I Failed. So Now What?

[Morpheus]

Okay, here's the situation: I failed a class. The first semester of it at least. And no one knows about it. Yet. I still have to tell my parents and my "mentor" (she proctors the class. It's online.) I know they will all be pissed off badly by it, so I plead to the OB: How have you handled this situation in the past, or how would you if you had to?

Facts
-I am a senior in High School
-I live with my parents
-The failing was my fault because I got too far behind
-I got an A in the other online class I took and have A's or B's in all of my other classes.

Ideas
-For my parents, ask them to be distant and let me deal with the situation since I will be attending college soon. Also tell them that it is good to get this wakeup call now and not when I get to college and it costs money.
-For my mentor, tell her that I did it to myself and that if I work very hard this coming semester I can easily bring the grade up. Also offer for her to check my progress anytime she pleases and then immediately go to a chair and read for the class.

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]Since I'm likely about to do the same thing in several classes, I can't advise you, unless you want to do what I plan to do - use every excuse humanly conceiveble and make it up second semester through guts and hard work (or say you're going to, then lapse into '**** this ****' mode and laze arounf) [/COLOR]

[Japan]

[SIZE="1"]I struggle with this at times as well. It's not that I am dumb or anything. Hating college, lack the motivation, and/or other little things become factors. Part of my problem is that I took a lot of art and computer classes in high school. That just made me lazy and not learn much, heh. I need to learn to drop a class BEFORE the 100% refund day passes. Heh. My advice is to be honest with them. They are your parents, you are their kid. Enough said. Anyways, my advice is to find some kind of motivation. Then work your butt off to do the best you can.[/SIZE]

[Lia]

I don't really know what your parents are like, so I can't really give you too much advice on them other than to be open. I murdered my senior year, to be honest. I was a straight A student all through my life and fell into some pretty extreme drug addictions that only bubbled to the surface past denial when I was a senior. Needless to say I basically stopped going to school, and was failing out of everything. Once everything came to the surface, I actually sat and spoke with my dad on an equal level. I came to him on my own with no excuses. The second you start excusing yourself to your parent, is the second they turn off actually listening to you and go into cliche parent mode (IE: Cue disappointment, cue lecturing, etc). Miraculously, I found it worked quite well, and I ended up graduating with a lot of support from advisors, rehab facility education coordinators and even my father who definitely pulled his weight and put in an incredible amount of effort to help me because I wanted to help myself (health and grade-wise).

I guess the question would also be have you applied to colleges yet? If so, it's not going to show up on your transcripts. Depending on the college, they usually don't check how you are doing after that, because from what I know most are very understanding of senioritis. If you have not yet mailed in transcripts then I would start to worry a bit and possibly talk to advisors about retaking that semester online while you are taking the second. I'm sure they can come up with some alternative, keeping in mind that your history of grades is quite well.

[Morpheus]

I have applied, but I haven't sent in a transcript.

[eleanor]

[quote name='ssj chic']
I guess the question would also be have you applied to colleges yet? If so, it's not going to show up on your transcripts. Depending on the college, they usually don't check how you are doing after that, because from what I know most are very understanding of senioritis. If you have not yet mailed in transcripts then I would start to worry a bit and possibly talk to advisors about retaking that semester online while you are taking the second. I'm sure they can come up with some alternative, keeping in mind that your history of grades is quite well.[/QUOTE]

[font="trebuchet ms"] Many colleges require a mid-year transcript and final year-end transcript. I have never heard of one that doesn't require them, but I guess it depends.

I agree though, just talk to your counselors. [/font]

[Korey]

[FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"]I guess I'm one of the lucky ones that didn't have to send in some mystery transcript mid way through my senior year.

Honestly though, Morpheus...you just need to come clean about what you did with both your parents and your mentor. They are there to help you out no matter what. If you try to deal with it on your own and you end up not making the situation better by your own means, then who do you have to rely on? It does you no good to keep this bottled up, because the stress is gonna get you in the end.

As far as college goes, you just need to jump on the ball and send that transcript as soon as possible. Most colleges I know only accept the final transcripts as terms of admittance. My university was very cool with me and admitted me tentatively based on when they got my official final transcripts in. So it was great. You need to be in touch with your high school counselor, the college admissions office and registrar, and whoever it is that was helping you to apply. Also be asking your parents for advice if you ever get stuck along the way. That was my downfall and I wanna make sure that you don't get stuck in that rut as well.[/FONT]

[AzureWolf]

Sounds like you are only worried about the pseudo-consequences of getting a bad grade. Whatever happens with your tutor and parents, you'll get through it. Not really a big deal that needs advice.

As far as schools go, it's bad, but grades don't get processed until probably middle of next semester, so they won't be on your transcript until then. As far as acceptances go, it's easier to get in to a college if they don't know of a grade, accept you, and then find out (in this case, they usually overlook it). On the other hand, it'll be harder to get in if they see the grade before they make their decision.

[Morpheus]

I should be fine I hope. Here are my creds:
-3.4 GPA
-32 ACT
-All honors or AP courses if available.

I'm trying to get into a state school of which I am a resident.

[Heaven's Cloud]

[color=indigo]I don't really see the issue here. You obviously know you have to tell your folks. Regardless of how you approach the discussion it will suck. Still, better to get it over with now so you aren't haunted by the dilemma longer than necessary.

Best to get through it and move on.[/color]

[Lia]

[quote name='Morpheus']I should be fine I hope. Here are my creds:
-3.4 GPA
-32 ACT
-All honors or AP courses if available.

I'm trying to get into a state school of which I am a resident.[/QUOTE]

I'm pretty positive with a 3.4 GPA and mostly honors/AP courses, that most colleges will weigh that up against one failing grade and it'll be fine. Unless you are going Ivy League(which you said otherwise), most universities aren't as anal retentive as we are made to think.