To Pass or Not Pass?
Let’s take a totally hypothetical situation.
There’s a new community college transfer. She’s in her first quarter, taking her first university-level courses, and she’s a Molecular Biology (MCDB) major. It’s her first time living away from home and she works on campus. It’s Week 6 and her Neuroscience 101 grades look like this:
Midterm 1: 68%
Midterm 2: 87%.
There’s one exam left and it’s not looking good…should she change the grading basis to Passed/Not Passed (P/NP)?
If you’ve found yourself in a similar situation, know you’re not alone.
If you chose to stick it out and it didn’t work out, kudos on your bravery.
If you opted for P/NP, kudos for choosing your battles wisely.
If you’re currently deliberating, here’s a handy lil’ chart parsing the pros/cons of P/NP.
By no means is this chart exhaustive of all considerations, but it’s a good place to start. As always, don’t forget to check in with yourself- your gut feeling will take you far.
*Grading basis guidelines may vary between degree, department, and Schools (Letters and Science, Engineering, etc.).
**Call and email your grad program of interest and explain your situation honestly.
The most uplifting thing I was told: “There are humans reading your application on the other side, they understand life happens and they consider that.”
Resources:
UCLA Transfer Student Facebook: Pass/No Pass Questions
UCLA Change Class Grading Basis
Myself, Rushna Raza
