a professor gave me a C in a class

[Halogas]

This is my 3rd year. Something like this happened first year with another professor who changed the rubric on my group. I let it go (after a few months of depression) since it was only my first year.

This time, I tried to report him but I had no idea who to go to (I went to the counselors and I am pretty sure they knew). I had a higher OVERALL grade than my classmates(I beat them on exams by AT LEAST 20-40%), yet I got a lower letter grade. This has apparently been going on for years, I asked around and one of my friends said that a few years ago his friend went through the same thing. This professor is one of the senior members so he isn't getting fired anytime soon. I am not the only one in this situation, there is at least one other person who approached me with the same exact problem.

So this coming fall, I am taking the same course again(I have to take it due to some changes in how the classes are designed...I dropped the 2nd course in the series because it is taught by the same guy who could have given me a D for all I know). Will medical schools see this and forgive my C if I get a higher letter grade on this retake?


I was sick for a while so I only had a 3.3 by the end of freshman year, and I didn't start studying again until end of 2nd year when I realized I can't keep going down. I started to get 4.0's but last quarter I ended up with a 3.0 (all A's and 1 C by this guy, numbers not exact obviously). I am at a 3.4 cumulative right now. It might go up to a 3.45 this quarter. By end of senior year I hope to get at least a 3.55(I have some very easy classes left to take). I will be taking the MCAT my senior year and applying then. I will have a gap year and I am seriously considering doing another degree (I heard an economics degree can be finished in a year or so...I really like economics and how that works?). I don't know what to do about this gpa?? My prereqs are all B's basically. I usually made up for everything (got B's in ochem but A's in p-chem) and math (got a C once and got A's in the upper level). I will take some biochem and mol gen my senior year

edit 2: So after looking at the DO stuff, I would probably be a very very strong DO applicant. I know my MCAT will be good (my practice scores are fairly high) and my EC's are decent. I will obviously apply to some MD programs. Is there a list of top tier DO schools (if there is such a thing?). I look at the stats on DO site and it said that the avg MCAT was a 26 (+- 4 deviation)...I GET A LOT HIGHER THAN THAT!!!!!!

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[Neurosis]

to answer your question, unless you're going DO, then there is no grade forgiveness. I wouldn't bother retaking a class you got a C in. Just take another upper-level course instead.

 

[TriagePreMed]

If by forgive you mean that it'll replace your old grade, no. If you mean forgive as in they will ignore it, that's impossible to predict. Your questions are very much school dependent. I suggest you start looking into Osteopathic programs. Your GPA is not going to be very competitive.

 

[Halogas]

I thought 3.55-3.6 is competitive, or is it because it is not a rising trend?

edit: I should mention that although I have B's in prereqs...I have A's in engineering courses. Do they ignore all those?

Also do they consider engineering as science? I know they ask for LoR's, and I can get very strong LoR's from 2 engineering professors and 1 humanities. However I do not know any "science" professors since they are always followed by huge crowds of premeds!!

edit 2: except this C now

 

[Neurosis]

I thought 3.55-3.6 is competitive, or is it because it is not a rising trend?

edit: I should mention that although I have B's in prereqs...I have A's in engineering courses. Do they ignore all those?

Also do they consider engineering as science? I know they ask for LoR's, and I can get very strong LoR's from 2 engineering professors and 1 humanities. However I do not know any "science" professors since they are always followed by huge crowds of premeds!!

edit 2: except this C now

3.55 is supposed to be around average for matriculates and no, they don't consider engineering as science (BCPM)

 

[TriagePreMed]

I thought 3.55-3.6 is competitive, or is it because it is not a rising trend?

edit: I should mention that although I have B's in prereqs...I have A's in engineering courses. Do they ignore all those?

Also do they consider engineering as science? I know they ask for LoR's, and I can get very strong LoR's from 2 engineering professors and 1 humanities. However I do not know any "science" professors since they are always followed by huge crowds of premeds!!

edit 2: except this C now

While not impossible to gain an acceptance with a 3.55, that also happens to be about the average of Osteopathic programs, so you're better off looking into it.

