ask profs to bump up grades

[Quynh2007]

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[MWillie]

Almost doesn't count, says professors.

 

[sdnstud]

I don't think having jet lag or ochem final are good reasons. They are excuses. Transferring to the major so you need an A- is even worse. If you know your material, then you should have aced the class. Period.

In fact, I got a B+ in a class once..and I was 1/2 point away from an A- (The class was out of 1000 points). I went into the professor's office with a legit reason why I should deserve an A-. My TA made a mistake on my first midterm which caused me 2 points. At the end, I did not get the grade bump i wanted. The professor simply said it was too late. I agreed with him and walked out of his office without arguing with him. It was my fault that I didn't get a regrade on the first midterm. I couldn't blame anyone but myself.

 

[PhotoMD]

Shouldn't that be rounded to 93... Anyway, I agree with the prior poster about those being excuses. Plus, one grade won't be the death of you.

 

[Quynh2007]

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[Shaz]

hey, i just found out one of my grades in a class is a B+, I got 92.86, and I needed a 93% to get an A-, basically, I was 1 point on the final from getting that A-!! I emailed the prof, but he hasn't gotten back to me yet, and I'm just worried. I told him that my performance was affected by jet lag the day before, and an organic chem final 30 minutes after this one was over. Plus, I am in the process of transferring into his department, and an A- would help me have a better chance of getting in. I DO know the material, it was just bad luck that I was 1 point short of that A-. how have ppl successfully convinced their profs. to pump up their grades etc? thanks.

I remember my freshman year, I got a 993 or something out of 1200 points. I swear, 995 or something was an A.

I talked to the professor and...I didnt get it.

That pissed me off.

 

[Medikit]

I don't see what's wrong with asking.

 

[sdnstud]

oh..of course you should ask. the worst thing that could happen is your professor saying no and you end up with the B+. However, before you bombard your professor with excuses, ask him if you can see your final exam. Meet with him to go over the exam and see if there are any places where the grading is questionable. gluck

I don't see what's wrong with asking.

 

[Fermata]

A very similar thing happened to me this semester.

In my opinion a B+ is nothing to cry over and I don't think that the professor will have much pity on you.

 

[PhotoMD]

I had a stat prof give me a 3.6 for the class even though I was ranked 9th out of 150. The prior year, his distribution showed that he gave 20 4.0's (the class was normalized and curverd... he was a stat prof after all). He still wouldn't change my grade. This meant that he gave no more than 4 4.0's and 4 3.9's each, or some variation thereof. Ridiculous.

 

[constructor]

100% of my grade was dependent on that final, and because of getting back in (i was delayed at an airport because of weather, then had to go all over the place just to get within 1 hour of my school --i was supposed to fly into my city, but i was worried I wouldn't get back to take my finals and took the first chance i could to get back). it was out of 196, the cutoff was 183, i got a 182. the majority of the class got a B.

people like you are exactly the reason why i hate pre-meds and never can hang out with so many of them. everything has to be placed on your lap and if not, you have to pour out the bag full of excuses and cry about it. grow up. like sdnstud said, **** happens to everyone in some form or another in this application process. trust me, you're not alone in getting screwed. amcas screwed me over with stuff twice already. you just have to learn and move on.

 

[Quynh2007]

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[constructor]

yeah, trust me it's not the end of the world. we all tend to get caught up in the disappointment initially, but you'll realize that it turns out to be quite insignificant and inconsequential in the long run.

 

[Medikit]

A very similar thing happened to me this semester.

In my opinion a B+ is nothing to cry over and I don't think that the professor will have much pity on you.

If I were a teacher I would give them a .2 extra credit point assigment

 

[Quynh2007]

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[Shredder]

In all of my years, not once have I successfully approached a teacher about bumping a grade. I'm pessimistically involved in the process right now. But the fact remains that you have nothing to lose by trying except pride, but the grade is worth more anyway. Would you rather that, or always wonder "what if..." I would think it is especially helpful if you are an attractive female(/male?) and turn on the crying factor perhaps.

For anyone who says things like this are of no consequence in the long run...how do you know? Chaos theory...

