.5 away from B+? Ask professor to round it up?

[hopefulmed195]

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I found out that my B grade in Biology class is only .54 away from B+ and can make a difference to my GPA. I would get a B+ if I would not misinterpret 2 test questions. Is it worth to ask my professor to reconsider my grade?

 

[Quix]

I found out that my B grade in Biology class is only .54 away from B+ and can make a difference to my GPA. I would get a B+ if I would not misinterpret 2 test questions. Is it worth to ask my professor to reconsider my grade?

No. You made the mistakes, don't ask for a bump. Also, there have been two other threads along this same line of questioning in the past week.

 

[flyingesquino]

It probably wouln't hurt to ask, but I certainly wouldn't hold out much hope for it. I'm in the same boat, I got an A- in a biology course, missing an A by 2 questions on a test. I'm beating myself up over it considering over four tests there were 200 questions, and all I had to do was get two more for the higher GPA.

 

[smeagol]

Only if you deserve it, and not if you only think you deserve it.

If the professor had questions that were in themselves, questionable, then maybe. Prepare an argument that several of his test questions may have had multiple answers or were unfair.

But if the class was fair, then don't bother the professor. Also don't ask for a grade bump, but rather a reconsideration of some exam questions if that is even applicable to you. Asking for a grade bump for the sake of a grade bump is heinous to me 😀

 

[flyingesquino]

No. You made the mistakes, don't ask for a bump. Also, there have been two other threads along this same line of questioning in the past week.

It really depends on the school/professor. I've had friends get bumped up after making a case to professors, and at my brother's college he says it's common practice for the professors to bump up a student's grade if they miss a certain mark by .5-1%. I certainly don't like the practice, but in a competitive world you have to do everything to put yourself at an advantage.

 

[Ding2daDong]

It is worth a try.

I always see it as you didn't try hard enough somewhere in the semester and you lost 10.56 points so why round up if you didn't really earn that? Is it fair to all the other students that worked harder that got a 90+ and actually earned the A for you to have slacked off somewhere and just get your grade rounded up?

I am not a professor so I don't know.

-Matthew


😎

 

[flyingesquino]

It is worth a try.

I always see it as you didn't try hard enough somewhere in the semester and you lost 10.56 points so why round up if you didn't really earn that? Is it fair to all the other students that worked harder that got a 90+ and actually earned the A for you to have slacked off somewhere and just get your grade rounded up?

I am not a professor so I don't know.

-Matthew


😎

90+ for an A where you go? Man I really hate the +/- system at my school.

 

[Quix]

It really depends on the school/professor. I've had friends get bumped up after making a case to professors, and at my brother's college he says it's common practice for the professors to bump up a student's grade if they miss a certain mark by .5-1%. I certainly don't like the practice, but in a competitive world you have to do everything to put yourself at an advantage.

Considering I'm on the receiving end of the grade-wheedling and was a pre-med, I'll respectfully disagree. I only change grades when I've made a mistake, not because someone wants free points.

 

[flyingesquino]

Considering I'm on the receiving end of the grade-wheedling and was a pre-med, I'll respectfully disagree. I only change grades when I've made a mistake, not because someone wants free points.

Oh I completely agree; I've never asked any professor to bump up a grade. If I don't get an A in a course I know it's because I haven't put enough work into the course, and I can say that's true for the course I got an A- in. Plus my professor for that class is also my research advisor so I wouldn't want him to think that I feel I'm entitled to things I haven't earned.

 

[bozz]

Dude.. just ask... it doesn't hurt
You'll never see the guy/woman again.... nothing to feel ashamed of

Don't hope for anything... but what do you have to lose by asking? Say you've worked very hard, studied a lot... etc .. etc.. they might consider it

 

[Quix]

Dude.. just ask... it doesn't hurt
You'll never see the guy/woman again.... nothing to feel ashamed of

Don't hope for anything... but what do you have to lose by asking? Say you've worked very hard, studied a lot... etc .. etc.. they might consider it

No, it doesn't hurt him, but it is *really* annoying when undergraduates ask professors like me to reward them for work they didn't do. And don't assume the OP will never see the professor again - letters of recommendation are part of this process, too.

