How to beg a professor for a higher grade?

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ponybreeder4

ponybreeder4

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I know some of you have posted here about begging your professors to give you a higher grade...how do you do this? What do you email them? Me and my professor had a verbal deal, but so far my grade online does not reflect this..should i email him? and what should i say?
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ponybreeder4 said:
I know some of you have posted here about begging your professors to give you a higher grade...how do you do this? What do you email them? Me and my professor had a verbal deal, but so far my grade online does not reflect this..should i email him? and what should i say?
Click to expand...

You study harder and earn a higher grade ;)

The only time I have ever thought about negotiating for a higher grade was in Biochemistry where I knew I aced the exam and the TA incorrectly graded it. I presented my case to the professor and he agreed and I got it changed.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
ponybreeder4 said:
I know some of you have posted here about begging your professors to give you a higher grade...how do you do this? What do you email them? Me and my professor had a verbal deal, but so far my grade online does not reflect this..should i email him? and what should i say?
Click to expand...
a verbal deal..?:eyebrow:
 
Members don't see this ad :)
ponybreeder4 said:
I know some of you have posted here about begging your professors to give you a higher grade...how do you do this? What do you email them? Me and my professor had a verbal deal, but so far my grade online does not reflect this..should i email him? and what should i say?
Click to expand...

if you are a girl, you know what you have to do
 
ponybreeder4 said:
I know some of you have posted here about begging your professors to give you a higher grade...how do you do this? What do you email them? Me and my professor had a verbal deal, but so far my grade online does not reflect this..should i email him? and what should i say?
Click to expand...

:barf:
 
University: ______________________
To: Professor____________________
From:___________________________

I think my grade in your course,___________________, should be changed from ______ to _______ for the following reasons:

__1. The persons who copied my paper made a higher grade than I did.

__2. The person whose paper I copied made a higher grade than I did.

__3. This course will lower my Grade Point Average and I won't get into:
______Medical School ______Graduate School
______Dental School ______My Fraternity/Sorority
______The Mickey Mouse Club ______Tri County Tech

__4. I have to get an A in this course to balance the F in: _______________.

__5. I'll lose my scholarship.

__6. I'm on a varsity sports team and my tutor couldn't find a copy of your exam.

__7. I didn't come to class and the person whose notes I used did not cover the material asked for on the exam.

__8. I studied the basic principles and the exam wanted every little fact.

__9. I learned all the facts and definitions but your exams asked about general principles.

__10. You are prejudiced against:
____Males
____Jews
____Blacks
____Females
____Catholics
____Whites
____Protestants
____Moslems
____Minorities
____Chicanos
____People
____Students

__11. If I flunk out of school my father will disinherit me or at least cut my allowance.

__12. I was unable to do well in this course because of the following illness:
____mono
____broken baby finger
____acute alcoholism
____pregnancy
____VD
____fatherhood

__13. You told us to be creative but you didn't tell us exactly how you wanted that done.

__14. I was creative and you said I was just shooting the bull.

__15. I don't have a reason; I just want a higher grade.

__16. The lectures were:
____too detailed to pick out important points
____not explained in sufficient detail
____too boring
____all jokes and not enough material
____all of the above

__17. This course was:
____too early, I was not awake.
____at lunchtime, I was hungry
____too late, I was tired

__18. My (dog, cat, gerbil) (ate, wet on, threw up on)my (book, notes, paper) for this course.

__19. Other__________________________________
 
I don't know what you consider a verbal deal, sounds very questionable to me. If you can come up with some good reasons why you deserve a better grade that is specific to help you and not anyone else in the class, go to his office by all means. But please, do not beg.
 
