Appointment Revocation due to College Grades

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GNBA2026

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May 3, 2022
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Hey everyone,

I recently accepted my Fully Qualified Offer of Appointment. I'm a college applicant (not re-applicant) in my Spring Semester at a community college.

For the past week, I have been absolutely stressed and overwhelmed with anxiety at the thought of my appointment being revoked.

I am currently taking Calculus II, which I am definitely not excelling in. I took Calculus I in the Fall Semester and finished with an A, but Calc II is just a different monster.

I currently have a C in the class, with one final exam left that will dictate my final grade. I've surfed through different threads reading some stories about how a couple of people have gotten their appointments revoked because of a bad grade during their last semesters before the Summer. This thought has been haunting me relentlessly.

Now, of course, I am doing everything in my power to try to do well on this final exam. I have dropped a Digital Photography course, which took up a lot of my time, so I can focus more on the critical classes. Office hours, online vids, etc. have been my daily routine for the past few weeks. But in the case that I do end up with a final grade of a D or C in Calc 2, how worried should I be in terms of my appointment if USNA requests my Spring semester transcript?

Taking the rest of my academic profile into consideration, I've never had any standout poor grades. In high school, I probably only had very few B's, and no lesser grades, throughout all my semesters. I finished my first Fall Semester in college with a 4.0 GPA. I won't get into all the finer details, but overall, I did have a very competitive academic profile.

Maybe I am overthinking everything? Perhaps my ONE standout poor grade in Calc 2 doesn't impact my appointment as much as I think it does? The thought that I have made it this far only to have my appointment rescinded because I failed to do well in a Calc 2 class in my final semester before the Summer is terrifying.

In any case, I am still trying my best to finish this semester as best as I can. But I would like to hear your guys' thoughts on my situation. Maybe any college applicants out there may have been in a similar situation that can chime in?

Thanks, Ladies and Gents.
 
Every semester of Calc for me was a different animal. You're taking the right approach. Keep your head down and focus on the opportunity you have to improve and you'll be fine, because you're gonna nail it! Keep the positive attitude and don't worry about stuff you cannot control.

One story I always tell friends, kids, etc, when it comes up is that I had the "hardest" Calc teacher at our university for Calc 1 and I was really struggling with it. I went to see him during his office hours and he got me straightened out. He was very supportive, as I think most teachers are. Following through with Calc 2-4, Diff Eq, Numerical Calculus, etc. I always made my schedule around having him as my professor even though he was the hardest. Why? Because he cared. And would always help me if I was struggling to understand. Sometimes, he would present things a little differently and it would click. He was awesome and at a recent trip to the school, I noticed the university dedicated a new building in his name. I could not think of a better professor and even more accurate a better person to have received this honor. Great man!

My thought is this, have you reached out to the professor? If so, and it didn't help, maybe try again, or find a tutor type of offering. Someone out there can help you and hopefully give you that ahah! moment where it'll click. It still takes work, but I think sometimes people bring a different perspective that may help you. Hope this helps and Good Luck to you!

Sorry I can't speak to the USNA revoking your appointment or any of that. Your problem just spoke to me.
 
I don’t know anything official, but I would be very surprised if your offer was rescinded strictly based on this. When I was coming in my spring transcript was never requested, and if they do request yours, I’d imagine they’re checking for a pattern of poor grades signaling a lack of effort, not just one C or D in a very hard class.

Also, old-fashioned take here, but a grade of C is literally given the description “Satisfactory”. It’s regrettable that anything other than an A is now considered a failure in this hypercompetitive age of relying on inconsistent grading standards for entry level job applications and graduate programs. I digress.
 
You have some reassuring words from a current, and past Mid. File them away in your mind. Don’t even think about the ‘what-if’s’. Make a plan for your last few weeks and execute it. Sometimes, having a plan and working through the steps is comforting. Bc you are doing all you planned for. Gives you direction.