Engineering is not considered science for AMCAS, but it is considered science for Osteopathic programs. This does mean your letters will be non-science for AMCAS.

 

[Halogas]

If I really want to go to MD, what should I do (gpa wise)? Engineering is applied science yet not accepted as such by AMCAS?! is that a joke? What will I have to do for the LoR's...will it be ok if I ask my P-chem professor (he didn't teach me one of the prereq's but I don't have a choice apparently!!) or is it best if it is a med school prereq professor?

 

[pfaction]

Engineering is applied science yet not accepted as such by AMCAS?! is that a joke?

It's okay, Pharmacy is not accepted as such by AMCAS either. Or Nursing, or PA.

 

[Halogas]

I am reading about MD vs DO they seem same except for highly competitive fields apparently MD's have an advantage? Isn't this just based on examinations we take each year (MS 1 or w/e?)? Or is this statistic because MD's are given a higher consideration than DO


edit: also putting GPA aside, they will take MCAT into consideration quite a bit don't they?

 

[Ironmandoc]

Obviously the MCAT matters but the only classes that count in your sGPA are bio, chem, physics, and math. Your science letters have to come from someone in those courses. It doesn't matter if they were your professor for a prereq class or not. So, your PChem professor would be fine.

 

[Halogas]

Obviously the MCAT matters but the only classes that count in your sGPA are bio, chem, physics, and math. Your science letters have to come from someone in those courses. It doesn't matter if they were your professor for a prereq class or not. So, your PChem professor would be fine.

I got B's in Ochem and B+ in all physics, but I still need to take some biology (2 courses, I go to quarter university I got B in first) and I got 1 C- in math when I was in emergency room my freshman year but I got A's in my uppr level, I got a W in my 2nd to last and then I got an A in my last math course. I got A's in P Chem and an A- avg in gen chem. I asked a math professor earlier if he would write me a letter of recommendation and he said that he would say that I am in the top 10% and maybe in the top 5% but won't say that I am in the 1 or 2%(he said he likes to be honest and open).

This is opposed to my engineering professors who I have known for a while will write me a VERY strong letter of recommendation. I see them on a daily basis...I have even eaten lunch with them and they have come over to my house to eat and meet my family!

edit: it seems I am going to get into DO without too much of a hassle...but I feel there is some stigma associated with this, most likely due to lack of knowledge of the degree.

 

[lobo.solo]

You seem to be all over the place.... For the "C" that you got from this horrible professor, I would talk to other students that are in the same situation and report this incident. I doesn't matter if this professor is tenured, they cannot do whatever the hell they want; their grade rubric should be fair. I think 3.55 is not bad; you can certainly retake the classes you did poorly in for DO, but that won't work for MD schools. I would say try to get your GPA as high as possible, get a good MCAT score, excel in your ECs and apply broadly to MD & DO. Good luck

 

[gettheleadout]

Okay seriously, if you're legitimately getting screwed by the professor like that, raise all hell until you get this fixed. Why would you even consider being content with such a slight?

 

[Driftinglily11]

.

 

[BigBlueBear]

Obviously the MCAT matters but the only classes that count in your sGPA are bio, chem, physics, and math. Your science letters have to come from someone in those courses. It doesn't matter if they were your professor for a prereq class or not. So, your PChem professor would be fine.

Is that true? I emailed several med school adcoms asking if engineering counted (since that's what I am) and they said that would be fine.

 

[Halogas]

Okay seriously, if you're legitimately getting screwed by the professor like that, raise all hell until you get this fixed. Why would you even consider being content with such a slight?

im not content, I told all my classmates in the department and every student knows about it. I told the counselors and even some of the professors know about it. the Grad students know about it. I told the guy who hired him (prof. emeritus)....who the hell do I go to??? I am not content whatsoever. When this happened freshman year I was mad as hell but I let it go then because it was only freshman year. Who do I go to report this sort of incident?