 

[bozz]

No, it doesn't hurt him, but it is *really* annoying when undergraduates ask professors like me to reward them for work they didn't do. And don't assume the OP will never see the professor again - letters of recommendation are part of this process, too.

that's true... there are probably 10 other students asking the same question ... so if you're never going to ask the teacher for a rec. letter, go for it 😀

 

[DocCallaway]

Suck it up, you didn't make the cut. Study a little more next time.

 

[bozz]

the people who are against asking are either:

1) college professors who find it annoying
2) premeds who hate to see other premeds do well
3) premeds who have tried to get their grade bumped before and have failed

... in the end, you're on your own... this isn't the real world.. you're not working YET... so you CAN ask professors to bump your grade up to your advantage

don't listen to salty premeds 😀

 

[Begaster]

Bozz has it exactly correct.

You have nothing to lose. Some profs are pains in the ass who will downright refuse, and some will happily bump you if they see you're nearly there (especially if you've contributed positively to the class). Can't hurt to try.

 

[ufgrad00]

I found out that my B grade in Biology class is only .54 away from B+ and can make a difference to my GPA. I would get a B+ if I would not misinterpret 2 test questions. Is it worth to ask my professor to reconsider my grade?

Ask your professor. This is YOUR grade, so don't listen to anybody telling you not to do it. The worst that can happen is your professor will say no. Hopefully he will say, YES.

Good luck, 👍

 

[Thewrongstuff]

I asked my professor if a 89.9 would get me an A in biology

He said yes, and gave me an A-

I ended up with exactly an 89.9

Madness.

 

[Maxprime]

What is with these threads? Why not just ask? He's not going to skuttle your career for asking if he could round up.

He won't round up, by the way, unless it's a tiny class. If he rounds up just a tad, then everyone just below you will want the same.

 

[Perrotfish]

the people who are against asking are either:

1) college professors who find it annoying
2) premeds who hate to see other premeds do well
3) premeds who have tried to get their grade bumped before and have failed

... in the end, you're on your own... this isn't the real world.. you're not working YET... so you CAN ask professors to bump your grade up to your advanta
don't listen to salty premeds

Agree with the first half of this, the people who hate grade bumps are either professors (sorry the undergrads are stealing your precious SDN time, by the way), or hateful hateful premeds. Go ahead and ask for the bump. You don't need to worry about a letter of rec, BTW. You won't be going to someone whose class you didn't get an A in for one of those.

The idea that this stops after Undergrad, though... seriously? If anything what stops after undergrad is the illusion that you're being rewarded for your work, rather than your interpersonal skills. Medicine is better about this than most professions, but still no where as 'merit based' as a undergraduate degree in the sciences.

 

[Quix]

Agree with the first half of this, the people who hate grade bumps are either professors (sorry the undergrads are stealing your precious SDN time, by the way), or hateful hateful premeds. Go ahead and ask for the bump. You don't need to worry about a letter of rec, BTW. You won't be going to someone whose class you didn't get an A in for one of those.

The idea that this stops after Undergrad, though... seriously? If anything what stops after undergrad is the illusion that you're being rewarded for your work, rather than your interpersonal skills. Medicine is better about this than most professions, but still no where as 'merit based' as a undergraduate degree in the sciences.

I sincerely hope this wasn't meant as a dig.

 

[Thewrongstuff]

If medicine wasn't so darn competetive in regards to the science gpa many people really wouldn't give a damn about that small bump.

And some people work their asses off in classes with professors that like to fail many.

 

[Perrotfish]

And some people work their asses off in classes with professors that like to fail many.