Hmm..this doesn't sound right. Let's say, if you're on the borderline of A and B, I think it's acceptable to ask your professor to raise your grade from B+ to A- (by means of demonstrating your active participation in the class, extraordinary personal circumstances...etc). But, it's not right to ask downright for a higher grade no matter what this whole verbal deal is (To be honest, your professor shouldn't have agreed to this "deal" in the first place.). If you're going to become a physician, you need to learn to take full responsibility for your action and not to make the same kind of mistake in the future instead of trying to cover it up for the sake of getting into med school. Sorry if I sound too harsh, but this is how I feel about your situation.
 
its not a big grade change...just from a B+ to A-...he told me if i do well on the midterm he will change it...its just i did really bad on the 2nd midterm and was on the verge of dropping the class but he said if i show improvement he will raise it by a third of a grade....i got 46 on the midterm and worked my ass off to get 92 on the final while the average was 52...so i definetely showed improvement..but my numerical grade just adds up to a B+..even though he said he would raise it by 1/3 of a grade..maybe he forgot? should i remind him and how?
 
ponybreeder4 said:
I know some of you have posted here about begging your professors to give you a higher grade...how do you do this? What do you email them? Me and my professor had a verbal deal, but so far my grade online does not reflect this..should i email him? and what should i say?
Click to expand...


What exactly were you and this professor doing when you made this "verbal deal?"


Maybe this is just his way of asking you to stop by to remind him of your arrangement...
 
Members don't see this ad :)
LizzyM said:
__10. You are prejudiced against:
____Males
____Jews
____Blacks
____Females
____Catholics
____Whites
____Protestants
____Moslems
____Minorities
____Chicanos
____People
____Students
Click to expand...

LOL!!!

ponybreeder4 said:
its not a big grade change...just from a B+ to A-...he told me if i do well on the midterm he will change it...its just i did really bad on the 2nd midterm and was on the verge of dropping the class but he said if i show improvement he will raise it by a third of a grade....i got 46 on the midterm and worked my ass off to get 92 on the final while the average was 52...so i definetely showed improvement..but my numerical grade just adds up to a B+..even though he said he would raise it by 1/3 of a grade..maybe he forgot? should i remind him and how?
Click to expand...
Have you heard of this thing called e-mail? You want me to write out the email you should send too? Or can you do that much.
 
LizzyM said:
University: ______________________
To: Professor____________________
From:___________________________

I think my grade in your course,___________________, should be changed from ______ to _______ for the following reasons:

__1. The persons who copied my paper made a higher grade than I did.

__2. The person whose paper I copied made a higher grade than I did.

__3. This course will lower my Grade Point Average and I won't get into:
______Medical School ______Graduate School
______Dental School ______My Fraternity/Sorority
______The Mickey Mouse Club ______Tri County Tech

__4. I have to get an A in this course to balance the F in: _______________.

__5. I'll lose my scholarship.

__6. I'm on a varsity sports team and my tutor couldn't find a copy of your exam.

__7. I didn't come to class and the person whose notes I used did not cover the material asked for on the exam.

__8. I studied the basic principles and the exam wanted every little fact.

__9. I learned all the facts and definitions but your exams asked about general principles.

__10. You are prejudiced against:
____Males
____Jews
____Blacks
____Females
____Catholics
____Whites
____Protestants
____Moslems
____Minorities
____Chicanos
____People
____Students

__11. If I flunk out of school my father will disinherit me or at least cut my allowance.

__12. I was unable to do well in this course because of the following illness:
____mono
____broken baby finger
____acute alcoholism
____pregnancy
____VD
____fatherhood

__13. You told us to be creative but you didn't tell us exactly how you wanted that done.

__14. I was creative and you said I was just shooting the bull.

__15. I don't have a reason; I just want a higher grade.

__16. The lectures were:
____too detailed to pick out important points
____not explained in sufficient detail
____too boring
____all jokes and not enough material
____all of the above

__17. This course was:
____too early, I was not awake.
____at lunchtime, I was hungry
____too late, I was tired

__18. My (dog, cat, gerbil) (ate, wet on, threw up on)my (book, notes, paper) for this course.

__19. Other__________________________________
Click to expand...

:laugh::laugh::laugh:
 
