Some students see a poor grade on a report card and feel as if they have received a death sentence. However, there is still hope for these students. Gunn allows students to retake a course if they have a C or lower. If the new grade is better than the first, it can replace the original grade.

Although this sounds like a simple policy, it is actually quite complex and contains loopholes. First of all, the new grade does not completely replace the old grade. If a student receives a D in a class the first time around, that D will remain on the transcript but will not be counted in the Grade Point Average (GPA). The new grade, however, will be calculated into the GPA as well as appear on the transcript.

Another loophole is that University of California (UC) schools have a different policy concerning grades from repeated classes. "[The UCs] only read a new grade if [the original grade was] a D or an F," guidance counselor Linda Kirsch said. Students must also take the exact same class, which is often a problem with math courses such as Algebra 2/Trigonometry Honors. "All blended classes are Gunn specific," guidance counselor Jovi Johnston said. "They can't be retaken at summer school."

Although students may retake any course, some classes are repeated more often than others. "The courses that are more likely to be taken again are math, English, science, history and foreign language," Kirsch said. Kirsch and Johnston explained that students do not often retake electives because they feel that they are not as important to their studies and future careers.

Senior Janet So, who retook chemistry, said that college requirements were the main reason for pursuing the option of retaking classes. "I dropped out of it second semester, so I needed the credits to fulfill college requirements for a lab science," she said.

Students also retake classes for reasons beyond college applications. "Some students come in not because they want to go to a four-year college, but because they don't feel they learned what they needed to learn in that class," Johnston said.

So found that she got more than just an improved GPA from taking chemistry a second time. So said that retaking a class was worth her time in the end. "I got more out of [the class]," she said. "You're more prepared to do better the second time around."

Junior Ian Eblovi also believes that retaking a class can help students who did not understand the material the first time. "I think it is a good option because if people can go back and show mastery in a course, they should," he said. "Also, it would be easier the second time."

Retaking classes not only gives students' GPAs a boost, but also tells colleges about their work ethic and motivation. "It shows that you care enough to clean up the grade," Kirsch said.

Retaking a class is not something that every student is willing to go through. Both Kirsch and Johnston estimate that they get five or fewer students per year who go through with it. Some students discuss the possibility with their counselors, but they are often dissuaded by the time commitment. "[The class] gets boring," So said. "It feels unproductive and pointless because you have already done all the labs and projects."

Johnston said that settlings for a lower GPA might have a negative effect on their futures. "It does rule out college options," she said. In the end, however, it is always up to the student to decide whether or not he is satisfied with his grade. "Students can discuss with counselors how to handle a D or an F," Kirsch said. "We do not force them to do something."

The only situation in which a student must retake a class is if he or she received an F in the course. "You have to redo an F to get a diploma," Kirsch said.

So cautions, however, that this option might not be valuable to all students. "A lot of people might not see the point," she said. "You should just do well the first time."

–Additional reporting by Aurelle Amram