My biggest problem was always the classes that assigned partial credit. If the tests were multiple choice I had no problem missing a grade by half a point (both my physics and biology classes were both graded this way). The problem is when you're taking engineering exams with huge amounts of partial credit for sorta correct answers. Was forgetting a negative sign in the third line really worth two points less than forgetting one two lines later? That's when I'm willing to ask for a bump if I'm borderline.

 

[AustinBum]

Are you a female? Crying could be the leverage you need to get that B+. Unfortunately it doesn't work well for males. Go for it. 🙂

 

[kdburton]

I found out that my B grade in Biology class is only .54 away from B+ and can make a difference to my GPA. I would get a B+ if I would not misinterpret 2 test questions. Is it worth to ask my professor to reconsider my grade?

I missed getting Honors in two of my classes this semester (in each case by incorrectly answering just one test question), but if I would have "asked the professors to round it up" they would have called me a grade grubber and probably made a fool out of me in front of the class. Don't be that guy...

 

[Perrotfish]

Are you a female? Crying could be the leverage you need to get that B+. Unfortunately it doesn't work well for males. Go for it. 🙂

I'd bet it actually works better for males. When a girl cries it doesn't mean nearly as much

 

[AustinBum]

I'd bet it actually works better for males. When a girl cries it doesn't mean nearly as much

No. When a male cries in public it is always interpreted as a pitiful breach of his masculinity. Semi-attractive female students can easily tug at the heart strings of their male professors with no loss of respect or status, especially if said professor has children.

 

[FinchHead]

Absolutly approach the teacher, and in a non-coercive and non-demanding way ask if there is anything else you can do for the last couple of points.

Don't listen to the people saying don't ask. The name of the game is doing everything you can to get the highest grade you can.

 

[Quix]

*sigh*

"Good morning, Dr. Quix! How can we, your financial institution, help you today?"

"Can I have some free money? I have $15, but I would really like to have a $20. Is there any way you can give me $5?"

"Are you asking for a $5 loan?"

"No, I just want you to give me an additional $5. I think I've earned it."

"No. Go away, you silly person."

 

[pakbabydoll]

probably not, my prof would not round my .4.

 

[PlumpyJeaneze]

Bozz has it exactly correct.

You have nothing to lose. Some profs are pains in the ass who will downright refuse, and some will happily bump you if they see you're nearly there (especially if you've contributed positively to the class). Can't hurt to try.

Yeah, if they don't give away free points to people who haven't earned them then they must be pains in the ass.

 

[tf2medic]

don't listen to the ppl who say to ask for a better grade. if you deserved it you'd get the A to begin with. if you are extremely close and the professor feels you deserve an A, they will bump it themselves. asking to be bumped up is begging for something you didn't deserve, makes you look like an idiot, and for sure makes you look pathetic.

the ppl who say to ask for the bump up are equally as pathetic. the argument "everything goes and you need to do everything possible to get good grades" does not apply and is selfish. you do everything possible to study and EARN the grade, not beg for it. the ppl who tell you to beg for a bump-up are the kinds of students who only study hard because they want good grades and not for the sake of learning. a B to B+ will be worth .01 of your GPA in the end and won't matter.

also, the argument that you'll never see the professor again is a stupid way to look at it. of course you'll see them again if your major is in their department. if not, then most schools have a premed committee that send one joint LOR on top of your seperate LORs you have gotten and so you'll likely run into the professor again through that committee, especially since it's a biology course for you.

it just really comes down to respect. if you respect yourself then leave it. if you have no soul and only care about grades then ask. i can't wait for all the flames i'm gonna get back by the ******* premeds. these are the premeds who make sure you know they are premed when you first meet them. they are the ones who only care about grades and nothing else. they are the ones who need to beg for grades because they're too stupid to get good ones on their own. the smart premeds are the ones who did not beg for better grades and who did not feel they need to tell everyone their premeds. the pathetic ones are the ones who feel they get respect by telling everyone they're premed. this is usually the classic bio major who when asked what their major is "I'm premed." premed isn't a major ******! if you say biology, premed is basically implied along with anyway! man, it's just sooo annoying. 3/4 "premeds" i meet are arrogant and stupid like this. at first i thought it was only at my school but then my friends from other schools all said the samething. it's cool tho cuz they get what they deserve in the end when most of those kids don't make it after the first year haha. i'm "pre-med" but when asked what my major is i only say biology. if they want to know more eventually i'll say "yea i want to apply to med school...crossing my fingers!"

