This is the brief backstory: I am thinking of applying to enter Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business. Calculus is a prerequisite to enter Notre Dame's business school, but I have a C in the class, with one more exam and final left. I have A's and A-'s and one B+ in my other courses.
I have two options: Playing it safe: Drop Calculus and be certain that I have at least a 3.6 GPA first semester, but not be able to enter Mendoza.
Risk it: Keep Calculus and hope that I do well on the next exam and final to get at least a B in the class, and have a shot at being accepted into Mendoza. But, I could end up doing poorly on the next two exams and totally ruin my GPA, along with not getting into Mendoza because of that.
*Economics major could be an option, where I could drop Calculus and take it another semester, but it is very math-intensive, so I do not think I would perform as well as an Econ major. * Last day for course drop is before the next Calculus exam is.
I'd say man up and crush Calculus. Unfortunately math tends to build on itself so if you already have a C it's only going to get harder so you might have to go back and review before you can move ahead.
The reasons I always struggled with math/econ in college was because I never really wanted to ask for help. If you're in entry level calculus (Calc I) it's nothing that you shouldn't' be able to completely dominate if you practice enough you just might need to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. Do you go to office hours? Start going to every session. Find someone who is willing to tutor you. Do every homework assignment and really make sure you're understanding what's going on and that you would feel comfortable doing the problem under test pressure. How big is your class? Could you go and talk to your professor? Tell him that you've been struggling but want to finish up really strong and ask for his advice. In my experience professors respond well to kids admitting they're having a hard time, but who are willing to put in the work to turn it around.
Dropping calculus would just show you're afraid to fail. Apply yourself for the next few months and finish with as strong of a GPA as you can.
I go to private tutoring couple times a week and did so leading up to the second exam, however it was nothing like the review exam he gave us, so I screwed up big time. The teacher is a graduate student and not a professor and seems like everyone in my specific class is struggling.
Sorry to lay the pressure on you, but I would say it's a necessity that you follow through and apply to ND's business school. It's simply not the same if you only get an economics degree from there vs. a business degree. Getting up to a B in your calculus class is totally doable. Stop looking at it as a risk and start thinking of it as a challenge. You are fully in control here, and if you put in the effort, you sure as hell can make it happen. Taking a risk is going under the knife or putting all your money on the line to fund a business. Your calculus class is not at all like either of those situations. Buckle down, get rid of all distractions, and start kicking ass.
Why is an Econ degree from ND worse than a bus. degree? Bulge brackets have been coming and said that they are very interested in other majors besides finance like engineering, econ, arts and letters.
From reading the responses, I will probably keep Calc and keep working at it. However, let's say I end up with a C in calculus, I would prob end up having a 3.3ish GPA first semester; so is it worth it and wouldn't it look bad and difficult to raise the GPA to the 3.5 threshold?
Gangster Putin
mrharveyspecter
Also, I have secured couple job shadows at bulge brackets in the city in the summer, that I believe I can turn into internships. I have already networked and made great connections with highly established people at those firms, just as a freshman. Do you think by nurturing these connections and having the work experience, etc. will be more important than an extremely high GPA (like 3.8-3.9)? And give me a LITTLE leeway GPA-wise? I have heard contrasting opinions on this.
What about retaking calculus another semester and boosting your GPA with the new grade?
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