 

[rambo]

people like you are exactly the reason why i hate pre-meds and never can hang out with so many of them. everything has to be placed on your lap and if not, you have to pour out the bag full of excuses and cry about it. grow up. like sdnstud said, **** happens to everyone in some form or another in this application process. trust me, you're not alone in getting screwed. amcas screwed me over with stuff twice already. you just have to learn and move on.

It looks like the grade should have been rounded anyway. I don't see what the problem is with him wanting a 4.0 instead of a 3.67. It does make a difference- not a huge one, but still. He has a legitimate reason with wanting an A, and if he doesn't ask, he'll never know. Why work so hard all semester just to say, "F-it" for a fraction of a point?

 

[Shredder]

It looks like the grade should have been rounded anyway. I don't see what the problem is with him wanting a 4.0 instead of a 3.67. It does make a difference- not a huge one, but still. He has a legitimate reason with wanting an A, and if he doesn't ask, he'll never know. Why work so hard all semester just to say, "F-it" for a fraction of a point?

I don't think the guy should be hated for this

 

[Fermata]

If I were a teacher I would give them a .2 extra credit point assigment

You are forgetting that most PhD's have been through more schooling than you have and probably have seen their share of grades that are much worse than B+'s.

Then again............there's always a saint scattered in there.

 

[Fermata]

the only reason it is bad (i wouldn't have asked for a B+ from a B) because an A in another class with the same credits doesn't equal an A- average. :-/ but, now that I think about it, I am happy overall. just disappointed, and will use this disappointment to fuel me in the future. thanks everyone.

Honestly dude, I'm glad you made this decision.

It will feel better in the long run knowing that you earned your gpa.

 

[Fermata]

I would definately talk to the prof, its worth a shot, and I know many people who have successfully gotten grades changed. Don't let everyone make you feel bad for feeling slightly cheated (who cares if you weren't, its an okay feeling to have). I don't think that wanting to ask is something that you should be made to feel bad about, and to the person who says you will feel better knowing you have earned your gpa - if a prof thinks the right thing to do is changing it, then you HAVE earned it: they were wrong. the grade is extremely close, and most of the professors I know well would have bumped you up. Professors are human, and their job is not to give you a hard time, or to give you a bad grade, sometimes brining up something like this can remind them of that.

I wouldn't not speak with them, show up at office hours if they don't reply. I got what I feel was an undeserving grade and tried to contact a prof about it (he was on sabbatical and never responded). I went to the chair of the department and they helped me out. This semester when he got back he sent me a long e-mail appologizing. I am abroad, and now he is waiting for me to come back to school next semester to meet with him, and I will, over a year after my class with him ended, and I am almost positive my grade will be changed. If you think you have been wronged, or even if you don't, asking cannot do you any harm.

Just my 2 cents.

The way the OP made it sound was just that he didn't perform well enough in the class rather than that the professor was out to get him.

Simply putting forth the effort does not entitle you to a grade. That's not how it works.

 

[PookieGirl]

Suck it up. Bottom line: you didn't make the cut. That's unfortunate that you were jet lagged and had another test but everyone can always make excuses for why they didn't perform better. Maybe you could have asked BEFORE the test for some extra time but now that you've taken it and performed less well than you would have liked, you have to own up to YOUR role in the result. When a patient comes to you with a problem and you offer them a treatment that doesn't fix the problem, are you going to make excuses when they come back to you upset? No. Things don't go as planned. Accept responsibility and move on like an adult.

 

[rambo]

Suck it up. Bottom line: you didn't make the cut. That's unfortunate that you were jet lagged and had another test but everyone can always make excuses for why they didn't perform better. Maybe you could have asked BEFORE the test for some extra time but now that you've taken it and performed less well than you would have liked, you have to own up to YOUR role in the result. When a patient comes to you with a problem and you offer them a treatment that doesn't fix the problem, are you going to make excuses when they come back to you upset? No. Things don't go as planned. Accept responsibility and move on like an adult.