LizzyM said:
University: ______________________
To: Professor____________________
From:___________________________

I think my grade in your course,___________________, should be changed from ______ to _______ for the following reasons:

__1. The persons who copied my paper made a higher grade than I did.

__2. The person whose paper I copied made a higher grade than I did.

__3. This course will lower my Grade Point Average and I won't get into:
______Medical School ______Graduate School
______Dental School ______My Fraternity/Sorority
______The Mickey Mouse Club ______Tri County Tech

__4. I have to get an A in this course to balance the F in: _______________.

__5. I'll lose my scholarship.

__6. I'm on a varsity sports team and my tutor couldn't find a copy of your exam.

__7. I didn't come to class and the person whose notes I used did not cover the material asked for on the exam.

__8. I studied the basic principles and the exam wanted every little fact.

__9. I learned all the facts and definitions but your exams asked about general principles.

__10. You are prejudiced against:
____Males
____Jews
____Blacks
____Females
____Catholics
____Whites
____Protestants
____Moslems
____Minorities
____Chicanos
____People
____Students

__11. If I flunk out of school my father will disinherit me or at least cut my allowance.

__12. I was unable to do well in this course because of the following illness:
____mono
____broken baby finger
____acute alcoholism
____pregnancy
____VD
____fatherhood

__13. You told us to be creative but you didn't tell us exactly how you wanted that done.

__14. I was creative and you said I was just shooting the bull.

__15. I don't have a reason; I just want a higher grade.

__16. The lectures were:
____too detailed to pick out important points
____not explained in sufficient detail
____too boring
____all jokes and not enough material
____all of the above

__17. This course was:
____too early, I was not awake.
____at lunchtime, I was hungry
____too late, I was tired

__18. My (dog, cat, gerbil) (ate, wet on, threw up on)my (book, notes, paper) for this course.

__19. Other__________________________________
Click to expand...

Bahahaha!!:rofl:
 
ponybreeder4 said:
its not a big grade change...just from a B+ to A-...he told me if i do well on the midterm he will change it...its just i did really bad on the 2nd midterm and was on the verge of dropping the class but he said if i show improvement he will raise it by a third of a grade....i got 46 on the midterm and worked my ass off to get 92 on the final while the average was 52...so i definetely showed improvement..but my numerical grade just adds up to a B+..even though he said he would raise it by 1/3 of a grade..maybe he forgot? should i remind him and how?
Click to expand...

i would go speak with him in his office. ask to maybe look over your final and then just nicely remind me of the conversation.. half casually..
i would maybe remind him of the conversation and then ask if there is anything he can do since you showed so much improvement on the final.
 
LizzyM said:
University: ______________________
To: Professor____________________
From:___________________________

I think my grade in your course,___________________, should be changed from ______ to _______ for the following reasons:

__1. The persons who copied my paper made a higher grade than I did.

__2. The person whose paper I copied made a higher grade than I did.

__3. This course will lower my Grade Point Average and I won't get into:
______Medical School ______Graduate School
______Dental School ______My Fraternity/Sorority
______The Mickey Mouse Club ______Tri County Tech

__4. I have to get an A in this course to balance the F in: _______________.

__5. I'll lose my scholarship.

__6. I'm on a varsity sports team and my tutor couldn't find a copy of your exam.

__7. I didn't come to class and the person whose notes I used did not cover the material asked for on the exam.

__8. I studied the basic principles and the exam wanted every little fact.

__9. I learned all the facts and definitions but your exams asked about general principles.

__10. You are prejudiced against:
____Males
____Jews
____Blacks
____Females
____Catholics
____Whites
____Protestants
____Moslems
____Minorities
____Chicanos
____People
____Students

