95% an A-?

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ponybreeder4

ponybreeder4

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I just got one of my grades back..and its a 95 % yet the TA gave me an A-...she claims its a 92%. This class is taught by the TA so i dont know who to complain to. I emailed her all my caluclations adding up to 95% and asking her to correct me where im wrong and she emailed me back litteraly saying i am not changing your grade and that my work is not consistant with an A,she did not write a single thing about where my calculations leading to a 95% are wrong. this class is taught by TA, i guess i could email the head of the department. the only problem is i am taking a class with this ta next quarter and dont wanna get on her bad side. what would u guys do
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Things like this happen, the TA probably calculated your grade in a different way then you did.

You better get to the bottom of it before grades are finalized

Also i had a class once where you needed a 96% for an A, weird stuff but its true
 
Sounds like she's got a grudge. You can't argue numbers. I'm not sure whether or not I'd argue the point with department head, but I'd be very tempted to. Although I believe A vs. A- isn't really THAT big of a deal, it's the principle, IMHO.
 
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Just tell her you are wondering how she calculated your grade. She should be reasonable enough to at least tell you that.

I would avoid making waves since you have to take another class with the same TA. I'm a TA and I've seen grudges happen and it could come back to bite you next quarter.
 
you're TA miscalculated, just show her your calculations and tell her to check hers. but a sidenote, for a couple of graduate classes i have taken 95% = A- 🙁 tough, eh
 
ponybreeder4 said:
I just got one of my grades back..and its a 95 % yet the TA gave me an A-...she claims its a 92%. This class is taught by the TA so i dont know who to complain to. I emailed her all my caluclations adding up to 95% and asking her to correct me where im wrong and she emailed me back litteraly saying i am not changing your grade and that my work is not consistant with an A,she did not write a single thing about where my calculations leading to a 95% are wrong. this class is taught by TA, i guess i could email the head of the department. the only problem is i am taking a class with this ta next quarter and dont wanna get on her bad side. what would u guys do
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Livingapparatus said:
what a bitch
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Seriously... where do you go to school.. Nazi Germany?
 
this is the part that really pisses me off...i emailed her my calculations and she emailed me back saying she stands firmly by her decision and that my work has not been consistent enough for an A
 
ponybreeder4 said:
this is the part that really pisses me off...i emailed her my calculations and she emailed me back saying she stands firmly by her decision and that my work has not been consistent enough for an A
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Like I said, ask her to send you her calculations. If she's so convinced that you got a 92% then she should be willing to back that up. I'm always willing to explain to students this kind of thing so it shouldn't be a big deal.
 
ponybreeder4 said:
this is the part that really pisses me off...i emailed her my calculations and she emailed me back saying she stands firmly by her decision and that my work has not been consistent enough for an A
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I'd say a 95 is pretty darn consistent. btw I'm a TA and would probably be pissed for getting reported, but it wouldn't matter.
 
i would try and meet the TA face to face and make her show you how she calculated grades. regardless of whether or not she felt you deserved the A, if you achieved it numerically, you earned that A. cant you take next quarter w/ a diff TA?

btw
in a few of my labs (bio and physics) 95% was an A-
 
Talk to her, if she won't listen, talk to the instructor she works for. Go as high as you need- even if the grade doesn't change, it's the principle of the thing.
 
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Have you ever given heed to the thought that she might be right? Maybe you dont deserve an A. I have had classes where my score didnt total to an A, but I got one anyways because I put in a huge amount of effort, that can run the other way too.
 
ponybreeder4 said:
I just got one of my grades back..and its a 95 % yet the TA gave me an A-...she claims its a 92%. This class is taught by the TA so i dont know who to complain to. I emailed her all my caluclations adding up to 95% and asking her to correct me where im wrong and she emailed me back litteraly saying i am not changing your grade and that my work is not consistant with an A,she did not write a single thing about where my calculations leading to a 95% are wrong. this class is taught by TA, i guess i could email the head of the department. the only problem is i am taking a class with this ta next quarter and dont wanna get on her bad side. what would u guys do
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is your grade based purely on exam scores?
to say your work is "not consistent with an A" suggests there is some component that's somewhat subjective (i.e. not tied into test scores) and that's where "she gave you an A-"
 
Maybe there was a way that the calculations were up for inerpretation.