Wow, you are hardcore. Well, congratulations. Now that the OP is too scared to talk to his professor, the applicant pool will be .0000000000000001 % less competitive, thereby increasing you own chances. I smell gunpowder.

Don't give this crap about "didn't earn it", or "grow up" as a valid excuse. If someone has a 92.94 percent, and the cutoff for an A is a 93, I think they earned it. All it might take is reminding the professor that you do care about the grade, and their class.

 

[Fermata]

I never said the prof was out to get him, I just said that there is a point where a grade is so close it is worth considering rounding up, and 0.02 points is to me in that zone. There is a big diference between what, no matter what, becomes a 3.67 vs a 3.33, and this grade was far far far closer to the 3.67. Feeling cheated isn't invalid, even if it was a question of performance, and neither is asking a professor for a change.

Feeling cheated is all in your mind.

Once you realize that it was you that didn't perform up to your own standards then you can move along.

 

[hardy]

In all of my years, not once have I successfully approached a teacher about bumping a grade.

I was in a professor's office once when a student wanted him to bump a grade. She got a C- in a DiffEq class and needed a C IN ORDER TO GRADUATE.
He was willing to work with her and allowed her to turn in some homework late for credit.
But she wouldn't have been able to graduate without that class, so it is a completely different situation than when you tell him you want a A- instead of a B+ because of your ego.

 

[lmnop]

I have had a diff experience. I was one point short of an A from an A- and I went and talked to the prof and asked to see the final just to make sure (in a very nice way). Anyway, he went back through my midterms and finals and when he realized that I had gotten better as the semester went on, he said he'd switch it and didn't even need to look through the final w/me. and this was in ochem at UCB! professors are people too. it can't hurt to ask.

 

[Fermata]

I was in a professor's office once when a student wanted him to bump a grade. She got a C- in a DiffEq class and needed a C IN ORDER TO GRADUATE.
He was willing to work with her and allowed her to turn in some homework late for credit.
But she wouldn't have been able to graduate without that class, so it is a completely different situation than when you tell him you want a A- instead of a B+ because of your ego.

Finally, someone who sees the forest for the trees.

IT'S A B+ FOR CRYING OUT LOUD.

 

[Avenue Q]

Feeling cheated is all in your mind.

Of course it is, that's what makes it an emotion. And feelings are okay things to have.

I completely agree with Imnop. Just talk to them, and don't let anyone scare you out of having a conversation with someone.

 

[Fermata]

Of course it is, that's what makes it an emotion. And feelings are okay things to have.

I completely agree with Imnop. Just talk to them, and don't let anyone scare you out of having a conversation with someone.

He said that he wasn't planning on pursuing it.

That being said......if you did pursue it......and the professor breaks out the world's smallest violin.......

 

[acidhouse303]

Q- u must go to cornell. thats the only school that calls it "prelims"
when i was there, i remember them changing grades for people with special circumstances . they are more likely to change teh grade if u have participated inclass alot, g0one to office hrs, made an honest effort
it cant hurt to ask. but a B+ at Cornell, i would kill for. that is honestly not bad at all. just know it sucks bc u were so close to the border.

 

[DubZteR]

hey, i just found out one of my grades in a class is a B+, I got 92.86, and I needed a 93% to get an A-, basically, I was 1 point on the final from getting that A-!! I emailed the prof, but he hasn't gotten back to me yet, and I'm just worried. I told him that my performance was affected by jet lag the day before, and an organic chem final 30 minutes after this one was over. Plus, I am in the process of transferring into his department, and an A- would help me have a better chance of getting in. I DO know the material, it was just bad luck that I was 1 point short of that A-. how have ppl successfully convinced their profs. to pump up their grades etc? thanks.

You would have been better off telling him the truth. I've had the same thing happen to me a few times where my final mark was 1 percent from the next level. I'm not familiar with AMCAS' gpa conversion for US schools but for my school, marks of 85% or higher are treated as 4.0 ... so if you ended up with a 92.86 ... getting that bumped up to a 93 will not make any difference for your med apps.

