How to catch up if you fall behind in college? (PROF explains)
Are you looking at your grades and realizing that you are doing way worse than you expected? Or are you finally working on all your past assignments and unsure of how you are going to even complete everything before the end of the semester.
A lot of college students have been there too. And you aren’t alone. Even as a professor, when I was a freshman, I fail behind in my college classes too.
You might be in a situation where you are behind in your classes but you are still passing the course. Or you might be the student who is failing and you want to try and make a passing grade.
I am going to help you understand how to catch up if you have fallen behind. And I will let you know when it might not be possible to even pass the course anymore and what to do instead.
There are some critical things that you have to consider. As a professor with years of experience, I will help you understand your options and tell you how to try and catch up and when you should throw in the towel.
What should you do if you have fallen too far behind in college?
If you find yourself too far behind everyone else in your college classes, you need to first assess your circumstances and determine if there is any hope that you can even pass the course because that answer will change your next steps.
First, ask yourself if you think you are really learning the information.
Sure, you might be able to pull a passing grade, but you need to ask yourself if you can really master the content. After all, you are taking this class to learn, aren’t you?
But I understand that the final grade is most important and if you aren’t going to pass, then no amount of effort is going to help you now. Sometimes students are so far gone that they cannot catch up, no matter what.
When I would visit with my students in these same situations, I would sit down and look over their grades. And I would assess their academic abilities.
Some questions that I would ask the student and you should also ask yourself are :
Can you still pass?
Will you be able to dedicate your efforts to the course?
Have you been improving in the course?
What are the consequences of withdrawing from the course?
Will there be extra credit available?
Can you take an incomplete?
These are all important questions but the most important one is if you can even pass the class. If you cannot even make the grades to pass the course, you may not be able to catch up.
You need to do some math to figure out if you can pass. Go to your professor’s syllabus and look at their method of evaluation. Determine what grades you need on future assignments to make a passing grade.
Your professor or learning management system (online gradebook) can help you do this. If you cannot pass, you need to think about an alternative like withdrawing from the class.
READ MORE : Should you withdraw from your class?
If you could pass mathematically, then you need to start figuring out how dedicated you are to catching up. You will need to work harder than ever before. If you think that you can dedicate time to studying and attending class, you should focus your efforts there.
Most students who are falling behind just need to be more dedicated and complete all their assignments on time. As a former professor, I always saw students get behind because they missed too many classes or they were not submitting assignments on time.
Avoid those TWO things and you’ll be on your way to catching up. And trust me when I say that it is possible to catch up in a college course.
As a professor, here is the same advice that I always gave my students on catching up in the course.
Go to tutoring
Check in with your professor
Prioritize the course
It can be hard to catch up in a college class, but I do believe it is possible if you can still make a passing grade.
How to catch up in a class you are failing
The VERY first thing you need to do is talk to your professor. Tell them that you are dedicated to the class, and want to determine the likelihood that you can pass the course.
Don’t forget to ask them about extensions on assignments (give yourself more time), any makeup opportunities or extra credit that might be offered.
And ask your professor to be honest with you and let you know if you should just withdraw from the course instead.
My biggest tip is trying to get extensions on your remaining assignments so you can give yourself more time.
And ask your professor if you can redo any assignments you failed to replace it for a better grade.
READ MORE : Talk to your professor about failing their course
Talk to someone
Some college campuses will have counselors on staff, and I suggest students go and talk to them about their circumstances. They can help you understand why you fell behind your classes in the first place.
A lot of students might have personal issues that they are dealing with, and it is important to understand why and how to deal with these types of struggles in the future so you don’t make the same mistakes.
When students fall behind, there’s usually a reason behind it. You have to figure out the underlying problem first.
What should you do if you are not going to pass a course?
If you have came to the conclusion that you are definitely too far behind to pass your college course, you need to start looking at other options to give yourself the best outcome.
Drop or withdraw from the class
Take an incomplete
Work with your professor
Redo assignments
Makeup assignments
Ask for extra credit
If none of these things are successful, then you might have to just deal with failing a course.
If you cannot pass the course, it might not be worth your time to complete the assignments.
But I do recommend that students try to continue completing the work because you will eventually have to retake the class and it will be helpful to learn the material.
READ MORE : Should you bother taking the final if you are failing?
However, you might not end up needing the credit and you might decide to take another course instead. In that case, you might just focus on the other classes that you are taking.
Is it possible to catch up in a college course?
Yes, it is possible to catch up in a college course but only if your professor allows late work and you can still make a passing grade with the remaining assignments.
Sometimes students get really down about one bad grade, but don’t fret too much because most professors have plenty of remaining assignments where you can try and redeem yourself and raise your grade.
But if you find yourself entirely too far behind, you might need to consider withdrawing from the course.
If you are past the withdraw date, talk to your college and ask for a waiver. It is possible that you could still withdraw from your classes if you meet certain requirements.
For example, some students might be beyond the withdraw date but they have a serious medical emergency and had to withdraw from all their classes at the end of the term.
While it is rare, it does happen. If you are in a similar situation, check with your university about your options.
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