1. Something to Think About
GLY 4200C, Fall 2017

2. Mineralogy Prerequisites
Mineralogy has prerequisites of 1 semester of college chemistry, and 1 semester of college physics
Students have sometimes been able to register without sufficient background, but changes to the registration system now largely prevent this from happening

3. Results in 2011 18 students started the course in the Fall of 2011
6 students had the prerequisites, 12 did not
2 of those without prerequisites dropped, losing their tuition
Final grades
Those with prerequisites averaged B+
Those without prerequisites averaged C-

4. Physics
Physics is not really needed until about the last third of the course
Some students are doing well until they hit that material
There is little time to bring your skills up to the proper level

5. Results
Students who receive a grade below C will need to repeat the course
Some students from 2011 left the program
Students passing (C or better) often received a grade at least one full grade level below what they were capable of

6. Graduate School
This will make getting in Graduate school much more difficult
Students may only be able to get in second or third tier graduate schools
Students without M.S. Geology degrees will earn much less money in their careers, and may be trapped in jobs with limited upward mobility

7. Repeating Courses Repeated courses do not look good on transcripts
The cost is high – currently $ per credit hour for residents, or $ for this course
Each student enrolled in the same undergraduate course more than twice, shall be assessed an additional $ per credit hour charge
Students are generally not allowed to repeat courses required for a major more than once – if they don’t pass, they must change majors
Source:

8. Success Everyone at FAU wants our students to succeed
When you do well, program credibility increases
This helps attract more students, and improves funding
Students who do poorly, or leave without graduating, have the opposite effect

9. But I need to graduate by….
When you obtain a grade lower than C, it will probably delay your graduation
If you take a course without the proper preparation beware the snake-eyes

10. Advising
In order to prevent this type of problem, Geosciences has an advising system
I am the advisor for undergraduate Geology students
To make an appointment, send your request and your schedule of Free Times for several days after the request date by to
I try to get back to you quickly, so please check your regularly
Use your FAU account to prevent problems