What to Do if Youre Failing a Class in College

What to Do if You're Failing a Class in College Failing a class in college can be a major problem if its not handled in the right way. A failed class can have an impact on your academic record, your progress toward graduation, your financial aid, and even your self-esteem. How you handle the situation once you know youre failing a college course, however, can have a significant influence on what happens after grades get turned in. Ask for Help as Soon as Possible Ask for help as soon as possible once you know you are in danger of failing any class during your time in college. Keep in mind, too, that help can take many different forms. You can ask for assistance from a tutor, your professor, your academic adviser, a learning center on campus, your friends, a teaching assistant, members of your family, or even people in the surrounding community. But no matter where you go, start going somewhere. Reaching out for help just may be the best thing you can do. Learn What Your Options Are Is it too late in the semester or quarter to drop the class? Can you switch to a pass/fail option? Can you withdraw - and if you do so, what is the impact on your transcript or financial aid eligibility (and even health insurance)? Once you realize youre failing a class, your options vary depending on when in the semester or quarter you make that realization. Check with your academic adviser, the registrars office, your professor, and the financial aid office about what you can do in your particular situation. Figure Out the Logistics If you can drop the course, when is the add/drop deadline? By when do you have to get paperwork in - and to whom? Dropping a course at various parts in the semester can have varying effects on your financial aid, too, so check in with the financial aid office about what needs to be done (and by when). Give yourself a little extra time, too, to gather all the signatures and coordinate other logistics for whatever you plan to do. Take Action One of the worst things you can do is to realize you are failing a class and then do nothing. Dont dig yourself in deeper by not going to class anymore and pretending like the problem doesnt exist. That F on your transcript may be seen years later by future employers or graduate schools (even if you think, today, that youll never want to go). Even if youre not sure what to do, talking with someone and taking some action about your situation is a critical step to take. Don't Be Too Hard on Yourself Lets be honest: lots of people fail classes and go on to live perfectly normal, healthy, productive lives. Its really not the end of the world, even if it feels overwhelming at the moment. Failing a class is something that youll handle and move on from, just like everything else. Dont stress too much and do your best to learn something from the situation - even if its how to not let yourself fail a class ever again.

10 Geographic Facts About Sichuan Province, China

10 Geographic Facts About Sichuan Province, China Sichuan is the second largest of Chinas 23 provinces based on its land area of 187,260 square miles (485,000 sq km). It is located in southwestern China adjacent to the countrys largest province, Qinghai. Sichuans capital city is Chengdu and as of 2007, the province had a population of 87,250,000 people. Sichuan is an important province to China because of its abundant agricultural resources which include such Chinese staples as rice and wheat. Sichuan is also rich in mineral resources and is one of Chinas main industrial centers. The following is a list of ten things to know about Sichuan Province: 1) Human settlement of Sichuan Province is believed to date back to the 15th century B.C.E. In the 9th century B.C.E., Shu (what is present-day Chengdu) and Ba (todays Chongqing City) grew to become the largest kingdoms in the region. 2) Shu and Ba were subsequently destroyed by the Qin Dynasty and by the 3rd century B.C.E., the area was developed with sophisticated irrigation systems and dams which ended seasonal flooding of the region. As a result, Sichuan became the agricultural center of China at the time. 3) Because of Sichuans location as a basin surrounded by mountains and the presence of the Yangtze River, the area also became an important military center throughout much of Chinas history. In addition, several different dynasties ruled the area; among them are the Jin Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty. 4) An important note about Sichuan Province is that its borders have remained mostly unchanged for the last 500 years. The largest changes occurred in 1955 when Xikang became a part of Sichuan and in 1997 when the city of Chongqing broke away to form a part of the Chongqing Municipality. 5) Today Sichuan is divided into eighteen prefecture-level cities and three independent prefectures. A prefecture-level city is one that is below a province but ranks higher than a county for administrative structure. An independent prefecture is an area that has a majority of ethnic minorities or is historically important for ethnic minorities. 6) Sichuan Province is within the Sichuan basin and is surrounded by the Himalayas to the west, the Qinling Range to the east and the mountainous parts of Yunnan Province to the south. The area is also active geologically and the Longmen Shan Fault runs through part of the province. 7) In May 2008, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake occurred in Sichuan Province. Its epicenter was in the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. The earthquake killed over 70,000 people and numerous schools, hospitals and factories collapsed. Following the earthquake in June 2008, severe flooding from a lake formed by a landslide during the earthquake occurred in low-lying areas that had already been significantly damaged. In April 2010, the region was again impacted by a magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck neighboring Qinghai Province. 8) Sichuan Province has a varied climate with a subtropical monsoon in its eastern portions and Chengdu. This region experiences warm to hot summers and short, cool winters. It is also typically very cloudy in the winters. The western part of Sichuan Province has a climate affected by the mountains and high altitude. It is very cold in the winter and mild in the summer. The southern part of the province is subtropical. 9) Most of Sichuan Provinces population is Han Chinese. However, there is a significant population of minorities such as Tibetans, Yi, Qiang, and Naxi in the province as well. Sichuan was Chinas most populous province until 1997 when Chongqing was separated from it. 10) Sichuan Province is famous for its biodiversity and the area is home to the famous Giant Panda Sanctuaries which consist of seven different nature reserves and nine scenic parks. These sanctuaries are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and are home to more than 30% of the worlds endangered giant pandas. The sites are also home to other endangered species such as the red panda, the snow leopard, and the clouded leopard. ReferencesNew York Times. (2009, May 6). Earthquake in China - Sichuan Province - News - The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/news/science/topics/earthquakes/sichuan_province_china/index.html Wikipedia. (2010, April 18). Sichuan - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan Wikipedia. (2009, December 23). Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_Giant_Panda_Sanctuaries