Second Chances: Retaking Classes

If you earned a failing grade in a class, it is a good idea to retake the class if you can.  Grades that are lower than a C might not eligible for transfer to a different college or university and they may not count towards graduation requirements.  While those rules will vary, one thing is for certain:  a failed class significantly lowers your GPA and leaves a blemish on your transcript.  Retaking a failed class is your best shot at limiting the negative effects on your record.  Here are some things to consider if you need to retake a class.

• Be aware of your college’s rules on retakes.  Depending on your college’s policies, the grade for the new attempt at the class may replace the old grade or be averaged with the old grade.  You will not have an unlimited number of times to retake the class.  Colleges have become much more strict about how many times students can retake classes for credit.  
• It is a good idea to retake a failed class as soon as possible.  Even though you did poorly in the class, the overall knowledge is still fresh in your mind and you can maximize your chances of doing well if you take advantage of that.
• If you are retaking the class with the same instructor, you certainly should review old materials and notes thoroughly, but don’t rely solely on them.  Remember, when you used them before, the results were not good, so taking additional notes and approaching the material from a different angle is necessary.  Do not assume that all the rules and requirements are the same as the last time you took the class.  Instructors do change their syllabi frequently, so make sure you are up to date as well.
• If you are retaking the class with a different instructor, your old materials and notes may or may not be helpful.  Instructors often use different textbooks and teach classes using quite different methods.  If you found the prior instructor’s teaching style not a good match for your learning style, taking the class with someone else is a good idea if you can possibly do so.  
• Take a detailed and honest look at what went wrong the last time you took the class and commit to correcting all of the factors you can possibly control.  If you failed the class because you did not read the text, study enough, or have good class attendance, those are relatively easy to work on.  If there were class assignments or tests that puzzled you, talk to your instructor and/or seek tutoring help.  Be proactive as possible to help assure your success in the class this time around so you can continue advancing toward your educational goals.

So You’re Failing A Class

It happens sometimes. Regardless of what the reasons might be, you’re failing a class. Hopefully, you have become aware of this relatively early in the semester when there are still many things you can do to remedy the situation. Even if you have found out around midterms, you still probably have a fighting chance. But if it’s the last few weeks of the semester, there may be little you can do.

This is why it is so important to keep track of your grade in the class throughout the entire semester. If you know there is a specific grade you need to earn in a class for financial aid, scholarship, or transfer purposes, you need to focus on behaviors geared toward earning that grade from the very beginning of the class.

Here are some steps to take if you are failing a class.

• Talk to the instructor and ask for a breakdown of your grades. He or she may have helpful suggestions on what you need to do to improve your grade and probably can advise you as to whether you have any realistic chances of passing the class. Remember, the later you check into the problem, the less likely it is that it can be fixed.

• Take a look at the work you’ve done so far in the class and figure out where the weaknesses are. Do you procrastinate on out-of-class assignments? Are you losing points on reading quizzes? Do you panic when a major test is coming up? Are you unsure of how to write a paper? Find out what is tripping up your grade, talk to your instructor, and see if there is tutoring available to boost your confidence in the trouble areas.

• Look closely and honestly at your approach to the class. Are you truly putting quality time and energy toward learning the material and earning the grade you want?

• Multiple learning resources are readily available for most classes. Are you reading the textbook? If your textbook has free online supplements for students (most of them do), are you using them? Are you taking good lecture notes? If the class uses an online learning management system such as Blackboard, are you logging in and checking for updates frequently?

• Talk with more successful students in the class. Find out what their approaches to studying for the class are and see if their suggestions will work for you. You might want to see if there are any active study groups or if there is interest in forming one.

• See whether you are still able to drop the class without a penalty of some kind on your transcript. It would be a good idea to talk with your academic advisor before you do so.

• If none of the above is possible, you may simply have to retake the class. Consult with your academic advisor. Being aware of what went wrong the first time you took a class can be a powerful tool to use in successful completion of the class the second time around.