University's regulations

[daniel.h1]

Hello,

I’m a senior in an ivy league University and about to graduate in one semester. I was approved to do a double major degree and always kept a good GPA.

In the past year, it became harder for me to concentrate well and do well in my studies like I used to. I figured it was due to personal problems and just continued as usual. But after an incident when I froze completely in one of my final exams, a psychiatrist diagnosed me with a severe case of ADHD, and subscribed me with a powerful medicine.

My university’s regulations don’t allow students to request to change a letter grade to pass/fail grade after the exam has been taken, and when a student retake a class, the grade that calculated in the GPA is the first grade and the new grade (of the retaken class) doesn't influence the GPA at all.

I have questions regarding the above please:

1. Since I was diagnosed with a severe case of ADHD, do you think that there is any legal case to prevent the lower grades from the past year influence my GPA? (such as forcing my university to change the letter grades in part of my classes to a pass/ fail even I have already taken the exams, or letting me retake those classes and that the new grades will be the ones to count in my GPA?

Thank you very much,

 

[Antigone*]

Hello,

I’m a senior in an ivy league University and about to graduate in one semester. I was approved to do a double major degree and always kept a good GPA.

In the past year, it became harder for me to concentrate well and do well in my studies like I used to. I figured it was due to personal problems and just continued as usual. But after an incident when I froze completely in one of my final exams, a psychiatrist diagnosed me with a severe case of ADHD, and subscribed me with a powerful medicine.

My university’s regulations don’t allow students to request to change a letter grade to pass/fail grade after the exam has been taken, and when a student retake a class, the grade that calculated in the GPA is the first grade and the new grade (of the retaken class) doesn't influence the GPA at all.

I have questions regarding the above please:

1. Since I was diagnosed with a severe case of ADHD, do you think that there is any legal case to prevent the lower grades from the past year influence my GPA? (such as forcing my university to change the letter grades in part of my classes to a pass/ fail even I have already taken the exams, or letting me retake those classes and that the new grades will be the ones to count in my GPA?

Thank you very much,

I don't know of any statutes that give someone with ADHD a pass. Sorry.

Congratulations on what you have accomplished so far.

 

[Humusluvr]

Hello,

I’m a senior in an ivy league University and about to graduate in one semester. I was approved to do a double major degree and always kept a good GPA.

In the past year, it became harder for me to concentrate well and do well in my studies like I used to. I figured it was due to personal problems and just continued as usual. But after an incident when I froze completely in one of my final exams, a psychiatrist diagnosed me with a severe case of ADHD, and subscribed me with a powerful medicine.

My university’s regulations don’t allow students to request to change a letter grade to pass/fail grade after the exam has been taken, and when a student retake a class, the grade that calculated in the GPA is the first grade and the new grade (of the retaken class) doesn't influence the GPA at all.

I have questions regarding the above please:

1. Since I was diagnosed with a severe case of ADHD, do you think that there is any legal case to prevent the lower grades from the past year influence my GPA? (such as forcing my university to change the letter grades in part of my classes to a pass/ fail even I have already taken the exams, or letting me retake those classes and that the new grades will be the ones to count in my GPA?

Thank you very much,

The school may be able to make accommodations for you through the Office of Accessibility (or whatever it is named at your school). However, they are not legally required to retroactively pass you because you learn you have a case of ADHD. I would suggest you work extra hard to round out that letter grade. One bad grade out of 130 credit hours to graduate (plus or minus) is not bad, and employers or grad schools would be likely to say "Daniel had one bad class, but his others were of good quality."

Good Luck