Failed Freshman Year: Will It Affect My Graduate Admission?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the implications of failing all classes during the freshman year on future graduate school admissions. Participants explore the potential impact of retaking courses and the importance of academic performance in subsequent years.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern about how failing all classes might affect graduate admissions, questioning the necessity of retaking them.
  • Another participant suggests that if the individual is still an undergraduate and performs well in subsequent years, it may not significantly impact graduate admissions.
  • Concerns are raised about the logical consistency of the original poster's timeline and academic progress, with one participant questioning how they advanced without addressing failed prerequisites.
  • Some participants note that while a poor freshman year can be mitigated by strong performance later, the reasons behind the initial failures are crucial for future success.
  • There is an emphasis on the cumulative nature of an undergraduate physics curriculum, suggesting that understanding foundational material is essential for progressing in later years.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the impact of failing freshman classes on graduate admissions, with multiple viewpoints on the importance of retaking courses and addressing underlying issues leading to failure.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note that the original poster has not provided sufficient information regarding their academic history, which may affect the advice given.

Who May Find This Useful

Students considering graduate school who have experienced academic difficulties, particularly in their early undergraduate years, may find this discussion relevant.

xuan_qing_le
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I failed all classes in my freshman year first semester. I am going to retake them.Does that affect my graduate admission?
 
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xuan_qing_le said:
I failed all classes in my freshman year first semester. I am going to retake them.Does that affect my graduate admission?
When was your freshman year? Did you graduate with an undergraduate degree? With those and other information, OTHER members on physicsforums could give you better advice.
 
If you are an undergraduate then no, provided you pass the repeats and do well in the proceeding years.
 
Your story doesn't make sense. Your other thread has you considerably further along. How did you get there without retaking the failed prerequisites?
 
Questions of this sort do tend to come up from time to time on these forums. Often the poster seems to assume that repeating the course will result in a higher, near-perfect grade.

Sure, you can still get into graduate school if you have a bad undergraduate year. Some schools weight your GPA more heavily toward more recent years. But, the bigger question is why you failed all of your classes and what you are going to do that's different the next time around. An undergraduate physics curriculum is cumulative. Second year builds on the material learned in first year. Third year builds on the material in second year, etc.

Going from "failing" to a solid understanding of the material is a big step. A lot depends on the specific circumstances of why you failed, so make sure you figure out what you need to do differently the next time around before repeating it. Otherwise, you're at risk of a similar outcome the second time around.
 
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Choppy said:
Going from "failing" to a solid understanding of the material is a big step. A lot depends on the specific circumstances of why you failed, so make sure you figure out what you need to do differently the next time around before repeating it. Otherwise, you're at risk of a similar outcome the second time around.
O.P. @xuan_qing_le has so far still omitted some important information.
 
symbolipoint said:
O.P. @xuan_qing_le has so far still omitted some important information.
And he seems to be gone.
 

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