I had a prof screw me over once because he said "homework and quizzes were worth 30%". I took this to mean that accumulatively they were 30% so if I had 250 points in homework and 50 points in quizzes then the distrubution would be 5/6 of that 30% was hw and 1/6 was quizzes. He decided to make it 50/50 so instead of getting an A I fell to a B+ because I missed one of the quizzes.....this was a stats prof too so he knew what he was doing lol
 
chessknt87 said:
I think that is a given at this stage. OP is coming off as an annoying point grubbing premed though, so he/she really has to be more diplomatic in person to fix the damage already done.
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Nevertheless, an "A" is an "A." Take it all the way to the top if you have to. Play hardball. I'm serious!

As a side note, it would really suck if your calculations happened to be wrong. :meanie: So be careful...
 
chessknt87 said:
Have you ever given heed to the thought that she might be right? Maybe you dont deserve an A. I have had classes where my score didnt total to an A, but I got one anyways because I put in a huge amount of effort, that can run the other way too.
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A+ for effort, huh?

If the number is 95% and the cutoff is 92%, she is not right. There is neither discussion nor valid argument to be had or made in regards to this. The entire point of a numerical grading system is to achieve a somewhat objective system of measurement and appraisal and to avoid subjective nonsense like "OH YOU TRIED SOOOOO HARD!!!" or "I DON'T LIKE YOU!" Something that, if the OP is correct in his calculations, the TA failed to do.

See her in person. If she refuses to give you a satisfactory answer, tell her you'll take it to the top and do so.
 
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To the OP:
10 years down the road..or maybe 5..or heck 1 year down, what would you think of this? Is it really an issues? If it was from an A to a B, or something like that i'd understand. Seriously.
An A is an A is an A is an A is an A.
If you must, confront her physically n deal w it. Otherwise, just move on. There are more important things in life, and the sooner u figure that out, the better for you two.😉 I understand your frustration, but really...........
 
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chessknt87 said:
Have you ever given heed to the thought that she might be right? Maybe you dont deserve an A. I have had classes where my score didnt total to an A, but I got one anyways because I put in a huge amount of effort, that can run the other way too.
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This is by far the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. In fact, my professor just sent out an email to my class telling people to grow up and stop sending him emails begging for higher grades because they are no longer in high school and in college you aren't graded on effort. He goes on to say that he doesn't think we would allow our family members to be treated by a doctor who made it through medical school because they put in a lot of effort even though they didn't learn their material. I have to agree with him, at the university level, no one should be graded on effort. We live in a meritocracy and an A for effort is something that should not be happening.
 
Live4Life said:
This is by far the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. In fact, my professor just sent out an email to my class telling people to grow up and stop sending him emails begging for higher grades because they are no longer in high school and in college you aren't graded on effort. He goes on to say that he doesn't think we would allow our family members to be treated by a doctor who made it through medical school because they put in a lot of effort even though they didn't learn their material. I have to agree with him, at the university level, no one should be graded on effort. We live in a meritocracy and an A for effort is something that should not be happening.
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I didnt say I begged him for an A. I was ready to accept the B+ or whatever I would have gotten (and not flesh out my own calculations and decry whatever he gave me), but he gave me an A anyways. The grade is supposed to reflect our knowledge of the subject, not necessarily a point value. I knew what I was doing and he knew it too.

The medical profession doesnt consist of rigid definitions everywhere, so stop adhering to the thought that it should. College is supposed to be about learning things, not fighting with your teachers over grade assignments and points.

And what I meant by my original post is that some people learn to learn and you can tell because they think through problems a certain way and, while not always arriving at the correct answer, have a mode of thinking. Then there are premed people that memorize a bunch of stuff that literally cannot think though a problem that is unique if their lives depended on it. The premed people will often have higher point values, but dont necessarily know the subject better than the other type of people who dont like to memorize everything, which is why it is the teacher's discretion to assign grades.
 
It's a tough world out there... and this is where Asian parents are right... "95%?! What happened to the other 5%??)
 
Proctodoc said:
It's a tough world out there... and this is where Asian parents are right... "95%?! What happened to the other 5%??)
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LOL, too true, too true. Well, I would def. talk to your TA about it, but make sure you are not pushy, and use a nice tone of discussion rather than accusation. But, if it comes down to it and you really got 95%, talk to the dept. head. Oh btw, it maybe worth while to check your syllabus again, sometimes there are like "10% of your grade is based on active particpation" or some crap like that, and that could be where she took points off, and made your 95 into a 92.
 
Proctodoc said:
It's a tough world out there... and this is where Asian parents are right... "95%?! What happened to the other 5%??)
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Omg, I hated that growing up. You bust your ass to get good grades and they respond in that condescending fashion. That happened recently, but I'm trying to remember the context...

