newbee80
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« on: May 25, 2009, 11:30:31 AM » |
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I am in this position where a gnawing feeling of hopelessness is killing me!! Ph.D in English; graduated in 2009. I had only ONE horrible semester owing to familial issues, visiting home, etc and couldn't turn in few assignments on time. Anyways, the final outcome: F. Even though re-took the course and got a B, the F sticks out on my transcript like a sore thumb. Has any one been in my position? Selection committees, board members out there, do you think this will forever block my chances of getting that first job in the academia?
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bacardiandlime
Ninja
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 3,257
That makes me more gangster than you
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« Reply #1 on: May 25, 2009, 11:51:29 AM » |
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You've completed the PhD. A lot of jobs don't ask for transcripts at the application stage. If they need to see them to complete the hire, that's to verify you have the degree you're claiming, not to check your grades. Don't sweat it.
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YOU ARE NASTY
Go jump in lake!
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onion
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« Reply #2 on: May 25, 2009, 11:54:52 AM » |
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But for the jobs that do require transcripts with the application, you could perhaps put something in your cover letter, or a brief letter attached to the transcripts (if you're sending them in yourself, instead of directly from your uni), explaining that you had a family emergency that semester. Short and sweet.
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svenc
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« Reply #3 on: May 25, 2009, 11:56:22 AM » |
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In graduate school, better an F than a C.
If I were reviewing a transcript as part of an application and saw an F in a class that was retaken, I would assume that something interfered with the student's participation in the course. I wouldn't be glad to see it, but I'd already be making up stories to discount it.
If a saw a C in an important course, you'd be done.
Even when we've had transcripts in hand, I generally don't think I've looked past the overall GPA on most.
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In foris veritas.
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sciencephd
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« Reply #4 on: May 25, 2009, 12:20:04 PM » |
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Generally speaking, your grades in grad school don't matter. I have never heard of anyone on a search committee discussing the courses taken or grades...these things are not even on the radar. I disagree with the suggestion of mentioning it in the cover letter...that simply draws attention to it.
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I just hate it that I constantly have to like everyone and everything. -- moonstone
O, what a hateful feminist concoction!
Jews, communists, "lesbians", feminists and marihuana addicts --Pyshnov
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onion
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« Reply #5 on: May 25, 2009, 01:35:20 PM » |
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Generally speaking, your grades in grad school don't matter. I have never heard of anyone on a search committee discussing the courses taken or grades...these things are not even on the radar. I disagree with the suggestion of mentioning it in the cover letter...that simply draws attention to it.
However, the OP is in English, and in my similarly tight field (AHA field), sometimes SCs will look for any reason to throw out an app. An F could be that reason, which is why I think a brief explanation--even "look, I retook the course and did well"--would be a good idea. |
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malcha
Creepy Lit Critter, Undead Language Lover,
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 7,474
posting live from her FCFU
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« Reply #6 on: May 25, 2009, 01:39:27 PM » |
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Generally speaking, your grades in grad school don't matter. I have never heard of anyone on a search committee discussing the courses taken or grades...these things are not even on the radar. I disagree with the suggestion of mentioning it in the cover letter...that simply draws attention to it.
However, the OP is in English, and in my similarly tight field (AHA field), sometimes SCs will look for any reason to throw out an app. An F could be that reason, which is why I think a brief explanation--even "look, I retook the course and did well"--would be a good idea. Not to beat up on the OP, but retaking the course with a B in most grad programs I know doesn't count as doing well; B+ in grad grades is (at many places) a warning and B is a "not doing PhD level work". I think the OP would do better to rely on the fact that many, many SCs will never see the transcript at all, because I think the B retake is actually more problematic than the F in a single disastrous semester. |
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womanofproperty
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« Reply #7 on: May 25, 2009, 02:02:23 PM » |
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I am in this position where a gnawing feeling of hopelessness is killing me!! Ph.D in English; graduated in 2009. I had only ONE horrible semester owing to familial issues, visiting home, etc and couldn't turn in few assignments on time. Anyways, the final outcome: F. Even though re-took the course and got a B, the F sticks out on my transcript like a sore thumb. Has any one been in my position? Selection committees, board members out there, do you think this will forever block my chances of getting that first job in the academia?