__11. If I flunk out of school my father will disinherit me or at least cut my allowance.

__12. I was unable to do well in this course because of the following illness:
____mono
____broken baby finger
____acute alcoholism
____pregnancy
____VD
____fatherhood

__13. You told us to be creative but you didn't tell us exactly how you wanted that done.

__14. I was creative and you said I was just shooting the bull.

__15. I don't have a reason; I just want a higher grade.

__16. The lectures were:
____too detailed to pick out important points
____not explained in sufficient detail
____too boring
____all jokes and not enough material
____all of the above

__17. This course was:
____too early, I was not awake.
____at lunchtime, I was hungry
____too late, I was tired

__18. My (dog, cat, gerbil) (ate, wet on, threw up on)my (book, notes, paper) for this course.

__19. Other__________________________________
Click to expand...

Pedsbro said:
Bahahaha!!:rofl:
Click to expand...


You may laugh, but this actually works. My gpa went from a 2.8 to a 2.81 because of this. BTW Lizzy, you forgot to include:

- You didn't let me see the answer key
- My auto-solving calculators with the answers didn't turn on
and
- I was sick, give me a break
 
also, LizzyM, that was an utterly fantastic post!! haha couldnt stop laughing for quite a bit lol
 
honestly, i feel that old/experienced professors are more inclined to do this for freshmen in introductory classes (more than 200 people). remember that they also have pressure/get into trouble for the number of A's given out, especially in small upper-level classes (less than 35 people).

u can send out a friendly reminder about the "verbal deal" to your professor, but it's still up to him/her to decide your final grade. good luck!
 
You mind if I steal this and hand it to students asking for higher grades from now on? I think it would save us both some time and breath...haha

LizzyM said:
University: ______________________
To: Professor____________________
From:___________________________

I think my grade in your course,___________________, should be changed from ______ to _______ for the following reasons:

__1. The persons who copied my paper made a higher grade than I did.

__2. The person whose paper I copied made a higher grade than I did.

__3. This course will lower my Grade Point Average and I won't get into:
______Medical School ______Graduate School
______Dental School ______My Fraternity/Sorority
______The Mickey Mouse Club ______Tri County Tech

__4. I have to get an A in this course to balance the F in: _______________.

__5. I'll lose my scholarship.

__6. I'm on a varsity sports team and my tutor couldn't find a copy of your exam.

__7. I didn't come to class and the person whose notes I used did not cover the material asked for on the exam.

__8. I studied the basic principles and the exam wanted every little fact.

__9. I learned all the facts and definitions but your exams asked about general principles.

__10. You are prejudiced against:
____Males
____Jews
____Blacks
____Females
____Catholics
____Whites
____Protestants
____Moslems
____Minorities
____Chicanos
____People
____Students

__11. If I flunk out of school my father will disinherit me or at least cut my allowance.

__12. I was unable to do well in this course because of the following illness:
____mono
____broken baby finger
____acute alcoholism
____pregnancy
____VD
____fatherhood

__13. You told us to be creative but you didn't tell us exactly how you wanted that done.

__14. I was creative and you said I was just shooting the bull.

__15. I don't have a reason; I just want a higher grade.

__16. The lectures were:
____too detailed to pick out important points
____not explained in sufficient detail
____too boring
____all jokes and not enough material
____all of the above

__17. This course was:
____too early, I was not awake.
____at lunchtime, I was hungry
____too late, I was tired

__18. My (dog, cat, gerbil) (ate, wet on, threw up on)my (book, notes, paper) for this course.

__19. Other__________________________________
Click to expand...
 
When LizzyM trolls you, you know you're in trouble.
 
I don't care what you guys say, I'm using that checklist. AND CHECKING EVERYTHING!
 
LuciusVorenus said:
I don't care what you guys say, I'm using that checklist. AND CHECKING EVERYTHING!
Click to expand...