 

[Sundarban1]

You would have been better off telling him the truth. I've had the same thing happen to me a few times where my final mark was 1 percent from the next level. I'm not familiar with AMCAS' gpa conversion for US schools but for my school, marks of 85% or higher are treated as 4.0 ... so if you ended up with a 92.86 ... getting that bumped up to a 93 will not make any difference for your med apps.

I just received an overall average of 89.9 (B+) in disease mechanisms and got bumped upto a 90% (A-). Bottom line: In the admissions process, where unfortunately it is a game of numbers, numbers, numbers, a B+ versus and A- is significant. Thank the lord for rounding

 

[fahimaz7]

Like several have said. Almost doens't cut it. Many of your fellow students have been bent over just like that and it isn't even fair for that to happen.

Scott

 

[uclabruin2003]

In all of my years, not once have I successfully approached a teacher about bumping a grade. I'm pessimistically involved in the process right now. But the fact remains that you have nothing to lose by trying except pride, but the grade is worth more anyway. Would you rather that, or always wonder "what if..." I would think it is especially helpful if you are an attractive female(/male?) and turn on the crying factor perhaps.

For anyone who says things like this are of no consequence in the long run...how do you know? Chaos theory...

will you always wonder "what if" about your grades? (if you do....there is something wrong with you). and oh please....in about two years into medical school...you'll think...wow...that was pathetic. one grade doesnt matter much. get over it.

 

[Sundarban1]

Like several have said. Almost doens't cut it. Many of your fellow students have been bent over just like that and it isn't even fair for that to happen.

Scott

I agree. However I did not ask the professor to do so, he did it himself. Like someone said before, S*%^ happens sometimes, however it can go both ways.

 

[PostalWookie]

Either way, it's ****ty. My bio class had this policy that if you were within 1 poin of a cutoff (out of like 300 total) you got an automatic bump. I would talk to the prof. The worst that can happen is that he'll say no

 

[evajaclynn]

I was 0.05% away from an 'A' in my OChem class. The professor said that he had to draw the line somewhere - too bad that he drew it right in front of my face. My advice, if you don't hear back from your professor: Suck it up.

 

[Quynh2007]

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[shock827]

Only time I asked for a grade bump was last semester of college last year after I had gone to commencement and graduated w/ honors(graduation before finals). However, in my anatomy class I got a B, which bumped me below the honors cutoff by something like .00017 grade points. Man, I was pissed. I felt something was wrong so I asked the TA, and she checked my grades, and entered a 78 instead of an 87 on my final. The professor said he would correct my mistake but when he sent in the grade change form he put a C instead of an A, but that's a whole different story

 

[grinningrice]

hey, i just found out one of my grades in a class is a B+, I got 92.86, and I needed a 93% to get an A-, basically, I was 1 point on the final from getting that A-!! I emailed the prof, but he hasn't gotten back to me yet, and I'm just worried. I told him that my performance was affected by jet lag the day before, and an organic chem final 30 minutes after this one was over. Plus, I am in the process of transferring into his department, and an A- would help me have a better chance of getting in. I DO know the material, it was just bad luck that I was 1 point short of that A-. how have ppl successfully convinced their profs. to pump up their grades etc? thanks.

I was able to convince my biochem professor to bump me up a signiicant amount. I needed an 90% on the final to get an A in the class, and I recieved an 84% on the final. He said he decieded to give me the A because I took advantage of every oppertunity for extra help. I went in to his office hours all the time, and in his entire lecture hall, I was the only one that talked to him, so out of 300 people, he only knew my name.

 

[QofQuimica]

I don't think there is anything wrong with asking the professor. At the very least, you can find out what his policy is.

Mine is that if the student is borderline (which I define as within 1/2 percent of the next letter grade) and has made a lot of effort (comes to me for extra help, goes to the optional review session, turns in work on time, and performs well on the final) then I will bump him or her up, particularly if the student also shows improvement over the course of the semester. (My students are primarily freshmen and sophomores so I understand that some of them are still figuring out this whole "personal responsibility" thing. ) But if the student has a casual attitude or blows off my class, then the grade stays.

