Second Semester Grade Prep School

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scuderiafan

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I am a prep student for the academy (NWP) in my second semester of online classes, and received a grade of “D” in my Chem 2 course from my college where I live. I received an “A” or “AB” in other classes such as physics or calculus, but fell behind in work for the chemistry and made a “D” for a final score.

Would this likely be considered grounds for immediate rescission of my appointment, or would they see the A’s/AB’s I received in my other classes and decide to “overlook”
the Chem 2 grade. In addition, would the admissions board ask me to explain what happened? Thanks!
 
Are you a sponsored prep who has been offered an appointment?

The entire point of an additional prep year is to give those who were deemed unready to enter USAFA directly an opportunity to build knowledge and skills, lay a foundation for success. With a D in Chemistry, that shows you struggle with that subject, as well as with time management and study skills. This is not a hopeful sign for success in the USAFA setting, where there will be less time, more pressure, and equally demanding subject matter, if not more so.

You know what you need to do - a candid conversation with an appropriate USAFA contact. This is the time to advocate for yourself, reach ground truth in an adult discussion and not hope they don’t notice it or overlook it. It’s clear, with your success in other courses, you have the ability. Often the challenge at an SA is learning how to optimize your time across all critical points, so you come out of it with a satisfactory outcome on all points. Do the hard work and figure out why you “fell behind on time” with a USAFA appointment on the table. Did you (rhetorical) prioritize your time well, or did you spend time on social media/gaming/activities that did not contribute in any way to a single-minded goal of strong prep performance across all subjects? Did you seek out help or tutoring? Do some clear-eyed after-action self-assessment, so you can articulate what happened if asked, and how you would overcome it in future.
 
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I don't know who you are, but I would definitely give Mrs. Durbeck a call about this ASAP. She will know best about what to do.
 
A. Do you have an full appointment right now or are you on the National Waitlist? If you have an appointment, this is likely a non issue
B. Do you have a conditional appointment or were there conditions on your prep year - as in "get a C or better" ? If so, then there is an potentially an issue.
C. If you are on a waitlist, your second semester grades will never hit the admissions board for evaluation THIS admissions cycle - so non issue for now.
D. Your coursework will not transfer anyways, so assuming you have or receive an appointment, this is a non issue.
 
This is a huge issue. Contact Ms. Durbeck now. You also need to submit your grades to USAFA. They will be reviewed.
 
Have you spoken to anyone at your local college? There may be an options available such as an Incomplete or Retroactive Withdrawl. Reach out to your instructor AND the college administration. Great job on your other courses.
 
Capt MJ said:
Are you a sponsored prep who has been offered an appointment?

The entire point of an additional prep year is to give those who were deemed unready to enter USAFA directly an opportunity to build knowledge and skills, lay a foundation for success. With a D in Chemistry, that shows you struggle with that subject, as well as with time management and study skills. This is not a hopeful sign for success in the USAFA setting, where there will be less time, more pressure, and equally demanding subject matter, if not more so.

You know what you need to do - a candid conversation with an appropriate USAFA contact. This is the time to advocate for yourself, reach ground truth in an adult discussion and not hope they don’t notice it or overlook it. It’s clear, with your success in other courses, you have the ability. Often the challenge at an SA is learning how to optimize your time across all critical points, so you come out of it with a satisfactory outcome on all points. Do the hard work and figure out why you “fell behind on time” with a USAFA appointment on the table. Did you (rhetorical) prioritize your time well, or did you spend time on social media/gaming/activities that did not contribute in any way to a single-minded goal of strong prep performance across all subjects? Did you seek out help or tutoring? Do some clear-eyed after-action self-assessment, so you can articulate what happened if asked, and how you would overcome it in future.
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Thanks for the response. I am a Falcon Scholar and had already accepted my appointment before this issue came about. Who would an appropriate USAFA contact be, and how would I go about contacting said contact?
 
shiner said:
A. Do you have an full appointment right now or are you on the National Waitlist? If you have an appointment, this is likely a non issue
B. Do you have a conditional appointment or were there conditions on your prep year - as in "get a C or better" ? If so, then there is an potentially an issue.
C. If you are on a waitlist, your second semester grades will never hit the admissions board for evaluation THIS admissions cycle - so non issue for now.
D. Your coursework will not transfer anyways, so assuming you have or receive an appointment, this is a non issue.
Click to expand...
A. I did receive an appointment and have already accepted it.
B. I thought that all appointments were conditional on maintaining good grades in academics through your second semester. I do not believe that there was any mention of a specific grade I had to pass with, but just to “do well” in classes. A grade of “D” in would not fall under this category.
 
scuderiafan said:
A. I did receive an appointment and have already accepted it.
B. I thought that all appointments were conditional on maintaining good grades in academics through your second semester. I do not believe that there was any mention of a specific grade I had to pass with, but just to “do well” in classes. A grade of “D” in would not fall under this category.
Click to expand...
The contract stated that "grades of D or F" are generally disqualifying. I attached a screenshot of the contract where it says that.Screenshot (391).png
You can find that on page 2 (page 3 if you count the cover page) of your contract. Like we have all said, contact Mrs. Durbeck ASAP.
 
Considering the grade in question is for CHEM 2, there is likely some wiggle room here.
 
I think before you call anyone, think to yourself about what happened with Chemistry.

What caused you to fall behind?
  • Health, mental health, relationship issues? Too much sports/partying/Clubs/videogames? Working too many hours?
  • Feeling like what happens if you try your best but still don't do well? Too much freedom/executive function issues?
  • Not prepared?

Did you reach out for help? Did you use resources at your school? Do you know what they were? Did you look online (e.g., Khan Academy)? Did you talk to your professors? If not, why not?

What would you do differently if you could go back?

How did you do in Chem 1? What was different in Chem 2?

How did Covid/quarantining affect all of this?

Basically understand what went wrong and why. In the civilian world, students are allowed to appeal if they are dismissed from college. But colleges want to know that 1) the student understands what went wrong 2) Why it went wrong 3) What they should be doing 4) They have a chance to succeed. In the military, they need to know if it is worth investing in you for 4 years. The D may disqualify you, but for whatever your future is understand what the issue is...and explaining all of this will give you the best shot at continuing.
 
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