 

[gettheleadout]

Raise hell in an "orderly" way though. I had the same kind of thing happen to me my first year. Pretty much start with the professor and work your way up the chain documenting things as you go. After the professor go to the dept. chair, and continue up. It really helps if you have all of your work from the semester still. Hopefully that helps! Good luck!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using SDN Mobile

im not content, I told all my classmates in the department and every student knows about it. I told the counselors and even some of the professors know about it. the Grad students know about it. I told the guy who hired him (prof. emeritus)....who the hell do I go to??? I am not content whatsoever. When this happened freshman year I was mad as hell but I let it go then because it was only freshman year. Who do I go to report this sort of incident?

Pretty much what Extremehippo said:

Chair of the department -> Dean of the college -> Dean of Students -> Chancellor -> Board of Trustees -> Lawyer

But seriously, by the time you get to a Dean this should get formally investigated. Obviously be respectful when you approach a higher-up about rectifying the situation, but even the complacency goes up high enough you could feasibly end up at people like the Chancellor. All I know is that I would absolutely win if something like this happened. Don't take BS if you don't have to.

 

[Halogas]

Raise hell in an "orderly" way though. I had the same kind of thing happen to me my first year. Pretty much start with the professor and work your way up the chain documenting things as you go. After the professor go to the dept. chair, and continue up. It really helps if you have all of your work from the semester still. Hopefully that helps! Good luck!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using SDN Mobile

No, I don't have all the work. He keeps the homeworks for himself! he passed back the exams and quizzes but I have no idea where they are.

 

[Halogas]

You seem to be all over the place.... For the "C" that you got from this horrible professor, I would talk to other students that are in the same situation and report this incident. I doesn't matter if this professor is tenured, they cannot do whatever the hell they want; their grade rubric should be fair. I think 3.55 is not bad; you can certainly retake the classes you did poorly in for DO, but that won't work for MD schools. I would say try to get your GPA as high as possible, get a good MCAT score, excel in your ECs and apply broadly to MD & DO. Good luck

ty

 

[CanadianPremed]

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

 

[An MD Hopeful]

Regarding the LORs, just to be safe, call the medical schools that you plan to apply to and ask them if they would be okay with your 2 science letters coming from engineering professors. The adcoms are really the only ones who can tell you for sure.

 

[TriagePreMed]

No, I don't have all the work. He keeps the homeworks for himself! he passed back the exams and quizzes but I have no idea where they are.

Have you tried sitting down and having a conversation with him about this? Sometimes if you just ask in an appropriate way, a professor will be open to discussing his grades with you. If not, it sounds like you'll have to take the hit because you don't have proof to the contrary.

 

[idontcaureuknow]

Just an fyi, if it was cause he changed the grading rubric from the syllabus, the professor probably had a good defense of his syllabus stating "syllabus subject to change."

also talk to the professor to find out why you got a c! I don't know if you did but this should always be the first course of action.

 

[Bacchus]

im not content, I told all my classmates in the department and every student knows about it. I told the counselors and even some of the professors know about it. the Grad students know about it. I told the guy who hired him (prof. emeritus)....who the hell do I go to??? I am not content whatsoever. When this happened freshman year I was mad as hell but I let it go then because it was only freshman year. Who do I go to report this sort of incident?

Your academic handbook should have a grade repeal policy.

 

[H Y F R]

I'm sorry, but why are we condoning the OP to blame it on the prof?? Hold yourself accountable, and be more responsible. VERY VERY VERY RARELY are these situations an outright-fault of a professor. Those of us who are matriculating to medical school or who are already in medical school already know this...

 

[Valadi]

tl;dr A C in a class won't keep you out of medical school.

 

[anegron519]

.

 

[235788]

I thought 3.55-3.6 is competitive, or is it because it is not a rising trend?

edit: I should mention that although I have B's in prereqs...I have A's in engineering courses. Do they ignore all those?

Also do they consider engineering as science? I know they ask for LoR's, and I can get very strong LoR's from 2 engineering professors and 1 humanities. However I do not know any "science" professors since they are always followed by huge crowds of premeds!!

edit 2: except this C now

The average GPA for white applicants is 3.68 or something and >3.7 for asians. Don't get fooled by the averages (that include puerto rico and etc.)