i just went on a huge rant. so anyways, i'm saying don't be like the majority of "premeds" out there. the ppl on this thread who are telling you to ask because "grades are the only thing that matter" are that majority that you don't want to be. in conclusion, don't turn into a douchebag.

 

[FinchHead]

*sigh*

"Good morning, Dr. Quix! How can we, your financial institution, help you today?"

"Can I have some free money? I have $15, but I would really like to have a $20. Is there any way you can give me $5?"

"Are you asking for a $5 loan?"

"No, I just want you to give me an additional $5. I think I've earned it."

"No. Go away, you silly person."

Silly Dr. Cox imitation rants aside, you place an obscene amount of trust in the grading system. .5 of a percent is not a large enough of a margin to measure someones understanding of the material. Therefore, you have to give some amount of percent error to the overall grade, and the lean of the error becomes the professors subjective duty.

If you think you can measure someones understanding of what you've taught in class to 0.5%, then you are fooling yourself. The understanding of the material can only realistically be interpreted to about 10%-5%. It gets old dealing with professors who have such a deluded sense of how absolute the grading system is they won't give .5% to someone.

 

[tdjn]

I am sorry but is it just me that notices this: every time Quix comes on the pre-med forums he has a arrogant but a subtle (or not so subtle) way of flaunting his position as a pseudo-faculty member at his university. Just because you get to teach at a college for couple years doesn't mean you are actually a professor- grad students and post docs teach small undergrad classes all the time, but they aren't considered professors (or faculty members) either. You seriously need to get off of your high horse

To get back to the topic, don't listen to all the bitter elitist premeds or the "people who were at the other end of the grading table." If you feel like you deserved the grade in the class, go for it. It didn't work out for me, but it doesn't hurt to try.

I sincerely hope this wasn't meant as a dig.

 

[tdjn]

See this is what I am talking about. Does anyone else not sense the condescension in this? Ugh, this just boils my blood.

*sigh*

"Good morning, Dr. Quix! How can we, your financial institution, help you today?"

"Can I have some free money? I have $15, but I would really like to have a $20. Is there any way you can give me $5?"

"Are you asking for a $5 loan?"

"No, I just want you to give me an additional $5. I think I've earned it."

"No. Go away, you silly person."

 

[tdjn]

Silly Dr. Cox imitation rants aside, you place an obscene amount of trust in the grading system. .5 of a percent is not a large enough of a margin to measure someones understanding of the material. Therefore, you have to give some amount of percent error to the overall grade, and the lean of the error becomes the professors subjective duty.

If you think you can measure someones understanding of what you've taught in class to 0.5%, then you are fooling yourself. The understanding of the material can only realistically be interpreted to about 10%-5%. It gets old dealing with professors who have such a deluded sense of how absolute the grading system is they won't give .5% to someone.

+10👍

 

[Quix]

I am sorry but is it just me that notices this: every time Quix comes on the pre-med forums he has a arrogant but a subtle (or not so subtle) way of flaunting his position as a pseudo-faculty member at his university. Just because you get to teach at a college for couple years doesn't mean you are actually a professor- grad students and post docs teach small undergrad classes all the time, but they aren't considered professors (or faculty members) either. You seriously need to get off of your high horse

To get back to the topic, don't listen to all the bitter elitist premeds or the "people who were at the other end of the grading table." If you feel like you deserved the grade in the class, go for it. It didn't work out for me, but it doesn't hurt to try.

