are they for real?!

[chocchipcookie]

---

Members don't see this ad.

i'm taking physics I and II at a local school and they're being absolutely ridiculous. the normal cutoff for an A is a 90 (there's no A-) and if you come from a "good" school, they make it higher for you (literally like a 96), even though for everyone else it's the same grade. i had a 94 in my last class and my prof still only gave me a B+ even though i obviously met the cut off for an A and this time it's the same thing. our final is tomorrow, but he's made it clear that the school's own students get preference. i complained to the department and to the provost and everyone is ignoring me, saying that students who go to better schools "get more opportunities" and therefore should be getting higher grades anyway. WHAT?! on what planet is this fair and what should i do?

 

[rav4182]

im siding with your professor. thats the price you pay for trying to ease your way out of a hard pre-req.

my university's physics series was ridiculous, out of 400 students the average would be an F on test. I worked my ass off for those A's.

 

[wantVCUdental]

im siding with your professor. thats the price you pay for trying to ease your way out of a hard pre-req.

my university's physics series was ridiculous, out of 400 students the average would be an F on test. I worked my ass off for those A's.

What are you talking about? That doesn't make any sense, so one who goes to a good college should be graded harder????? Everyone should have the same standard, if we go by your ILL-logic, then why the F*** don't we all become under achievers and attend community college? HELL! there would be no advances in our living standards!

To OP, that school is being unfair, get a written statement from them and explain it to the schools that you applied to. It's the most ridiculous thing i have ever heard and I am sorry it happened to you. If you don't mind telling us, what's the name of this crack4$$ school?
All the best on your next test.

 

[peanutb123]

u want us to feel bad for you?...

 

[aelian]

It's pretty unfortunate but there are a few things you should do. You can appeal to a higher power than your prof. I have heard of a few instances where people who have been screwed over by a cutoff got it overturned. But at the same time, you've got to see that the prof can't give everyone A's, especially if they are running a Bell curve which throws all numbers out the window. If there are too many A's awarded, the profs get in trouble, just as they would if there were too many C's and D's. Most of us don't complain about getting taken from a 65 average to a 90 average. That is the prof making sure the whole class doesn't fail. And they have to make it both ways so if they have to take you from a A- to a B+ so that everyone doesn't make an A/B, then you'll have to live with it.
As far as taking classes at a local college (assuming you are taking it at a community college), it is fine, as long as it is something like an underclassmen science course. Some schools prefer that you take them at your main college, however. Just make sure your schools of choice allow it.

 

[chocchipcookie]

peanutb - i'm just wondering if there's someone else to go to that i haven't thought of or if there's any way to mediate the situation. sympathy will do nothing to raise my grade, after all.

rav - i decided on dental school late in the game and the only way to catch up is by taking classes over the summer. my mom can pay the in-state fees for 8 credits, but not the private school fees and housing/meals for me to take them at school.

wantvcu - how would i get a written statement? wouldn't them owning up to doing that make it tougher for their students (which they're to prevent or whatever?)? if i could, who do i get one from?

aelian - it's really just "good" school kids versus the school's own students. my 94 meant a B+ but there were students with 85s with As. the school just became a 4 year school recently, so i think that would count as it still being a full school and not just a CC (though correct me if i'm wrong, cause i'd like to know)

 

[rav4182]

the cc professor isnt gonna see it that way. he sees it as you taking a easier route out and it seems like he's not gonna have that. university physics is waaaaay harder than the cc version.

 

[d3nt15t]

Wow...that's complete BS. I think your situation is just an example of growing anti-intellectualism in America. You shouldn't be penalized for coming from a "good" school (never mind the fact that it's completely subjective). You should talk to an adcom about your situation.

 

[rav4182]

seriously? the adcom is gonna laugh at your situation and probably agree with the professor. think about it through their eyes from the application pool: student A is just as qualified as student B, but A doesnt have all this cc bull**** going on like B...hmm which one would we rather have?

 

[chocchipcookie]

rav - had i known that this would happen, i would have certainly picked a different school. there are other schools within an hour of me, but this one happened to be the closest. maybe i'll keep that in mind next year.

thanks everyone else. i think the best thing to do is ask some adcoms that my mom knows and see what they think.

 

[TriangleZuikis]

Keep a record of all the correspondence you are having with the professor, the provost, department etc. you need written proof of this if you are going to do anything about it.

If they are really ignoring you then you may not be addressing it the right way. Try again and make sure to be professional.

If they still don't listen or do anything about it, talk to your school lawyer (the "good" school) or, if you can afford it, a lawyer lawyer.