Part of it also depends on the student's attitude: if you want to talk to the professor or TA, don't go in there like s/he "owes" you the higher grade. And absolutely do NOT start crying about how this one grade will ruin your chance of getting into medical school, because for one, this is usually not true, and for another, hearing pre-meds whine about an A- or B+ is truly the bane of teaching science classes. Plus, you come across like a wacko, not exactly the kind of person I'd want to be a doctor. What you should do is to calmly make the best case for your grade change that you can, and if you don't convince the instructor, then accept it and move on. Try to keep your grades in the proper perspective; one less than perfect class doesn't make you any less valuable as a human being.

 

[goheel]

Only time I asked for a grade bump was last semester of college last year after I had gone to commencement and graduated w/ honors(graduation before finals). However, in my anatomy class I got a B, which bumped me below the honors cutoff by something like .00017 grade points. Man, I was pissed. I felt something was wrong so I asked the TA, and she checked my grades, and entered a 78 instead of an 87 on my final. The professor said he would correct my mistake but when he sent in the grade change form he put a C instead of an A, but that's a whole different story

Damn! Now that's what I call getting screwed. Honestly, If I were you, I would go beserk on the professor.

 

[Lindyhopper]

Forget the jet lag, etc.. Combine a clear statement of why you may have earned the grade with an offer to do extra credit. But keep in mind it probably still will not work & you want to walk out with some measure of respect from a faculty member.

 

[beep]

Forget the jet lag, etc.. Combine a clear statement of why you may have earned the grade with an offer to do extra credit. But keep in mind it probably still will not work & you want to walk out with some measure of respect from a faculty member.

yes. ask, but don't use the jet lag & other final as excuses. see if you can find a harshly-graded point in your final and/or offer to do extra credit. focus on the quality of your work as you argue the grade with dignity.

 

[mwhou]

Only time I asked for a grade bump was last semester of college last year after I had gone to commencement and graduated w/ honors(graduation before finals). However, in my anatomy class I got a B, which bumped me below the honors cutoff by something like .00017 grade points. Man, I was pissed. I felt something was wrong so I asked the TA, and she checked my grades, and entered a 78 instead of an 87 on my final. The professor said he would correct my mistake but when he sent in the grade change form he put a C instead of an A, but that's a whole different story

OUCH@! I can't believe that - that really hurts! And then you have to ask this guy to correct the grade and "help" some more?! Hmmm...I might skip asking this one for a LOR! Must of been a bit of a shock when you saw the corrected transcript, especially with graduation honors riding on it! Wow, I about choked to death on my coffee while reading that - i can't imagine what your first thoughts were! Very funny story (in hindsight) and a good point about checking your grade.

 

[Jason110]

hey, i just found out one of my grades in a class is a B+, I got 92.86, and I needed a 93% to get an A-, basically, I was 1 point on the final from getting that A-!! I emailed the prof, but he hasn't gotten back to me yet, and I'm just worried. I told him that my performance was affected by jet lag the day before, and an organic chem final 30 minutes after this one was over. Plus, I am in the process of transferring into his department, and an A- would help me have a better chance of getting in. I DO know the material, it was just bad luck that I was 1 point short of that A-. how have ppl successfully convinced their profs. to pump up their grades etc? thanks.

Doesn't the A-/B+ line have to be set somewhere. I mean, there are always going to be people that are close to the line. The cut has to be made somewhere.

I'm sorry about the B+, but it's nothing to cry foul over.

Jason

 

[Quynh2007]

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[skoaner]

I got a B in Physics I so I wrote the professor rather irate because going into the final (which was the 4th exam because they were weighted equally) I literally had 110% of the points possible in the class. The labs and homeworks offered some extra points and I had received them. Anyhow, I stomped the final and in some cruel world ended up with a B. Luckily the TA was sympathetic and rode the professor with me and I got a grade change letter in the mail a couple of weeks later.

 

[45408]

I've heard of people's grades being "shifted," but that usually went for those with mammary glands.

 

[57442]

I've heard of people's grades being "shifted," but that usually went for those with mammary glands.

Seriously? Wow, sexism at its finest.