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Should I take a course pass/fail?
Advisors are often asked this question, and the answer depends a
great deal on the course and the student’s circumstances.
Before considering these details, we should probably consider LSA’s
pass/fail policy.
LSA allows you to take up to 30 credits pass/fail or credit/no credit,
but I can’t think of many situations where someone should
take up to one fourth of the 120 credits he/she needs to graduate
without a grade. Most advisors, in fact, suggest that the typical
student should take no more than 2-3 courses pass/fail.
There are some restrictions on the courses students can take pass/fail:
- The fourth term of a language a student is using
to meet the language requirement cannot be taken pass/fail.
- Courses that count toward a concentration and
minor cannot be taken pass/fail.
In order to pass a pass/fail course, you need to
earn at least a C- in a course, and instructors have no idea (unless
you tell them) that you’re taking their courses pass/fail.
They just turn in their grades, and the Registrar’s Office
will enter P’s for pass/fail students who earn at least a
C- and F’s for students with less than C-. Pass/fail courses
don’t have any impact on your GPA.
You have until the end of the third week of each term to go into
Wolverine Access and modify a course from graded to pass/fail (or
vice versa), and this term the deadline falls on January 25th. After
the deadline, you’d need to petition the Academic Standards
Board to have a course changed to or from pass/fail, and these petitions
are almost never granted.
You can, however, “uncover” your pass/fail grades. For
what’s currently a $5.00 fee, the Registrar’s Office
will attach to your official transcript a letter revealing the grades
for all your pass/fail courses. But note that “all”:
if you want to show one pass/fail grade, you have to show them all.
OK, so that takes care of policies, and we can go back to the question.
When does it make sense to take a course pass/fail? Pass/fail can
be a good option if you’re taking a course in an area that
you feel shaky in. Also, if you need to take a tough course load
or if you know you’ll have heavy non-academic responsibilities
during a term, taking a course pass/fail might make sense. The pass/fail
option provides a means for protecting your GPA.
But be careful. Let me give you an example from my past: I once
took a course in American music history. The course description
said that students didn’t have to be able to read music to
be in the course but that it would be an asset. I can’t carry
a tune much less read music; also, I was beginning a new job, so
I decided to take the course pass/fail. Good decision, right?
It probably was a wise move given that I didn’t know that
my lack of musical ability would never become a problem. I also
didn’t know when I registered that the instructor was great
and that I really was going to enjoy the course. Not only did I
do well in the course, I got an A, an A that appears as a mere “P”
on my transcript and that doesn’t count toward my GPA.
I made a choice; it seemed like the right at the time, and I live
with it. It’s one of the risks you run when you take a course
pass/fail.
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