3.55 is supposed to be around average for matriculates and no, they don't consider engineering as science (BCPM)

True. But its more wise to look at the GPA averages by race.

I am reading about MD vs DO they seem same except for highly competitive fields apparently MD's have an advantage? Isn't this just based on examinations we take each year (MS 1 or w/e?)? Or is this statistic because MD's are given a higher consideration than DO


edit: also putting GPA aside, they will take MCAT into consideration quite a bit don't they?

Great MD Vs. DO turn. Is it a surprise? Its harder to get into a MD school, so they probably pump out more competitive applicants. Just as a better undergraduate school (more competitive to get into) pumps out strongly medical school applicants (UofM for example).

Plus, most DO schools lack research opportunities -- which is a unspoken pre-req for some fields.

Okay seriously, if you're legitimately getting screwed by the professor like that, raise all hell until you get this fixed. Why would you even consider being content with such a slight?

I feel like we don't have all of the story. Professors don't just screw students and randomize final grades. To get 20-30% higher on all exams and get a "C" means that his friends were getting like 40-50% on the tests... This just doesn't make sense.

Pretty much what Extremehippo said:

Chair of the department -> Dean of the college -> Dean of Students -> Chancellor -> Board of Trustees -> Lawyer

But seriously, by the time you get to a Dean this should get formally investigated. Obviously be respectful when you approach a higher-up about rectifying the situation, but even the complacency goes up high enough you could feasibly end up at people like the Chancellor. All I know is that I would absolutely win if something like this happened. Don't take BS if you don't have to.

I think this is unrealistic. The department chair will probably "look into it." and I doubt the dean(s) or higher will take the time to see why a student got a "C" when they felt they deserved a "B". Faculty care a lot less than you may think.

 

[Bacchus]

This is what you do.

You go straight to the dean and tell them you want to contest a grade. Then, you, the teacher, and the dean will sit down. You show them all your class paperwork, test grades, quizzes showing that you got a grade higher than a C. Then, your teacher loses.

I've had teachers who have told me students have contested grades in the past and won. Sometimes, it was the sheer neglect of the instructor and they hit the wrong letter by accident. In your case, he's just a jerk and I would contest it immediately. But you must possess your work showing that he is wrong.

There's a grade-repeal policy at most if not all universities. I doubt half the students even know where to find the dean. And no matter how big you are, busting down the door isn't going to get you anywhere. You follow the proper protocol.

 

[anegron519]

.

 

[Total180]

im not content, I told all my classmates in the department and every student knows about it. I told the counselors and even some of the professors know about it. the Grad students know about it. I told the guy who hired him (prof. emeritus)....who the hell do I go to??? I am not content whatsoever. When this happened freshman year I was mad as hell but I let it go then because it was only freshman year. Who do I go to report this sort of incident?

Have you gone to the actual professor and asked why he gave you the grade you got?

 

[theWUbear]

The average GPA for white applicants is 3.68 or something and >3.7 for asians. Don't get fooled by the averages (that include puerto rico and etc.)

Wrong. 3.58, approximate to OP's senior year hopes.

Also, Asians had a lower applicant GPA than Whites. You just tinking da azn good at da maths? Rooking at too much azn fatha meme?

 

[Bacchus]

No one is busting down any doors. At my school, if you want to contest a grade you MUST go to the Dean first. That is where the repeal process starts. Advising, counseling, student resources all send you do the dean's office for contesting grades. When I wanted a grade change from F to a W, all fingers pointed towards the dean's office and that is where it was taken care of.

Afterwards, the instructor got notified of my request and it was a 3 person sit down. They will ask you for all your test, quizzes, homework assignments, anything proving that the grade was wrongfully given to you.

As I said before, the majority of teachers that I've talked to about contesting grades has said it was usually their fault. When entering hundreds of grades, 1 or 2 sometimes slip by.

The Grade Appeal process will outline what to do. It may very well say go to the dean, but it will probably start with you recalculating the grade, then talking to the faculty member, right on up the line.