I think it was about only having 4/20 interviews. They were like "that's only 20%, that's no good." That being said, they did flip out as much as I did when I got my first acceptance, so I guess that makes up for it...🙂
 
ponybreeder4 said:
this is the part that really pisses me off...i emailed her my calculations and she emailed me back saying she stands firmly by her decision and that my work has not been consistent enough for an A
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WTF. How the f*** does a someone say that? You pulled a f***ing 95%! That's consistent. TAs and teachers like this piss me off. Dude, go pwn this TA. I wouldn't stand for this ****.

Edit:
chiz2kul said:
To the OP:
10 years down the road..or maybe 5..or heck 1 year down, what would you think of this? Is it really an issues? If it was from an A to a B, or something like that i'd understand. Seriously.
An A is an A is an A is an A is an A.
If you must, confront her physically n deal w it. Otherwise, just move on. There are more important things in life, and the sooner u figure that out, the better for you two.😉 I understand your frustration, but really...........
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I agree with this (although if you look above, it doesn't seem so lol). I just hate TAs like yours. This kind of stuff happens to a lot of my friends at my school. I am assuming that you want to be credited for your hard work, so you should go talk to your TA, but like everyone else has been saying, don't go waging war lol. But if the TA is still unreasonable...pwn her/him.
 
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Your situation definitely sucks a bit, but honestly, it is INCREDIBLY unlikely that this will ever matter in any way.

I agree that meeting her in person could very significantly change things...a lot of people like that totally crumble when actually confronted. I reccomend finding some very clean, efficient way of conveying how you were ****ed over (a spreadsheet or nice calculation sheet or something) and show it to them in person.

Best of luck!
 
Email her back (politely!) and ask if you can meet with her to discuss your grade further. During the meeting, listen to what she she has to say and always be courteous. Understand why she gave you a 92 instead of a 95. Make your points when appropriate, and use tact. You may not have to take this to the next level if you are polite.

If she is still adamant in her view, then politely tell her that you think she is wrong in her grading. Mention that you are going to challenge it because you feel you earned it. If your TA holds a grudge because you want to get the grade you NUMERICALLY deserve, then that's her problem. If you can tell that this situation is going to spell trouble, consider taking another TA next semester.

There's nothing wrong with trying to get a certain grade as long as you have the numbers to back it up.
 
The weighting of different categories in calculating the grades may be different that what you think. In any case, to me, the difference between an A- and an A are far too trivial. I've brushed off far larger discrepancies than that.
 
This guy should get what he deserves. He/she worked hard and got the points too and the teacher doesn't want to give him what he deserves. I understand I'm fighting with my physics professor right now about my grade and how he downshifted my grade. I put in effort in office hours and going to class when barely anyone was there and he doesn't want to boost me. My final grade is barely, barley off from an A- and it sucks so I know what he/she is going through.
 
This is how you resolve the issue (step by step):

1. Take out your student handbook (from the year you matriculated)
2. Turn to the index
3. Find grievance
4. Proceed to page XXX
5. Read the grievance policy
6. Contact your academic advisor and set up a meeting
7. Discuss how to finalize and submit a grievance report
8. Submit your grievance
9. Wait for a decision
 
ponybreeder4 said:
I just got one of my grades back..and its a 95 % yet the TA gave me an A-...she claims its a 92%. This class is taught by the TA so i dont know who to complain to. I emailed her all my caluclations adding up to 95% and asking her to correct me where im wrong and she emailed me back litteraly saying i am not changing your grade and that my work is not consistant with an A,she did not write a single thing about where my calculations leading to a 95% are wrong. this class is taught by TA, i guess i could email the head of the department. the only problem is i am taking a class with this ta next quarter and dont wanna get on her bad side. what would u guys do
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I don't think anybody is going to take you seriously if you complain over an A-.

Seriously, it's a frickin A-. It will make no difference in the long run. Let it go.
 
Was this class curved? I know my micro class required you to get 98.5% or higher for an A. A- was cut off at 95.

Edit: Forgot to add that my class wasn't curved.
 
TRN1983 said:
Sounds like she's got a grudge. You can't argue numbers. I'm not sure whether or not I'd argue the point with department head, but I'd be very tempted to. Although I believe A vs. A- isn't really THAT big of a deal, it's the principle, IMHO.
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Sure you can. That's why number systems exist, so that there is some neutral element that can be argued rationally.
 
ponybreeder4 said:
I just got one of my grades back..and its a 95 % yet the TA gave me an A-...she claims its a 92%. This class is taught by the TA so i dont know who to complain to. I emailed her all my caluclations adding up to 95% and asking her to correct me where im wrong and she emailed me back litteraly saying i am not changing your grade and that my work is not consistant with an A,she did not write a single thing about where my calculations leading to a 95% are wrong. this class is taught by TA, i guess i could email the head of the department. the only problem is i am taking a class with this ta next quarter and dont wanna get on her bad side. what would u guys do
Click to expand...

