9 Steps to Take If You're Failing a College Course

Emergency plan: enacted.

Complex Original

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We've all been there at one point. Your countless days of partying and/or your procrastination has finally caught up with you, and you realize flunking is practically imminent. Don't worry, failing a class (or, at least, the fear of failing) is an experience that most, if not all, college students experience at one time or another.

As soon as you realize you're in the danger zone, it's important to take action immediately. Your opportunities to bring up your grade, or just drop the class altogether, dwindle as the semester goes on. Meet your emergency plan: here are 10 Steps to Take If You're Failing A College Course.

9. Assess the situation.

The most important thing to do before dropping a class or having a mental breakdown is to assess the situation. Check your grades online, and figure out what your average to date. If you're close to passing and still have two tests to take in the future, it's likely you can still pass if you study your ass off. If you only have a few small assignments left to raise your average, you may have to take more drastic measures.

8. Talk to your professor

If you're uncertain you will pass your class by the end of the semester, talk to your professor. They'll be able to assess your performance, and your probable grade by the end of the course. When talking to him or her, be sure you take responsibility for your actions. Don't make the usual excuses: your computer froze, someone in your family died, or your Wi-Fi didn't work. They've heard them all before. Instead, take responsibility for your shortcomings. If you communicate that you genuinely want to improve in the course, your professor is likely to sympathize with you and help you find solutions to make it happen. Don't wait until the end of the semester to seek your professor's advice. By then, it'll be too late.

7. Talk to your advisor.

Immediately after talking with your professor, go talk to your advisor. They'll tell you about the options available and how it may affect you in the long run. In many cases, dropping classes may affect your financial aid or may look bad on your transcript. In some cases, it may be beneficial for you to Q-drop the class. For example if you need a fine-arts credit, but happen to be failing your current Arts 101 class, you could Q-drop it, which means you'll still get credit for the class, but it won't affect your GPA. Bottom line: talk to your advisor, like now.

6. Weigh your options

Once you've talked with your advisor and professor, evaluate the situation and weigh all your options. If you're a senior, and you just want to graduate, you may want to stick with the course and try to manage a C-. If you're a sophomore, and have the opportunity to retake the class in another semester; drop the class and make sure to put in the proper amount of work the second time around. Every situation is relative, and only you know what will work best for the long-term.

5. Consider your other classes.

If your aim it to acheive a specific GPA, it's important to consider the big picture. I you're in your freshman or sophomore year, it may not be a bad idea to just stick through the class, as you'll have many opportunity to bring your GPA up to a competive place before graduation. Many post-undergrad schools, like graduate school, medical school, and law school, all look for improvement and commitment during your undergraduate years. If they see that you received a 2.8 GPA because of that failed math course freshman, but received a 3.8 GPA your junior year, it shows improvement and commitment to your schedule.

4. If you choose to stick it out...

If you choose to stick through the class, closely follow your professor advice. Don't procrastinate, review your class notes in advance, and set a schedule to allot time for future exams. Also, it might be time to figure out how to become the teacher's pet. Participate as much as you can; always ask about opportunities for extra credit, ask your professor's opinion on your paper—do anything you can to impress your professor, and show your commitment to the course.

8. If you choose to drop it...

If you choose to drop the course, figure out why you were forced to do so. Ask yourself, was the class really that difficult or did you just not put enough effort in? Did you procrastinate, and did you prioritizing partying over studying? Be honest with yourself, and self-assess critically. If the class was truly just extraordinarily difficult, it may be useful reasses your upcoming class schedules. Next semester, it might make more sense to take a lower level course, or take fewer classes so you have more time to study.

2. Learn from your mistakes.

It can be really difficult to assess your own shortcomings, but it's a necessary evil if you want to become a better student and avoid these stressful situations. Your professor is never going to seek you out and give you a step-by-step rundown on how to improve your grade. It takes personal initiative to improve, and sometimes that makes all the difference in a professor's eyes. There's a big difference between a student that deserves to fail and a student that deserves to pass.

1. Take your failures in stride.

In the grand scheme of things, failing one class doesn't make you a failure. Many college students have failed a class before, and still graduate with a stellar GPA and continue on post-college to lead successful lives. Ultimately, failing a class is a tough lesson learned. Come away from it a better, more self-aware student. Use the misstep to motivate you to do even better the following semester, and put your mistakes that much further behind you.