 

[aelian]

rav - had i known that this would happen, i would have certainly picked a different school. there are other schools within an hour of me, but this one happened to be the closest. maybe i'll keep that in mind next year.

thanks everyone else. i think the best thing to do is ask some adcoms that my mom knows and see what they think.

I think some people are being a little harsh. It isn't necessarily a cop-out. Not all of us have the benefit of living 15 minutes from a top tier school, or having enough money to be able to stay summers over in another town. It's a good idea to take classes as opposed to doing nothing over the summer. You also mentioned that the school recently became a 4 year school which is good. The Adcoms are not going to crucify you for that. It does suck if you do in fact get a B for a 94 while others get an A for a 85, which I think a lot of the posters are not reading. But in the long run, you are going to have lots and lots of credit hours. Getting a B versus an A for 4 hours becomes negligible when you have 130+ hours. But definitely use your B as a motivation to never get another one again. 👍

 

[HermeyScrivello]

Tough situation. Anything you say to an adcom has potential to sound like an excuse. I've never heard of this before and I kind of think you might be trolling. What school is this?

 

[beatsdre]

i'm taking physics I and II at a local school and they're being absolutely ridiculous. the normal cutoff for an A is a 90 (there's no A-) and if you come from a "good" school, they make it higher for you (literally like a 96), even though for everyone else it's the same grade. i had a 94 in my last class and my prof still only gave me a B+ even though i obviously met the cut off for an A and this time it's the same thing. our final is tomorrow, but he's made it clear that the school's own students get preference. i complained to the department and to the provost and everyone is ignoring me, saying that students who go to better schools "get more opportunities" and therefore should be getting higher grades anyway. WHAT?! on what planet is this fair and what should i do?

Should of done your research....

After I took a physics class in my school and there were 3 A's out of 100 people, I learned my lesson.

I went to another college where the avg for a class of 50 kids for physics 2 was a 92.

 

[Dr Smee]

This sounds profoundly stupid. Why would parents want to work hard and bust their asses to put money aside for their children's education, if their kids are just going to be penalized later for having gone to a good school? Why even go to anything but the cheapest, crappiest schools then? Why even get educated at all? Maybe if we're all stupid the professors will just pass everyone.

In the end, you still apparently know more about various subjects than your "less fortunate" classmates, and that's something to be proud of. Your higher score in the class should reflect that, but it doesn't since your nutty professor is changing it "so it's more fair." He's knocking you down a peg for knowing the material better than someone else does, and that's just idiotic.

 

[allover]

this reminds me of all the high school teachers and counselors encouraging students at my school to go to cc for first two years then transfer to 4 year. its as if there is a conspiracy to promote mediocrity.

 

[JBieber]

Should of done your research....

After I took a physics class in my school and there were 3 A's out of 100 people, I learned my lesson.

I went to another college where the avg for a class of 50 kids for physics 2 was a 92.

I find that hard to believe ... unless you mean true A's and not A minuses

 

[doc toothache]

i'm taking physics I and II at a local school and they're being absolutely ridiculous. the normal cutoff for an A is a 90 (there's no A-) and if you come from a "good" school, they make it higher for you (literally like a 96), even though for everyone else it's the same grade. i had a 94 in my last class and my prof still only gave me a B+ even though i obviously met the cut off for an A and this time it's the same thing. our final is tomorrow, but he's made it clear that the school's own students get preference. i complained to the department and to the provost and everyone is ignoring me, saying that students who go to better schools "get more opportunities" and therefore should be getting higher grades anyway. WHAT?! on what planet is this fair and what should i do?

Sounds like your professor and the school have too much time on their hands. Complaining, as you found out, will get your nowhere since grading (reasonable/unreasonable from a student's perspective) is pretty much at the professor's discretion and since it is quite likely that those terms were explicitly explained, by continuing in the class, you agreed to abide by them.

 

[beatsdre]

I find that hard to believe ... unless you mean true A's and not A minuses

I exaggerated a bit. It was 100 kids: 5 A's 5 A-s. Rest B-F. Still pretty cutthroat.

And I exaggerated on the physics thing. It was 50 kids, 20' A's, rest ranging from B to C. 1-2 D-F.

I guess what I'm trying to say to the O.P is: do your homework and don't setup yourself for "annoyingly tough" situations.

 

[PAyankee]

Yet another illustration of why admissions should not be based on GPA. Standardized tests scores are the only legitimate way of evaluating a candidate numerically

 

[klutzy1987]

Sounds like your professor and the school have too much time on their hands. Complaining, as you found out, will get your nowhere since grading (reasonable/unreasonable from a student's perspective) is pretty much at the professor's discretion and since it is quite likely that those terms were explicitly explained, by continuing in the class, you agreed to abide by them.