Please do, and don't forget to wear those hot pants when you hand-deliver it to the professor's office (especially if you are a guy!). :laugh:

I know of an instructor who, after she was nagged into a "minor" grade change (parents called the chair of the department) that she wrote a letter to the career center's pre-med committee (which coordinates med school applications) explaining that the student was an immature manipulating prick who was unsuitable for a career in medicine, or anything else for that matter. To this date, he is still re-applying. :D
 
fMRI said:
I know of an instructor who, after she was nagged into a "minor" grade change (parents called the chair of the department) that she wrote a letter to the career center's pre-med committee (which coordinates med school applications) explaining that the student was an immature manipulating prick who was unsuitable for a career in medicine, or anything else for that matter. To this date, he is still re-applying. :D
Click to expand...

:laugh: OP - suck it up and try harder next time.
 
Last edited:
luckyhaha said:
OP are you of Indian descent by any chance?

Not to sound controversial, but according to my O Chem professor, in his class of around 1400 students he usually gets 5-6 emails every Christmas from students who whine to the professor along the lines of " in the holiday spirit, could you please raise my grade..." and 95% of the time they are students of Indian descent.
Click to expand...

1,400 students in one class?:eek:
 
luckyhaha said:
OP are you of Indian descent by any chance?

Not to sound controversial, but according to my O Chem professor, in his class of around 1400 students he usually gets 5-6 emails every Christmas from students who whine to the professor along the lines of " in the holiday spirit, could you please raise my grade..." and 95% of the time they are students of Indian descent.
Click to expand...

Lmao. Hey maybe they're converts. Don't judge :laugh:
 
LOL- best thread title I've seen in a while! Only on SDN! :laugh:
 
fMRI said:
Please do, and don't forget to wear those hot pants when you hand-deliver it to the professor's office (especially if you are a guy!). :laugh:

I know of an instructor who, after she was nagged into a "minor" grade change (parents called the chair of the department) that she wrote a letter to the career center's pre-med committee (which coordinates med school applications) explaining that the student was an immature manipulating prick who was unsuitable for a career in medicine, or anything else for that matter. To this date, he is still re-applying. :D
Click to expand...

That's why schools with pre-med committees scare the crap out of me. Good thing my school doesn't have one :)

...at least I think they don't :(
 
luckyhaha said:
OP are you of Indian descent by any chance?

Not to sound controversial, but according to my O Chem professor, in his class of around 1400 students he usually gets 5-6 emails every Christmas from students who whine to the professor along the lines of " in the holiday spirit, could you please raise my grade..." and 95% of the time they are students of Indian descent.
Click to expand...

You sounded controversial :caution:
 
hahas

anyways if you feel that you really deserve a higher grade on that course, you should definitely go up to your professor and speak to him verbally, to show you actually care. if you just want a higher grade and you know that you didn't do good in the class don't bother. Going up to a professor and confronting him works, trust me based on experience. I boost my grade from a B- to A- in one of my history class for general requirement, just from confronting to my professor that I deserve a better grade and I am going for medical school, a B- would destroy my gpa.
 
sdn had a thread on negotiating grades, not long ago... maybe like 2 months ago...

I, in that thread, opposed the idea of appealing for a better grade on moral basis. An unfair advantage over another is what "cheating" is when schools refer to the term.

On the other hand, if u aced all your papers and receive a D when u check ur final grade online, u can email the professor tht there might be a mistake in entry. Most professor will change it to a B instead of an A u deserved because they now know that u and all ur friends now know that the professor is crapy. lol.
 
gbu730 said:
honestly, i feel that old/experienced professors are more inclined to do this for freshmen in introductory classes (more than 200 people). remember that they also have pressure/get into trouble for the number of A's given out, especially in small upper-level classes (less than 35 people).
Click to expand...

Don't underestimate the power of tenure.
 
The first step is to search the web for comfortable knee pads...
 
Red Leader said:
I know you can convert to a different religion, but how do you convert your RACE? I think many pre-meds would like to know.
Click to expand...

