Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Will One Bad Class Spell Doom for a Big 4 Recruit?

Today's blog post is brought to you by a worrisome soon-to-be-grad.

Hi GC,

I already accepted an offer from one of the Big 4 firms. When I did, my GPA was very solid. However, I took a class last semester with a professor that has the highest drop rates and the lowest grade average given to students. I was warned by many saying that no one can understand his lectures, his notes are chicken scratch, and if you ever drop in for office hours, he'll usher you out faster than you can finish your question. 

Given that, I figured I had no choice since he was the only professor teaching the class, and I thought maybe I could rely on the book and other resources to prepare for his exams. I was completely wrong. I barely passed. It's the first time I had such trouble with a course, and I have taken what I thought were more challenging subjects. I'm sure by now you are thinking, "Wow! You're just a dumbass who couldn't pass, and now you're trying to pass the blame onto the professor!" I can understand that. It just seems like the records for his grades and drop rates shows that the problem alone is not on the students. I guess I would accept it with defeat if the class genuinely had challenging material. It just seems like the professor has some biases and lack of respect for students. Sure I may encounter this problem frequently in the real world, but I would hope that someone who goes into education would have better intentions. Obviously, the world does not work that way. 

Beside the fact that I am rambling about my sob story (oh, such spoiled kids and their first world problems), will this affect my job offer at all? I have never heard of jobs rescinding offers first hand, but I remember colleges and universities revoked offers back in high school to some kids who failed senior classes. I am worried job positions could work the same way.

The answers to the other post made it seem like they wouldn't really compare transcripts to resume, but what if there is a glaringly low grade on it? Should I try to explain beforehand about the situation, or will it just make me seem like a presumptuous little snot trying to find a scapegoat? Or is it just some minor detail I am needlessly worrying about?

I apologize for my wordiness! Thank you very much for even bothering to read it. I really appreciate all of the help GC has provided, even to the really mundane advice questions such as this. Maybe what we really could all use is advice on how to stop stressing. Yoga, anyone?

Thanks again!
– Bumbling and Butthurt

B&B,

Thanks for reaching out. I'll keep this response short and sweet. You're fine. Really. Just because you didn't receive a gold star in one class doesn't mean…

…ahh, eff it, man. C's get degrees. And in this case, they earn you a job.

Should your recruiter ask you about it (they probably won't), be comfortable in explaining the infamous professor.  If the professor is as bad as you make him out to be in your email to GC, you are not the first student hired by your firm that has had problems passing the class and it's even possible that the recruiter is familiar with the situation. Do not bother bringing it up; only discuss it should HR want to address it. 

Now, stop worrying and enjoy your last semester of college.