Grading is at the professors discretion as long as the grading system is fairly balanced among all students. A letter to the committee of academic standing and the Dean's office is not out of line. Holding different students to higher standards is not a valid method of evaluating their knowledge. Professors have the power to grant any grade they feel the student deserved. However they cannot give grades based on their personal feelings.

 

[doc toothache]

Grading is at the professors discretion as long as the grading system is fairly balanced among all students. A letter to the committee of academic standing and the Dean's office is not out of line. Holding different students to higher standards is not a valid method of evaluating their knowledge. Professors have the power to grant any grade they feel the student deserved. However they cannot give grades based on their personal feelings.

In your neck of the world, life must be fair. If we take for granted the op's version, professors can and apparently do.

 

[LaFleur]

It's true that professors can and do. I've had it happen to me at my university.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk

 

[LaFleur]

I'm sorry this had to happen to you, but if the professor and the provost are doing nothing about it, then there's nothing you can do. This hasn't just happened to you...it happens (it has happened to me at least twice) and you can complain about it but if there's nothing.g they're going to do then there's nothing you can do about it. Life isn't always fair.

And I wouldn't bring this up to an adcom...it would sound as if you're making a mountain out of a molehill (and making up excuses) and a b+ is still respectable grade-wise.

Just don't take classes there again. Learn your lesson and move on. This is coming from someone who has been there before and knows that if the administration stands behind the professor, there is nothing you can do. Life isn't fair. Move on. A b+ isn't actually going to hurt your application.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk

 

[TriangleZuikis]

Unjust!

 

[AmpedUp]

Is this a public or private school?

 

[LaFleur]

Hahaha when I tried to fight it I was told that the professors have the final say in what our grades are, so there was nothing I could do.

Case in point: I actually had a professor who was on a power trip and refused to accept a homework assignment when I wasn't in class because I was ill with an excuse from health service. When I suggested this was against university policy, she told me that according to our university policy the professor has the final say. I went to the dean and the assignment counted as extra credit...and I wasn't allowed to turn mine in!!!! Needless to say, when I got a slightly lower final grade than expected, I wasn't surprised. Without the administration backing you there is nothing you can do about anything. And I'm not about to sue.

And I go to a private university, but I would like to retain as much privacy as possible, so I'm not going to name names.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk

 

[LaFleur]

Just to add to that ex, I missed the class when she handed the assignment out, not the one when it was due. So basically I did a bunch of work while ill with an excuse to turn something in on time....

It really all depends on the professor and the administration. A lot of people at my school agree that the administration isn't good, and this is just an example of that.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk

 

[chocchipcookie]

thanks again. yeah, i never realized that there were educators who would want to hurt any of their students, regardless of where they come from. it's a public school and i DID research them. i picked based on tuition and location, since it's in-state and only 10 minutes away from home. i guess i shouldn't pick based on convenience anymore. it just sucks that the profs weren't on my side and that i get punished for doing nothing wrong.

in any case, i appreciate the advice. i'll take my B+ and pending second grade and will keep banging out the rest of my prereqs/science classes

 

[AmpedUp]

thanks again. yeah, i never realized that there were educators who would want to hurt any of their students, regardless of where they come from. it's a public school and i DID research them. i picked based on tuition and location, since it's in-state and only 10 minutes away from home. i guess i shouldn't pick based on convenience anymore. it just sucks that the profs weren't on my side and that i get punished for doing nothing wrong.

in any case, i appreciate the advice. i'll take my B+ and pending second grade and will keep banging out the rest of my prereqs/science classes

Try writing to the president of your school or to the education dept of your state if you want to maximize your chances. No guarantees though. Awkward for a public school to make a policy like this though.

 

[slm266]

ratemyprofessor.com

 

[vicsin]

ratemyprofessor.com

Totally agree. Ratemyprof is the way to avoid a mess like this. I always rely on it and I'm currently taking physics II at a local school where the prof is just giving everyone A's, no midterm, no final, no exams. Seriously, read ratemyprof!!!

 

[wkupredental]

Check the syllabus for the class or the college's grading policy. In all of the classes I've ever attended, they've posted a grading policy in the syllabus that indicated what was considered an A, B, etc... I would also save all of my tests/quizzes/assignments that have been graded to show how you've done in the class.

If you can prove that they're treating you unfairly, you could probably find someone higher up that could help you sort this out.

Good luck!