OP, your transcript is history. Worrying about it is beside the point. What is critical is what you are doing now. Are you working on getting your thesis published? Do you have articles submitted/in progress? Are you teaching? gaining new skills? You can't go back, but you can move forward. Redirect the energy you're expending into something that's useful and that you can feel good about. |
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seniorscholar
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« Reply #8 on: May 25, 2009, 02:40:34 PM » |
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OP, your transcript is history. Worrying about it is beside the point. What is critical is what you are doing now. Are you working on getting your thesis published? Do you have articles submitted/in progress? Are you teaching? gaining new skills? You can't go back, but you can move forward. Redirect the energy you're expending into something that's useful and that you can feel good about.
A great many schools (mine included) don't even ask for transcripts until the short-list is made and the Provost's requirement that we obtain official transcripts kicks in. So: often no one on the search committee will know what grades are on your transcript, ever. However, it *is* important to know how your PhD supervisor will be handling this question. A sentence in the letter of reference about "Despite a semester ruined by urgent family issues that required out-of-state trips" (with no specific mention of grades) as the dependent clause and a longer and stronger main clause hitting on all your strengths, followed by a paragraph that develops the strengths in greater detail, should take care of it. Your supervisor would then also be prepared for a phone call from a search chair who has seen your transcript asking "what about that F?" Talk over these strategies with your supervisor. And, as womanofproperty said, publish, teach, go to conferences, show positive accomplishments that will appeal to search committees. |
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carebearstare
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« Reply #9 on: May 25, 2009, 02:49:35 PM » |
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Not to worry the OP, but I had to send in transcripts with at least a handful of my applications the year I went on the market. Some additional schools asked for it once I had made it past the first round of cuts. I'm sure in most cases it was an issue of proof (did the_scene actually complete a doctorate?) but I can't say for certain that nobody looked at my grades. They certainly didn't mention them if they did--but I also didn't have any "sore thumb" grades as you describe.
I think the suggestion of bringing it up in letters for schools that ask for transcripts is a good one. It still might not save you if they do take a peek and happen to notice, but stellar letters and publications will probably matter more. Still, though, I was always told that anything other than As in grad courses was a warning sign. In my program, even the few students who got one A- were livid about it.
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Well, some posters were being naughty here.
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coastie
Junior member
Posts: 74
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« Reply #10 on: May 25, 2009, 03:04:19 PM » |
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I wouldn't worry about it and I definitely wouldn't mention it. As I understand it, transcripts are typically an HR request, not a departmental one; it may be that no one on the SC will ever even look at them.
sciencephd is right, just assume it will go unnoticed. If you mention it in your cover letter (or anywhere else) you'll just ensure that they *do* see it. And when they notice it, they will wonder about it (after all, isn't the saying that in humanities grad programs "A is for Adequate, B is for Bad"?) If you finished the PhD, however, you've already proven that those grades were not indicative of your scholarly potential.
Leave it alone.
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newbee80
New member
Posts: 5
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« Reply #11 on: May 25, 2009, 06:28:54 PM » |
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thanks to everyone who have replied to my original post. I didn't expect so many pertinent responses. I hope to get some interview call pretty soon....
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immigrant
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« Reply #12 on: May 25, 2009, 06:46:48 PM » |
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FWIW, a non-A in some fields might be problematic. In mine, nobody bats an eyelid if you get a few Bs. If you had a GPA below maybe a 3.4 or so I think there might be some concern, but if someone has a couple of pubs and a 3.5, they'll get the call over someone with a 4.0 and no pubs.
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kamiakin
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« Reply #13 on: May 26, 2009, 12:19:35 AM » |
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In graduate school, better an F than a C.
Yes. Generally speaking, your grades in grad school don't matter. I have never heard of anyone on a search committee discussing the courses taken or grades...these things are not even on the radar. I disagree with the suggestion of mentioning it in the cover letter...that simply draws attention to it.
Absolutely. Ph.D in English
Uh-oh! |
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jerseyjay
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« Reply #14 on: May 27, 2009, 06:23:58 PM » |
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I would concur with those who have said to ignore it. There is really nothing you can do--retake the class again now? I would however have a ready story for why you got an F.
In my program, I do not know anybody who got an F and stayed in. Many people got incompletes and those eventually turned into F if they didn't turn in the work, but none of them actually got his degree. So the fact you survived would point to the fact that his was a fluke or some other issue going on which you dealt with.
I suppose it also has to do with the prestige of the school you have your degree from and the one you are applying for.
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