All the policies are outlined in a student handbook.

 

[realmeaning]

I got a C in a basic chemistry course in college, and I was also recommended by an advisor (of a post-bacc program) to not bother retaking, because getting an A in it is expected-- it would be shocking if you got a B. That said, if you want to repair your GPA and you have an extra class to spare, it can't hurt. However, I agree with other posters who've said just take another, preferably higher level, class and kill it.

Good luck.

 

[DAPI]

This is my 3rd year. Something like this happened first year with another professor who changed the rubric on my group. I let it go (after a few months of depression) since it was only my first year.

This time, I tried to report him but I had no idea who to go to (I went to the counselors and I am pretty sure they knew). I had a higher OVERALL grade than my classmates(I beat them on exams by AT LEAST 20-40%), yet I got a lower letter grade. This has apparently been going on for years, I asked around and one of my friends said that a few years ago his friend went through the same thing. This professor is one of the senior members so he isn't getting fired anytime soon. I am not the only one in this situation, there is at least one other person who approached me with the same exact problem.

So this coming fall, I am taking the same course again(I have to take it due to some changes in how the classes are designed...I dropped the 2nd course in the series because it is taught by the same guy who could have given me a D for all I know). Will medical schools see this and forgive my C if I get a higher letter grade on this retake?


I was sick for a while so I only had a 3.3 by the end of freshman year, and I didn't start studying again until end of 2nd year when I realized I can't keep going down. I started to get 4.0's but last quarter I ended up with a 3.0 (all A's and 1 C by this guy, numbers not exact obviously). I am at a 3.4 cumulative right now. It might go up to a 3.45 this quarter. By end of senior year I hope to get at least a 3.55(I have some very easy classes left to take). I will be taking the MCAT my senior year and applying then. I will have a gap year and ] am seriously considering doing another degree (I heard an economics degree can be finished in a year or so...I really like economics and how that works?). I don't know what to do about this gpa?? My prereqs are all B's basically. I usually made up for everything (got B's in ochem but A's in p-chem) and math (got a C once and got A's in the upper level). I will take some biochem and mol gen my senior year

edit 2: So after looking at the DO stuff, I would probably be a very very strong DO applicant. I know my MCAT will be good (my practice scores are fairly high) and my EC's are decent. I will obviously apply to some MD programs. Is there a list of top tier DO schools (if there is such a thing?). I look at the stats on DO site and it said that the avg MCAT was a 26 (+- 4 deviation)...I GET A LOT HIGHER THAN THAT!!!!!!

Posted on 4/8/12

Hi, I am going to graduate in 1 year. This is what I will have to show(this is not some ideal case scenario, this is pretty realistic and most likely the case). I need to know what I am missing and how I can improve. I will be applying to medical schools 1 year from now.

-peer mentor for 2 months(~1 quarter) in general chemistry lab

-research with blood for 2 years, will do undergrad thesis

-research in fluid flow (not going into specifics for privacy reasons) for 1 year

-chair position in a certain group for my major for 1 year(falls under leadership)

-200 hours of hospital volunteering, (I currently only have 36 but I should be able to rack up 200 by the time I graduate).

-Volunteered at ARC about 20 hours

*need to get shadowing, but assume I get 50 hours.

What more do I need?

cumulative GPA projection: 3.6

I got straight B+'s in physics and straight B's in ochem, and A-'s in gen chem. I got straight A's in Pchem. Got a B in the first level bio class and A's in biochem/mol gen. Got C in one of the calculus courses but earned an A in the higher level courses.

MCAT: 39S(computer lagged, there were some questions which I couldn't get back to because it slowed down!!)

Anyone else think this is an inconsistency? (see bold).... I mean why in the world would you retake a 39S 😕 Even a 15/9/15 is going to rock the socks off of any school.


Or think this kind of attitude is what got him those C's?

There are many hospitals around where I live, some small some large. I have volunteered once before, and many of my friends have as well. Our tasks are very mundane, from filing papers to standing at the door saying "Welcome, how are you?" (well, probably not doing well since they are in the freakin' hospital, unless they are employee's ofc).