You need to confront her and fix it. Don't worry about next semester. She's already proven she dislikes you by knocking off a 1/3 of a letter grade for no apparent reason, so you can already expect bad treatment next semester. Just calmly ask her about the calculations in person. Even if you get this changed, you need to find a way for someone else to be your TA next semester unless it turns out you're right and she appears sorry.
 
I had a 93% in my physics lab and that's curved to a B+. Where a 94% is A- and 95% is A. In my opinion curves like this is just plain wrong. there is no way to differenciate student's abilities when 1% is worth a third the letter grade. I doubt anyone can honestly say that a 93% student is better than a 92% student. You should complain.

TA and professors have the responisibility to get a good grade distribution. they're not doing their jobs right if they don't.
 
chiz2kul said:
To the OP:
10 years down the road..or maybe 5..or heck 1 year down, what would you think of this? Is it really an issues? If it was from an A to a B, or something like that i'd understand. Seriously.
An A is an A is an A is an A is an A.
If you must, confront her physically n deal w it. Otherwise, just move on. There are more important things in life, and the sooner u figure that out, the better for you two.😉 I understand your frustration, but really...........
Click to expand...

Complete *****. Don't listen to this guy. Go and get the A you deserve. This isn't about what's "important," it's about what's right.
 
I hope you aren't expecting a letter of recommendation from this TA because nothing is more annoying than a grade grubber. Do you really think this will make a difference in your application?
 
As far as I'm concerned, there's no such thing as an A- or an A+. There are A's, and then there are grades that aren't A's. Nothing in between. All this talk about "will this A- hurt my app" is ridiculous. An A is an A is an A. 100% in a class is worth the same as 90%: 4.0
 
MDman87 said:
As far as I'm concerned, there's no such thing as an A- or an A+. There are A's, and then there are grades that aren't A's. Nothing in between. All this talk about "will this A- hurt my app" is ridiculous. An A is an A is an A. 100% in a class is worth the same as 90%: 4.0
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A- is a 3.7 compared to an A's 4.0. Mathematically, there is a difference. A 7.5% difference to be exact. Some people need that extra 0.3 points to maintain 3.7 rather than a 3.5
 
Unfortunately at my school an A- is a 3.7 while an A is a 4.0 so that is a significant difference. Basically this woman is short tempered and unreasonable. I emailed her all my calculations asking her to correct me where i'm wrong. She emailed me back saying she stands by her decision, without saying anything bout my calculations. She is the instructor for this class and no other TA's available 🙁
 
MDman87 said:
As far as I'm concerned, there's no such thing as an A- or an A+. There are A's, and then there are grades that aren't A's. Nothing in between. All this talk about "will this A- hurt my app" is ridiculous. An A is an A is an A. 100% in a class is worth the same as 90%: 4.0
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It depends on the school. At mine all As are worth 4.0, but at many schools an A- is a 3.7 and a B+ might be a 3.3 or something.
 
On the AMCAS, the A- is a 3.7. It doesn't matter what it is at your school.
 
Hm. wow. this is pretty interesting...because it seems like we're at the crossroads between premed grade grubbing and having academic justice. I think I can see both sides on this, albeit if the calculations are right, then I don't think there's much to say than, "yes you do deserve that grade." just out of curiosity, which school are you at? (you don't hafta mention if you don't want to) like are you at a small liberal arts school? or like a big research institution? I guess the bigger schools might give you a better variety for ta's too.

Although, I think this is something that most premeds will shudder at me for...but I think this might be a good time to see how well you can work with those who are 'not on your side'. I'm sure you and everyone on this thread has seen how in the ER (especially at a public, 'no rejection' trauma center hospital), we will see CRAZY, angry, wild, bitter, whatever you want to call it-sort of patients and family. Fact is, as doctors, they need to be able to work with any person, good or bad, friend or foe. Obviously there are some people who can be a pain in the arse to deal with, but in a positive light, consider it as an 'unusual challenge.' Try to see how well you can convince this jerk of a TA to side with you, and as someone said earlier, that obviously begins with a personal conversation. does she have an office for you to visit?
 
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