Ever heard of Michael Jackson?

For some professors, the difference between an A- and a B+ is something that they value but wasn't on the syllabus, like participating in class or visiting office hours for help. At my university, the point difference between an A- and a B+ was 3.7 versus 3.3, so it made a big difference in GPA even though it often represents a less than 1% difference in performance. Schools should use AB grading, where an AB = 3.5.
 
LizzyM said:
University: ______________________
To: Professor____________________
From:___________________________

I think my grade in your course,___________________, should be changed from ______ to _______ for the following reasons:

__1. The persons who copied my paper made a higher grade than I did.

__2. The person whose paper I copied made a higher grade than I did.

__3. This course will lower my Grade Point Average and I won't get into:
______Medical School ______Graduate School
______Dental School ______My Fraternity/Sorority
______The Mickey Mouse Club ______Tri County Tech

__4. I have to get an A in this course to balance the F in: _______________.

__5. I'll lose my scholarship.

__6. I'm on a varsity sports team and my tutor couldn't find a copy of your exam.

__7. I didn't come to class and the person whose notes I used did not cover the material asked for on the exam.

__8. I studied the basic principles and the exam wanted every little fact.

__9. I learned all the facts and definitions but your exams asked about general principles.

__10. You are prejudiced against:
____Males
____Jews
____Blacks
____Females
____Catholics
____Whites
____Protestants
____Moslems
____Minorities
____Chicanos
____People
____Students

__11. If I flunk out of school my father will disinherit me or at least cut my allowance.

__12. I was unable to do well in this course because of the following illness:
____mono
____broken baby finger
____acute alcoholism
____pregnancy
____VD
____fatherhood

__13. You told us to be creative but you didn't tell us exactly how you wanted that done.

__14. I was creative and you said I was just shooting the bull.

__15. I don't have a reason; I just want a higher grade.

__16. The lectures were:
____too detailed to pick out important points
____not explained in sufficient detail
____too boring
____all jokes and not enough material
____all of the above

__17. This course was:
____too early, I was not awake.
____at lunchtime, I was hungry
____too late, I was tired

__18. My (dog, cat, gerbil) (ate, wet on, threw up on)my (book, notes, paper) for this course.

__19. Other__________________________________
Click to expand...

Quoted just because.

:laugh:
 
OP, i know exactly what you mean. I had a "verbal deal" with one of my professors to change my grade from a B+ to an A-. i got really anxious about it because she had already submitted the B+ and it took over 3 weeks to see the change.
i emailed her politely and explained, as i had when i went to her office, that i was in the midst of applying to medical school and would really appreciate knowing the status of my grade change because i didnt want to send it in with the lower grade.
i made my deal in her office, nothing official, i just explained how much i enjoyed her class and it sparked a new found interest in her area and i would really appreciate a little bump (especially since i had an 89 average) i spoke about how much i improved. and just come out and ask, they like it better than when youre dancing around the question. hope this helps
 
redrower said:
OP, i know exactly what you mean. I had a "verbal deal" with one of my professors to change my grade from a B+ to an A-. i got really anxious about it because she had already submitted the B+ and it took over 3 weeks to see the change.
i emailed her politely and explained, as i had when i went to her office, that i was in the midst of applying to medical school and would really appreciate knowing the status of my grade change because i didnt want to send it in with the lower grade.
i made my deal in her office, nothing official, i just explained how much i enjoyed her class and it sparked a new found interest in her area and i would really appreciate a little bump (especially since i had an 89 average) i spoke about how much i improved. and just come out and ask, they like it better than when youre dancing around the question. hope this helps
Click to expand...

Honestly, that makes me sick. You feel you should be held to different standards than the rest of the class because...?
 
JimmerJammerMrK said:
Honestly, that makes me sick. You feel you should be held to different standards than the rest of the class because...?
Click to expand...

because, unlike anyone else in the class, he ENJOYED it!!!
 
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