As I was about to apply to volunteer at a hospital later on this year, I looked at what kind of jobs they had for volunteers. Here is an example:

Wheelchair warrior - "...help fix wheel chairs..".

That is the actual title. I am not wasting my time being a wheelchair warrior and I refuse to spend hours of my life filing papers. To me, that is not volunteering at a hospital. Are there other things I can do? I will apply to medical schools next year, I am currently finishing up my Junior year.

Just sayin'

Like others have said, I think we are missing a lot of the story and if you approach your professor or dean or anyone else with the attitude I am seeing in the wheelchair warrior post, no one is going to take you seriously.

 

[gettheleadout]

I'm sorry, but why are we condoning the OP to blame it on the prof?? Hold yourself accountable, and be more responsible. VERY VERY VERY RARELY are these situations an outright-fault of a professor. Those of us who are matriculating to medical school or who are already in medical school already know this...

I've said the same thing in previous threads, but the OP claims to know for certain that he/she had a higher overall grade than peers who received higher letter grades. That sounds like BS, and with the perception the OP gave of complacency and disinterest in the lower administration, following the proper chain of command to contest this is most likely to bring closure.

 

[Halogas]

let me respond to some of these:

professor: "i dont discuss grades with students". I am not the only one. edit: I am not the only one who has gotten this response

2: the mcat 39S was practice computer MCAT. It wasn't the only one but I was scoring consistently throughout. I am taking the actual thing senior year. I made up the S portion, however 39 was not made up.

3. syllabus does say it is subject to change. but even with change you would have to change it quite a bit for my scores to be thrown down the trash

4.i mentioned i had to take some bio still because i am in quarter system. I just gave rough outline here.

5. I am going to chair of dept to discuss in 2 weeks (that is earliest he can meet), i already set up appt and have grades printed out

6. If I am really responsible for the C then it is my fault. However the fact that others are in my situation means there is something else going on. I wouldn't waste my time making up some story.

7. I know 1 C won't kill me but my grades were on a rising trend and this C was junior year.

 

[Neurosis]

professor: "i dont discuss grades with students". I am not the only one. edit: I am not the only one who has gotten this response

I've never had a professor not tell me my grade(but then again I've only completed 2 semesters of college) so this sounds pretty foreign to me.

 

[SnowyRox]

I've never had a professor not tell me my grade(but then again I've only completed 2 semesters of college) so this sounds pretty foreign to me.

I've never had this happen either, but all of my professors were great! Thanks, awesome university 😍. Other universities don't specifically select for good professors; they like well-sponsored research and fancy brand names.

OP: Go through every scrap of paper you have in your apartment because you're going to need proof of your test scores. Otherwise it's simply your word vs. his word.

 

[Halogas]

I've never had this happen either, but all of my professors were great! Thanks, awesome university 😍. Other universities don't specifically select for good professors; they like well-sponsored research and fancy brand names.

OP: Go through every scrap of paper you have in your apartment because you're going to need proof of your test scores. Otherwise it's simply your word vs. his word.

It's not that he didn't tell me my grade. It's that he didn't discuss it with me.

I think I figured out what the guy did though.

He must have decreased the exam weight by a very large amount. We had two group projects, and he must have increased the weight on those (to make up for the decrease in exam). The group projects are graded subjectively. I suspected this was the case at first(someone pointed out that syllabus subject to change, I already knew that)... but for this to happen changes must have been from 20% -->5% or 6%for the exams(3 total)! However this is the only reason I can think of, and I am pretty sure this is what he will say. Of course I am still discussing this with the appropriate admins.

With this aside, I might contest that C my freshman year. When you come into college and a supposed role model does that to you, it is very disappointing. He was supposed to be a very good professor which is why I took him in the first place(this is another prof.). He is an extremely popular professor, which is part of the reason why I didn't contest him freshman year.