The fact that I teach at college doesn't make me a professor. The title of "Professor" on my contracts makes me a professor. I teach several hundred students, graduate and undergraduate, per semester. As such, I get requests to boost grades *every semester* from students looking to wheedle the highest possible QPA they can, regardless of the merit of their claims. 2-3 requests per class * 3-9 classes per semester * 4 teaching semesters per academic year = 24 - 108 requests for *bumps* every year that I teach.

Further, ad hominem attacks do not address the validity of the essential counterargument: students are asking for points that they did not earn, and for many of us in the teaching profession this is very irritating, since it seeks to undermine the grading system we've designed in an attempt to award points fairly based on the *quality of the student's work* and not on the students desire for any particular graduate program or desire to game the system. The point of the conversation above was to demonstrate how ridiculous it is to ask for free points, just as it is ridiculous to ask for free money at a bank.

Last, if you have any issues with my posting, feel free to contact the moderator staff - I'm a poster here, just like everyone else, and if you feel I'm being abusive or violating the Terms of Service, contact them.

 

[tf2medic]

the people who are against asking are either:

1) college professors who find it annoying
2) premeds who hate to see other premeds do well
3) premeds who have tried to get their grade bumped before and have failed

... in the end, you're on your own... this isn't the real world.. you're not working YET... so you CAN ask professors to bump your grade up to your advantage

don't listen to salty premeds 😀

1) True
2) no, i'm against it and i couldn't care less what grades other premeds get. it's about respect for yourself and the grading system. if you deserve it you'll either get the A already or the professor will bump you up on their own if they feel you do deserve but have fallen just short of the A
3) nope. i've tried once and it worked haha. i know very well that asking usually does work if the professor is real nice. the best professors are honestly the ones with the backbones to say no. i've had several Bs that I could have asked to be bumped up but never did after that first time. it's not worth the humiliation IMO. you look pathetic. i'll admit i looked pathetic when i asked once my freshman year, fortunately it was in the math dept. and won't comeback to bite me in the ass.

bozz is obviously someone who asks to be bumped up all the time. 🙂 he's one of the pathetic premeds. don't be like him.
the ONLY circumstance that i'd say it'd be okay to ask is if you have a perfect 4.0 and this one grade will take that away. if you ask and get the grade bumped up thus keeping your 4.0, then that should be your only time. if you find yourself needing to be bumped in another class again later in college, then just leave it and accept it. that's really the only circumstance i'd find it acceptable asking for a bump-up. even in that case tho, i know many ppl would still be against it.

 

[Quix]

Silly Dr. Cox imitation rants aside, you place an obscene amount of trust in the grading system. .5 of a percent is not a large enough of a margin to measure someones understanding of the material. Therefore, you have to give some amount of percent error to the overall grade, and the lean of the error becomes the professors subjective duty.

If you think you can measure someones understanding of what you've taught in class to 0.5%, then you are fooling yourself. The understanding of the material can only realistically be interpreted to about 10%-5%. It gets old dealing with professors who have such a deluded sense of how absolute the grading system is they won't give .5% to someone.

I disagree. I have sufficient points in my classes that a lot of the subjectivity is eliminated, and students know exactly what specific assignments are worth. Futher, I offer enough extra credit that if they genuinely were borderline, they have ample opportunity to do the extra work to increase their grades. Additionally, you really shouldn't tell me that I'm fooling myself about my pedagogy; we don't know each other from a hole in the ground.

