A D+ in Honors English
The first story comes from my Junior year in High School (1984-1985). During the third nine-week grading period of the year, we did an educational unit in my Honors English class about short stories. My teacher that year was Yvonne Clark. Each week of the quarter, we read a few short stories (usually between 1 and 3) from various authors. One in particular that I remember reading was "There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury.
After reading each short story, Mrs. Clark would give us an in-class writing assignment with some prompt related to the story. We were expected to write the standard "box" essay (i.e., introduction paragraph, two or three paragraphs about the theme, and a concluding paragraph). She would give the prompt at the beginning of the class session and allow us the full class period to write our response.
At that point in my life, I really struggled with writing in that type of setting. I did not know how to deal with writing "under pressure" to complete the essay during class. I also struggled because I felt that I needed to write about what Mrs. Clark thought was the theme of the story. In my mind, I had a difficult time understanding what the teacher wanted me to write.
As a result, I would often submit a blank piece of paper at the end of the class session because I could not decide what to write.
I am not sure why Mrs. Clark never talked with me about my essays. In addition, as far as I am aware, she did not contact my parents about my performance either.
However, at the end of the quarter, I had a 60 something average for the grading period. Mrs. Clark awarded me a "D+" letter grade. I am not sure I even earned that.
First Semester at Brigham Young University
I enrolled in classes at BYU for the first time for the Fall 1986 semester. I was registered for 12 credits across 7 courses. I was not a very diligent student and did not always attend my classes. I was in the Air Force ROTC and had chosen Electrical Engineering as my major.
I was roommates with my cousin Mike Newswander. We lived in the Helaman Halls dorms.
Mike and I had three classes together: the two Air Force ROTC classes and Physics. He helped me attend most of the class sessions for these three classes. (I believe I attended all of the ROTC classes and missed a few class sessions for Physics.)
At the end of the semester, my grades were as follows:
| Class # | Title | Credits | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEROS 110 | Air Force Organization | 1.0 | A |
| AEROS 110A | Air Force Leadership Lab (Freshmen) | 0.5 | A- |
| HLTH 129 | Health & Lifestyle Management | 1.0 | UW |
| MATH 112 | Analytical Geometry and Calculus | 4.0 | UW |
| PE S 129 | Fitness for Living | 0.5 | B |
| PHSCS 121 | Principles of Physics 1 | 3.0 | B- |
| REL A 121 | Introduction to the Book of Mormon | 2.0 | E |
At BYU, the letter grade scale includes A, B, C, D, and E. Thus, the "E" in my Book of Mormon was really an "F." In addition, the "UW" letter grade in the table above means "unofficial withdrawal." When calculating GPA, the UW grade is considered the equivalent of "F."
As a result, my first semester GPA at BYU was 1.29.
Fortunately, after my mission, I was a better student. I repeated the three classes in which I earned an "F" in my first semester. The repeat "cancels" the original grade and my GPA for my first semester now stands at 3.09.
Taking Classes with Annette (not necessarily my lowest grade but it was low for me!)
Annette and I took several classes together at BYU. It was fun to sit together in class. One class we took together was for PE credit. We took PE D 180 (Social Dance Beginning) together in the Winter 1991 semester. The teacher of the class was one of the Cougarettes and knew Annette from when Annette was a member of the Cougarette dance team.
In the class, we learned the Waltz, Foxtrot, Swing, etc. We attended every class together and danced as partners. On test days, Annette and I danced together as partners for every dance. At the end of the semester, Annette received an "A" letter grade. However, I only received a "B+" letter grade.
Mental Freeze in Ph.D. Program
In the second semester of the Ph.D. program at Florida State University, I was in a research seminar class with Dr. Thomas D. Clark, Jr. For the midterm exam, Dr. Clark gave us two essay questions and a three hour time block to write our responses to the prompts. After he left the room, the other students in the class immediately began writing furiously in their "Blue Books."
I am not sure why, but I panicked and could not get started writing my answers. I sat at the conference table and watch my classmates writing furiously. The longer I sat, the more anxious I became, and the less I was able to focus on organizing my thoughts. Finally, with only a few minutes left of the three-hour block, I wrote a paragraph response for one question and a single sentence response for the other question.
When Dr. Clark returned to collect our Blue Books, I waited until the other students left the room and told Dr. Clark I had failed the exam because I froze and could not write. He accepted my story and my Blue Book.
When he returned the graded exams, I scored a "D+" grade for one question and an "F" for the other question. Fortunately, Dr. Clark told me he would replace my midterm exam grade with my final exam grade. I earned an "A" in the class.
GPA Across Three Degrees
I earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master of Accountancy from Brigham Young University. I earned a Ph.D. in Information and Management Science from Florida State University. The GPA listed on my transcript for my BS in Accounting is 3.70. The GPA listed on my transcript for my Master of Accountancy is 3.70. I earned 171 credits at BYU. The GPA on my transcript for my Ph.D. is 3.75. I earned 114 credits at Florida State.
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