 

[NightGod]

Even if they syllabus says "subject to change" I'm pretty sure most schools require the professors to actually inform the students of those changes and have a problem with them changing things at the last minute. I've actually only had one professor actually make a change to the syllabus and that was on the second day of class, it benefited the students (the change was to allow a makeup on a quiz if you had a verifiable emergency instead of it just automatically being the dropped quiz) and she a) pointed it out to the class the day she changed and b) posted it as an addendum to the syllabus rather than making the change directly in the original syllabus.

 

[music2doc]

This is my 3rd year. Something like this happened first year with another professor who changed the rubric on my group. I let it go (after a few months of depression) since it was only my first year.

This time, I tried to report him but I had no idea who to go to (I went to the counselors and I am pretty sure they knew). I had a higher OVERALL grade than my classmates(I beat them on exams by AT LEAST 20-40%), yet I got a lower letter grade. This has apparently been going on for years, I asked around and one of my friends said that a few years ago his friend went through the same thing. This professor is one of the senior members so he isn't getting fired anytime soon. I am not the only one in this situation, there is at least one other person who approached me with the same exact problem.

So this coming fall, I am taking the same course again(I have to take it due to some changes in how the classes are designed...I dropped the 2nd course in the series because it is taught by the same guy who could have given me a D for all I know). Will medical schools see this and forgive my C if I get a higher letter grade on this retake?


I was sick for a while so I only had a 3.3 by the end of freshman year, and I didn't start studying again until end of 2nd year when I realized I can't keep going down. I started to get 4.0's but last quarter I ended up with a 3.0 (all A's and 1 C by this guy, numbers not exact obviously). I am at a 3.4 cumulative right now. It might go up to a 3.45 this quarter. By end of senior year I hope to get at least a 3.55(I have some very easy classes left to take). I will be taking the MCAT my senior year and applying then. I will have a gap year and I am seriously considering doing another degree (I heard an economics degree can be finished in a year or so...I really like economics and how that works?). I don't know what to do about this gpa?? My prereqs are all B's basically. I usually made up for everything (got B's in ochem but A's in p-chem) and math (got a C once and got A's in the upper level). I will take some biochem and mol gen my senior year

edit 2: So after looking at the DO stuff, I would probably be a very very strong DO applicant. I know my MCAT will be good (my practice scores are fairly high) and my EC's are decent. I will obviously apply to some MD programs. Is there a list of top tier DO schools (if there is such a thing?). I look at the stats on DO site and it said that the avg MCAT was a 26 (+- 4 deviation)...I GET A LOT HIGHER THAN THAT!!!!!!

First of all, a professor does not "GIVE" you a grade. You earned it. Don't try and place the blame on someone else. If you earned a grade lower than you thought it should have been, then you needed to go and ask why. Sometimes, mistakes are made but saying "he gave me a low grade" is akin to saying your dad gave you a spanking after you stole money from the offering plate at church or to saying the cop "gave me a ticket" after he caught you speeding. Sure, it may be true that you were "given" a consequence, but the fact remains that you EARNED that consequence.

 

[LifeTake2]

It's not that he didn't tell me my grade. It's that he didn't discuss it with me.

I think I figured out what the guy did though.

He must have decreased the exam weight by a very large amount. We had two group projects, and he must have increased the weight on those (to make up for the decrease in exam). The group projects are graded subjectively. I suspected this was the case at first(someone pointed out that syllabus subject to change, I already knew that)... but for this to happen changes must have been from 20% -->5% or 6%for the exams(3 total)! However this is the only reason I can think of, and I am pretty sure this is what he will say. Of course I am still discussing this with the appropriate admins.

With this aside, I might contest that C my freshman year. When you come into college and a supposed role model does that to you, it is very disappointing. He was supposed to be a very good professor which is why I took him in the first place(this is another prof.). He is an extremely popular professor, which is part of the reason why I didn't contest him freshman year.

Point 1: A professor is not a role model, they exist to teach you not be your friend.

Point 2: Being a good professor has NOTHING to do with giving you the grade you want, it is making sure you learn the material.

Point 3: Popular is not a good way to judge.

