Language class grade worries

[czesc]

I'm hoping some of you with more experience in your programs can give me some advice. I received my first PhD semester grades and they're very good for the most part (i.e. for all the graduate level history classes). That said, I was obliged to take one difficult difficult foreign language class for a grade. The class was primarily an undergraduate one and graded on a curved scale. I got a B.

 

The conventional wisdom out there seems to be that Bs are a kiss of death in (humanities) grad school, but I wanted to know if any of you had experience with grades in primarily-undergrad classes in outside subjects and whether they'd be considered in the same way. Obviously it will affect my GPA - does this slaughter my chances of competing with history students in other programs for outside funding? Is it likely I'll be taken to the woodshed by my department? The language isn't a crucial one for my field so I'm mostly worried about the fact that the grade makes me look stupid/less competitive, rather than lacking the skills to research in my area.

 

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Edited January 7, 2014 by czesc

[tenguru]

Just wanted to give this a bump as it is something I may face next year.

[biisis]

You will be okay! At this point your research proposals will be much more heavily weighted by granting agencies than your grades. Even so, the odd language class isn't an indictment of your merit as a researcher. Moreover, once you've graduated no one will ever ask to see them again. The meaningful impact of grades has a short lifespan, and you're near its end.

[CageFree]

I'd say the only grades that matter in terms of staying in your program are the ones that are required for your program. A B in an undergraduate language class won't get you kicked out of your program... it only matters for the purposes of schoolwide funding (i.e. having to maintain a 3.0). 

 

It is absurd that you had to take the course for a grade though. Why weren't you allowed to take it P/NP?

[tenguru]

Honestly, I am hoping that I can take fourth year Japanese as pass/no pass. The lang requirement for the MA I will be starting is passing a document reading test. I don't want to slack in the class, I just don't want to stress about yet another thing.