What to Do If You Fail a Class in College
Even the most hard-working students can fail a class in college. The class may not be at all what you expected, or the teacher may have been unreasonable, or maybe there was a lot going on in your life and it was too hard to keep up with all your course work. Don’t panic! I assure you, there IS a solution. Figuring out what to do will help you prevent it from happening again. Here's what to do if you find yourself failing a class in college:
1. Deeply reflect to figure out why you failed.
Did you focus too much on socializing and party too much? Did you over-commit yourself to extra-curricular activities? How much did you prepare for the assignments and tests? How are your time management skills? Did you reach out to the professor and go to office hours when you needed help? Answering questions like this will help you figure out what went wrong, and guide you to the best strategies for succeeding in future classes.
2. Find out how this grade will impact your academics as a whole.
Ask yourself and your advisor questions, such as: are you no longer eligible for the next level course in your major? Will you need to rearrange your schedule the following semester? Is it necessary to register for this class again? Will you need to take a course in the summer to stay on track for graduation?
3. Find out if this grade will impact your financial aid.
A lot of schools permit an academic slip-up (financially speaking), but if failing a class puts you on academic probation, this can have a major impact on your financial aid. Make sure to check with the financial aid office about the implications of your failed grade.
4. Even if you don’t want to, tell your parent or guardian.
Be honest with them. This will give you one less thing to stress about. Meet with an advisor or a counselor and he or she will help you prevent this from happening again.
5. Most importantly, let it go and move on.
Yes, you failed a class, but it is not the end of the world! After being truthful with yourself and figuring out what happened, this will give you the peace of mind you need to move on. After all, college is a place to learn and grow. Make the most of it, and take away what you can from the experience.