Seriously resist the urge to worry about this. Easier said than done, but worrying will only CONTRIBUTE to your problem. Not alleviate it.

I love what @Kierkegaard said: C is satisfactory. And C’s at the collegiate level are very satisfactory! No matter what kind of student you were in High School, college is a whole different animal.

You got this! Focus on the here and now, and do your best. You never know how an instructor will ultimately grade a final…so your worries about your performance may be for naught.

Congrats on the appointment.
 
I think the above posters have addressed your question at-hand. However, once the Calc final exam is past and opening, I would take a hard look at what got you to C land in the first place…what were the warning signs, earlier on, that might have caused you to seek help then? It will only get harder at USNA and if you take away lessons learned from this instance and can apply it to when you are at USNA, you are likely to keep yourself out of hotter water.
 
Agree that a C won't make a difference. In my day at USNA, Cs were the norm for most mids in most classes (average GPA was around 2.5). Failing a course or failing to complete a course (dropping out) might invite some questions.
 
usnabgo08 said:
I would take a hard look at what got you to C land in the first place
Click to expand...
Agreed, Calc is one of those subjects that is progressive such that if you didn't understand last week, it will reduce your ability to perform each of the following weeks. Do not move on until you got it. I realize that can be hard in a fast paced classroom environment, but it might mean you forgo something more fun or whatever. At least you will have seen the material once you see it again at USNA.
 
I second usnabgo08. Not having taken Calc in h.s. (doing so wasn't as common in our day) I struggled with Calc I at USNA -- eked out a C. I went to a LOT of EI but the instructor wasn't the greatest and the other resources available to mids today didn't exist at the time. Bottom line . . . I didn't have a great foundation. Calc II (better instructor) was even more challenging. By the time I got to Calc III, I was going to EI daily and still barely passing. IMHO, Calc is one of those classes that builds on itself. If you don't "get it" at the outset, it's not magically going to get better / easier as you move along.
 
Agree with the advice to figure out where you got lost in Calc, and go back and do it again ....
Little story, I got my A$$ kicked in Calc at NAPS...eked out D's through about 2/3's of the program; double secret academic probation with weekly visits to the CO (when you are an 18 year old E-2, CAPT's are pretty intimidating). CO and professors recognized the effort, and the last trimester moved me back to middle track Calc , so I was essentially retaking what I had been taking in upper track, and the light bulb came on. I did well in Math when I got to USNA as a Plebe -- Chemistry was another story, I think I eked out C's and the light bulb never did come on !
 
The idea that one standout bad grade in a very difficult college math course is enough to get your appointment that you worked years for revoked seems a bit ridiculous. But I guess it can happen? It would make more sense if an appointed candidate were to do something EXTREMELY bad and then would have his/her appointment taken away, rightfully so. But IMO, a C or D in a Calc 2 course shouldn't make the list.

If you came this far, it means your academics amongst other things have been very competitive. Getting a C is better than a D, but a D isn't failing, technically. Like others have said, Calculus, and especially Calc 2 is extremely cumulative. From the start to the end of the semester, it's integrals and more integrals amongst other topics that have something to do with integrals. Do what you can, and finish your finals. Dropping the photography class was a good idea since it was a non-critical course and served little to no purpose in preparing you for the academic rigor at the Academy.
 
The main reasons an appointment would be revoked include:
  • Doing something stupid (DUI, drugs, committing a crime)
  • Failing to graduate from h.s.; failing most / all courses
  • New, serious medical issue
  • Criminal background check turns up something serious and / or not disclosed
Note that a medical issue could also result in the appointment being "pushed back" a year -- it would depend on the nature of the medical issue.

It's very rare for an appointment, once tendered, to be revoked.
 
"Proofs" got me. I never understood why, if you already have the answer in hand, you had to "prove" how you got there.:p And then areas under the curve. Just killed me!
 
It's never too late to learn. Best video I ever saw on calc. I just wish we had these resources when I took Calc.

 
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