 

[tf2medic]

also, i don't know about your professors but mine have their syllabus written as "A: 90>, B: 80-89, C: 70-79..." They don't make the distinction between that last point because they decide at the end of the semester on a per student basis. If I have an 89.2% and I come to class everyday, parcticipate in class, visited them throughout the semester asking questions, etc. then they bump that to an A. If I have an 89.2% but missed a lot of class, never came to their office, didn't participate much, etc. they do not bump up the grade. That variable last 1% between letter grades is to make it fair between a 90.0 and an 89.0. That's why I was saying begging for your grades is stupid because the professor generally bumps you up if you're that close assuming they feel you deserve it. This is a good policy. Another good policy is when someone has a high A and only needs a D on the final to keep their A so if the student gets a D on the final then the professor automatically gives them a C in the class. I love it! you should work hard through the entire semester. now, getting a low B or something is definitely acceptable and they shouldn't lower you. but if you've been getting As on every test and get the lowest possible grade on the final to keep your A, you should be lowered. it's rules like this that screw over the annoying premed-like students who only care about grades instead of caring about both grades AND learning. all professors should have this policy. likewise, all professors should have the last 1% before each grade margin to be determined based on if THEY feel you deserve the grade.

my school is also very small tho and we have small class sizes so that's all possible. if you go to a huge school with hundreds of ppl in the class, then the prof won't know you as well on a personal level. in that case, you may need to ask them about a bump-up IF you can show you actually deserve it.

 

[PlumpyJeaneze]

also, i don't know about your professors but mine have their syllabus written as "A: 90>, B: 80-89, C: 70-79..." They don't make the distinction between that last point because they decide at the end of the semester on a per student basis.

Um, every point is accounted for. I don't know what missing "last point" you are seeing there.

 

[smeagol]

the people who are against asking are either:

1) college professors who find it annoying
2) premeds who hate to see other premeds do well
3) premeds who have tried to get their grade bumped before and have failed

... in the end, you're on your own... this isn't the real world.. you're not working YET... so you CAN ask professors to bump your grade up to your advantage

don't listen to salty premeds 😀

I fit neither of your descriptions and I still hold that this sort of unprincipled grade-grubbing behavior is wrong. Quix's money analogy is very fair.

Although I agree that grades are not perfectly reflective of academic ability, this is irrelevant. What matters is the fact that equally capable students will receive different evaluations of their performances (presuming they were also initially equal until someone received a grade bump).

I hardly live by some sort of Kantian categorical imperative but this is a matter of principle. In order for the "grade bump" to be fair, the student needs to convince the professor to give EVERYONE a grade bump, as opposed to it being some sort of personal favor.

Again, another situation in which a "grade bump" might be justified is if you can give good reason for deserving a better grade. For instance, professors are certainly fallible and often unfair.

But to ask for a grade bump, for no other reason than wanting something you don't deserve, that is grotesque.

 

[PlumpyJeaneze]

Silly Dr. Cox imitation rants aside, you place an obscene amount of trust in the grading system. .5 of a percent is not a large enough of a margin to measure someones understanding of the material. Therefore, you have to give some amount of percent error to the overall grade, and the lean of the error becomes the professors subjective duty.

If you think you can measure someones understanding of what you've taught in class to 0.5%, then you are fooling yourself. The understanding of the material can only realistically be interpreted to about 10%-5%. It gets old dealing with professors who have such a deluded sense of how absolute the grading system is they won't give .5% to someone.

Back in reality, there needs to be definite cut offs for the system to work. You aren't suggesting that everyone within 5-10% of grade cutoffs get the higher grade, are you? Then there becomes a new cutoff and everyone within 5-10% of that cutoff needs to be bumped up, etc.

And if the professor agrees with your system, then s/he would have already bumped the OP up to the higher grade.

 

[PlumpyJeaneze]

I disagree. I have sufficient points in my classes that a lot of the subjectivity is eliminated, and students know exactly what specific assignments are worth. Futher, I offer enough extra credit that if they genuinely were borderline, they have ample opportunity to do the extra work to increase their grades. Additionally, you really shouldn't tell me that I'm fooling myself about my pedagogy; we don't know each other from a hole in the ground.

I agree with you and I apologize on behalf of the undergraduates picking on you. I imagine they are transferring the anger they feel at their professors to you.