That said, accept your C that you earned and move on and do better next time. You imply in your first post the professor is tenured, if this is case you stand a better chance of winning the lotto than getting the grade changed. You can complain all the way to the White House, if the professor stands by his decision nobody is going to force him to change. Short of giving you a lower grade due to being black, female, gay, alien or other protected class tenured professors can do just about anything they wish. That is the trade-off of earning a PhD to only make 1/2 of what you can make in the private sector.

 

[gettheleadout]

First of all, a professor does not "GIVE" you a grade. You earned it. Don't try and place the blame on someone else. If you earned a grade lower than you thought it should have been, then you needed to go and ask why. Sometimes, mistakes are made but saying "he gave me a low grade" is akin to saying your dad gave you a spanking after you stole money from the offering plate at church or to saying the cop "gave me a ticket" after he caught you speeding. Sure, it may be true that you were "given" a consequence, but the fact remains that you EARNED that consequence.

The whole point of the OP was that the letter grade received was not reflective of the percentage score earned. Also the fact that letter grades were not assigned uniformly with respect to percentage score earned.

 

[tankgunner]

a prof's grade is final unless you can prove there was an error, typically a calculation error, or something really bad. this policy applies to every college instructor without regard to tenure status.
if you appeal you can't compare yourself to other students. no school will allow any talk about other students. you can only talk about yourself and your own performance.
unless you can show that the prof was a monstrous bigot or an idiot who didn't know how to use a calculator, the dept chair and the school will always, always back him up.
good luck. people have gone to court to get their grade changed - and got thrown out of court every single time.

 

[MedPR]

You should rename your thread "I earned a C in a class." You should've addressed this when it first occurred, not now after the semester is over.

 

[Neurosis]

It's not that he didn't tell me my grade. It's that he didn't discuss it with me.

yeah, that's exactly what I was talking about. all my profs so far have at least been willing to discuss the grade with me, and by that I mean literally sit down with me, show me where and what I missed and so on. If he's not busy or anything then at the very least this guy sounds like an ass.

 

[Halogas]

I met with some other professor (a friendly one) and he said he was meeting with this professor later today. He met with him and asked him what was going on (I told this professor everything and showed him the grades online).

He changed the weight percentages of the assignments by a very large amount (as I had stated earlier, which was the only realistic case I could think of without him just handing out random grades based on his feelings). I later received an e-mail from professor-C telling me how the grades were distributed.

And the point of this post was not that I earned a C, it was that I felt as if I had been given a C(if the averages are 35% and you get a 65% on exams don't you think you would end up with a higher grade than the rest of the class?).

Also to the poster who made the 3 points:

Professor is here to teach, but he is a human being --- as such there is nothing wrong in having good moral character and ethical standards. If he doesn't have those, as far as I am concerned, he shouldn't be teaching a freshman course. People come to learn, and you should be able to help them pursue higher education. If a professor wants to teach, he should at least be professional. Let's not forget that many professors, such as (I assume) Professor C, are focused on research. They are required to teach by the university(I recall Einstein who joined Princeton under the condition he would not have to teach). Some are there to teach, some are there to do research, and many a mix. These are just my thoughts, as I was raised to respect teachers and adults, and they should be respectable people themselves. If a doctor is there to heal, that does not make it ok for him to be arrogant and think he is above others. He is there to heal, so it's ok for him to be rude and disrespectful? Most premeds (that I have been around) behave in an arrogant manner thinking they are doctors...so they think they are above others.

Also, I have gotten low grades before, and I am not afraid of accepting a low grade. If I didn't put in the work and I earned a low grade, then no problem. This was not the case here, hence the whole purpose of this thread(as the mod stated above). (I have put in effort in my engineering courses because I liked them which is why I had all A's up until this point).

Someone mentioned I shouldn't be looking at this after the semester is over. Well, here in my university we don't learn what our letter grades are until the quarter ends, when they have graded the final exams. I posted the thread with the word "gave" on purpose. Not sure if you could tell.

 

[NightGod]

If he changed them without distributing an updated syllabus, you might have a case to make to the dean. It's worth taking in a copy of the syllabus he handed out at the beginning of the semester and looking into it.