Advising Tips

LSA allows you to take up to 30 credits pass/fail or credit/no credit, but I can’t think of many situations where a student should take up to one fourth of the 120 credits he/she needs to graduate without grades. Most advisors, in fact, suggest that the typical student take no more than 2-3 courses pass/fail.

There are some restrictions on the courses students can take pass/fail:

1. The fourth term of a language a student is using to meet the language requirement cannot be taken pass/fail.
2.Courses that count toward a concentration or a minor cannot be taken pass/fail.

In order to pass a pass/fail course, you need to earn at least a C- in the course, and instructors have no idea (unless you tell them) that you’re taking their courses pass/fail. They just turn in their grades, and the Registrar’s Office will enter a P for a pass/fail student who earns at least a C- and an F for a student with less than C-. Pass/fail courses don’t have any impact on your GPA.

You have until the end of the third week of each term to go into Wolverine Access and modify a course from graded to pass/fail (or vice versa), and this term the deadline falls on Monday, September 24th. After September 24th, you have to live with your decision: exceptions are NOT granted to this deadline.

You can, however, “uncover” your pass/fail grades. For what’s currently a $5.00 fee, the Registrar’s Office will attach to your official transcript a letter revealing the grades for all your pass/fail courses. But note that “all”: if you want to show one pass/fail grade, you have to show them all. In fact, medical schools, law schools, other professional schools, and grad schools very likely will require that you uncover your pass/fail grades.

OK, so that takes care of policies, and we can go back to the question. When does it make sense to take a course pass/fail? Pass/fail can be a good option if you’re taking a course in an area that you feel shaky in. Also, if you need to take a tough course load or if you know you’ll have heavy non-academic responsibilities during a term, taking a course pass/fail might make sense.

But be careful. Let me give you an example from my past: I once took a course in American music history. The course description said that students didn’t have to be able to read music to be in the course but that it would be an asset. I can’t carry a tune much less read music; also, I was beginning a new job, so I decided to take the course pass/fail. Good decision, right?

It probably was a wise move given that I didn’t know that my lack of musical ability would never become a problem. I also didn’t know when I registered that the instructor was great and that I really was going to enjoy the course. Not only did I do well in the course, I got an A, an A that appears as a mere “P” on my transcript and that doesn’t count toward my GPA.

I made a choice; it seemed like the right one at the time, and I live with it. It’s one of the risks you run when you take a course pass/fail.