 

[bigDee]

Um, every point is accounted for. I don't know what missing "last point" you are seeing there.

You do realize that there are an infinite amount of points between 89 and 90 right?

 

[PlumpyJeaneze]

You do realize that there are an infinite amount of points between 89 and 90 right?

Not a whole point.

 

[Sir Buckethead]

I say this every time these threads come up:

Stop being a tool, and take the grade you earned.

 

[tf2medic]

Um, every point is accounted for. I don't know what missing "last point" you are seeing there.

the point between 89 and 90 is "missing." when the professor has a no bumping up or a strict rounding policy, they put ""89.5>=A, 79.5-89.5=B, etc." they make it clear through the .5 system. whenever i see it as 80-89=B, that part of the syllabus is followed by a "Borderline grades will be determined by professor at the end of the semester if deserving" or something to that extent. if they don't have that written, then they verbally say it when they are going over the syllabus.

besides from that, it was perfectly clear what my point was if you read the whole post. don't be an idiot 🙂

 

[FinchHead]

Back in reality, there needs to be definite cut offs for the system to work. You aren't suggesting that everyone within 5-10% of grade cutoffs get the higher grade, are you? Then there becomes a new cutoff and everyone within 5-10% of that cutoff needs to be bumped up, etc.

And if the professor agrees with your system, then s/he would have already bumped the OP up to the higher grade.

Obviously that's not what I'm suggesting. That's idiotic. I AM suggesting that professors be lienant with grade that come close to the cutoff, for the reasons I mentioned.

Stop being a tool, and take the grade you earned.

Absolute premed naivete. Wake up to reality.

As for Quix, if you offer extra credit then you are not what I'm talking about. Extra credit is a good way to make up for the inaccurate grading system. But, how many professors offer extra credit? Only one of mine ever has.

 

[Thewrongstuff]

I say this every time these threads come up:

Stop being a tool, and take the grade you earned.

BAH!

The grading system is subjective and prone to human error and delusion

I received a B- in my digital photography class because the professor "never saw me" and I "did not do much work.

Hah. I talked to the professor once a week and I devoted hours helping some lazy idiot. I also got ~90 on everything in the class + did tons of related crap. I presented my grades to the professor and he had NO CHOICE but to give me an A-

And this guy was head of the art department. The sad part is that this is the rule in our school, not the exception. Its no wonder so many people have crappy gpas!

Grades SUCK. What sucks more is having to PROVE the amount of effort you put into a class to get the grade you DESERVE based on your actual SCORES and EFFORT.

 

[tf2medic]

BAH!

The grading system is subjective and prone to human error and delusion

I received a B- in my digital photography class because the professor "never saw me" and I "did not do much work.

Hah. I talked to the professor once a week and I devoted hours helping some lazy idiot. I also got ~90 on everything in the class + did tons of related crap. I presented my grades to the professor and he had NO CHOICE but to give me an A-

And this guy was head of the art department. The sad part is that this is the rule in our school, not the exception. Its no wonder so many people have crappy gpas!

Grades SUCK. What sucks more is having to PROVE the amount of effort you put into a class to get the grade you DESERVE based on your actual SCORES and EFFORT.

dude, you're an exception. the point is if you are on the edge AFTER calculating your grade YOURSELF, then you should not be a tool and just leave it be.
the one time i did ask for a grade bump-up was because i knew there was no way I had gotten the grade I ended up with. I had an A going into the calc3 final and my final grade was a C. I know i didn't do that bad on the final so that's when I went and questioned the professor. it turned out that I got like -20 out of 200 on the final and he entered into into the gradebook as 20/200 instead of 180/200. so assuming you've already checked to make sure the teacher calculated your grade correctly, then nothing more should be said. you are definitely entitled to going to the teacher later and asking them what you got on the final in order to calculate your final grade yourself. you aren't entitled to ask for free points, though, especially if there was any EC given out or a policy of like the lowest test score dropped!