FuzzyBuzzard wrote:
mbaover30 wrote:
I would just follow the directions to avoid integrity perception issues. Also talk about the situation in your optional and how you turned it around. Also highlight any other academic achievements (awards/honor soc) to offset the blemish and show that overall you were a serious student. I didn't fail any classes but I did receive two "D"'s that I retook. I made B's on the retakes and still finished in my top 8% and made the honor society...create a similar narrative for your own situation and that should help.
I disagree with you
Writing a whole essay about this says between the lines "I failed badly, please don't think I'm a loser, here are some great things I did", while the correct approach should be something like "I failed a course because of X, the next semester I did Y to change this and
moved on".
Bedises, I really don't understand what they aim for - It is even possible to graduate with an "F" in something?
I feel like that is exactly what MBAOver30 did.. He got a poor grade "X", retook the class - "Y", and moved on to finish top 8%.
I feel you both have good advice (which is not as far apart as you may think). How many words a candidate allocates to a situation like this is really dependent on the candidate and the rest of his/her overall profile. If a candidate wants to turn the situation into a "how I overame a challenge essay" --go for it. If it really wasn't a big deal for you, don't write an essay on it.
Now..I don't know a lot about other schools (especially international schools), but at my school if you failed, the F stays on your transcript no matter what. It is a permanent record. Even if you ratake the course and receive an A, the course would show up on your transcript twice. For example:
Fall 2000Course X - F
Spring 2001Course X - A
If it shows up on your transcript, absolutely write a little blurb about it in the additional info box. From the sounds of it, your F doesn't appear on your transcript. If it doesn't show up on your transcript, use your judgement. I would ask the admissions office if you are still perplexed about what to do.