sincerly tell him/her what's going on, and that you're open to any help. Good luck with this!

Thanks. It is too late to withdraw with a "W." I can retake the test and get the old grade replaced in my GPA, but the "F" is still on my transcript.

Miserably failing Precalc wrote:

Does it really f*** your shit up if you want to go to grad school? I haven't failed a class yet but it seems inevitable this semester.

Don't sweat it. Your shit will not be f***ed up. I know this from experience, and I got into a bunch of grad schools, including my top choice. An F may seem like a big deal when you've basically spent your whole life as a student, but really it's not so important.

miserable failure wrote: An F may seem like a big deal when you've basically spent your whole life as a student, but really it's not so important.

are shitting me?

you must have got into grad school at the university of phoenix!

Precalc is like an IQ test. It's a basic barometer of your intelligence. So whether it's your major is irrelevant. Getting an F is like scoring 70 on an IQ test. It won't look good going forward.

But worse, you seem to know you are going to fail with an F which appears to show a lack of a work ethic, which is a definite no-no in grad school.

Further, if the grad school is in the USA, then F looks really, really bad because of grade inflation.

Agreed. Getting an F in what is essentially a high school course is unacceptable. Forget getting into a competitive grad school, though I'm sure someone will take you.

12-Step Letsrun wrote:

miserable failure wrote: An F may seem like a big deal when you've basically spent your whole life as a student, but really it's not so important.

are shitting me?

you must have got into grad school at the university of phoenix!

The irony here is delicious.

All this reminds me of is how much I loath tutoring people in Precalc. It almost seems like either you get it or you don't, or at least everyone I've tried to help has made up their minds already that they either won't or can't get it.

Precalc? That's like sophomore/junior year of high school stuff. Maybe you should work harder.

It is actually pretty tough. I'm sure this Precalc class differs from most high school precalc classes. I took Stats in HS and college and there was a huge difference. But I got an A in that.

Miserably failing Precalc wrote:

I took Stats in HS and college and there was a huge difference. But I got an A in that.

Yeah, that's 'cause stats is a different kind of math, bud.

I forgot to note that this is my second attempt at Precalc (I dropped with a "W" the first time).

I took precalc as a sophomore in high school and found it easy. I don't see how you got into college much less grad school if you can't get through precalc your 2nd time through. I hate to be harsh, but that is a pretty big problem. Maybe you should get a tutor or something. That's going to look really bad on an application.

Miserably failing Precalc wrote:

It is actually pretty tough. I'm sure this Precalc class differs from most high school precalc classes. I took Stats in HS and college and there was a huge difference. But I got an A in that.

Who takes precalc in college? The only reason I can think of is you need calculus for your major, and if you are failing precalc, maybe that major is not right for you.

Getting 0 GPA points will hurt your GPA badly, and will look HORRIBLE for grad school. For a job, not so much... for the types of jobs people who can't do math apply for.

It's not necessarily the end of the world. If you got one and got your act together and bring up your GPA, then you might be able to get away with just one. If you get 2,3, or more, then it will affect you. I would not worry about it if you don't plan on going to grad school but if you do, just make sure your GPA is over a 3 by graduation. You'll just have to make it up with a good GMAT, GRE, or whatever postbac exam you take.

please don't fool yourself. precalc is precalc, no matter how you spin it. it is a high school class. (as in sophomore year in high school for most decent students.) if you're hoping to get into anything requiring computational skill, forget it.

no offense but to get at an F in an american college is pretty bad. and going by the tone of your inital post I would say "yip, your just not too bright"

dude I'm a HS Soph in Honors Precalc. I have about an 82% cause our teacher's ridiculously hard. Honesty, I pretty much hate math

I love reading all the answers here from people who claim Pre-calc is a sophomore class yet their grammar and/or spelling looks like a mediocre middle schooler's.

The one about U of Phoenix was, as a previous poster noted, deliciously ironic in the quality of writing.

Bottom line: Get to work, thankfully there's still time. A D would look exponentially better than an F. Unless you're failing heinously, you've still got time. Find some peer tutoring (DI? access to free tutors? a team member?). Talk to the prof and see what he/she thinks you need. You must have some work ethic in your running, apply the same here.