Asking for extra credit in a class? feeling desperate

[kts]

Has anyone ever been in a situation where you approached a professor for an extra credit assignment? I've never done this before and don't know if it even works.

I did really poorly in one of my bio classes and since we don't have a final, grades are over and I cant really do anything about it. I have like a C- right now and should've went to office hours earlier in the year but didn't. unfortunately the final test was worth the most and I did the worst on it. It's really frustrating cause i tried hard in this class

Do you think it's worth it to approach the professor about my concerns and possibly ask for an extra credit assignment or would it just do me more harm since he's probably curving the final grades based on what he feels about us?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[pokeprad]

Give it a shot but as far as I know the grade you get is the grade you earned.

 

[MyNewCastle]

If you could get extra credit just by asking for it in a college class then there would be a lot more pre-meds out there with 4.0's.

 

[Morzh]

Has anyone ever been in a situation where you approached a professor for an extra credit assignment? I’ve never done this before and don't know if it even works.

I did really poorly in one of my bio classes and since we don't have a final, grades are over and I cant really do anything about it. I have like a C- right now and should’ve went to office hours earlier in the year but didn’t. unfortunately the final test was worth the most and I did the worst on it.

Do you think it’s worth it to approach the professor about my concerns and possibly ask for an extra credit assignment or would it just do me more harm since he’s probably curving the final grades based on what he feels about us?

Honestly, that kind of extra credit ended with high school. It probably won't hurt too much to ask, but its highly unlikely he will allow you to do anything. In most of my classes theres a bit in the syllabus about how it is unfair to the rest of the class for them to give extra credit opportunities to individual students but not the entire class.

Realistically you are just going to have to bite the bullet and take take the C, and possibly consider retaking. But if you get mostly A's with a few B's but rarely anything worse and don't let this happen again, it will be unlikely to hurt your application significantly.

 

[Lunasly]

Honestly, that kind of extra credit ended with high school. It probably won't hurt too much to ask, but its highly unlikely he will allow you to do anything. In most of my classes theres a bit in the syllabus about how it is unfair to the rest of the class for them to give extra credit opportunities to individual students but not the entire class.

Realistically you are just going to have to bite the bullet and take take the C, and possibly consider retaking. But if you get mostly A's with a few B's but rarely anything worse and don't let this happen again, it will be unlikely to hurt your application significantly.

I have to agree with your post. I may be wrong, but in high school it seemed like it was the teacher duty to make sure that most, if not all, of the students passed the class so in that case extra credit assignments or redoing previous assignments were allowed. However, I don't think the same rules apply in a university setting. What you get is what you earned. If I were in your situation, I would just retake the course. Even if the professor gave you an extra credit assignment, how do you think it would impact your grade? My guess is not very much.

 

[waterpolo480586]

Am I the only one who thinks it looks bad to not show up at office hours all year and then show up asking for an extra credit assignment. I think there is little to no chance that the professor will allow it and since the grade is based on a curve you want him/her to have a good opinion about you in case you are at a borderline between 2 grades. I might go in and talk to him/her about how you are disappointed with how you did on the final because you put in a lot of work.

 

[PNAU]

Don't ask for extra credit. Ask the professor how you can improve your grade.

 

[BillySimmons]

If you haven't gone in to office hours all year and its a big class then you'd look pretty pathetic going in and asking for extra credit AFTER the class is over. Just suck it up and do better at the higher level course

 

[orthomyxo]

Don't ask for extra credit. Ask the professor how you can improve your grade.

Try harder next time.

Welcome to the big leagues.

 

[NickNaylor]

Try harder next time.

Welcome to the big leagues.

Really.

Asking a professor for extra credit that he/she didn't provide to the class as a whole is the ultimate in embarrassment and humiliation. If you had simply done well throughout the semester, you wouldn't be in this position. Accept responsibility for your actions.

 

[noshie]

I'm teaching a biology course right now at a community college... And one of my students emailed me the other day about getting extra credit specifically because he is failing the class and the lab. To be honest, it kind of made me mad that he asked, but only because I looked up his attendance and he skips class and lab all the time. If he had shown up to class pretty much every time, I would have entertained the idea. However, since he didn't make any effort, why should I make the effort to accommodate him at the end of the semester when he realizes that he should have worked harder...

I don't think it matters that you didn't go to office hours really… But if you were absent to class and didn't participate, then you deserve your grade and should not ask. If you feel like you attended everything, then you could ask and it wouldn't hurt. It's not like your teacher is going to lower your grade because you tick her off by asking…

 

[45408]

Try harder next time.

Welcome to the big leagues.

And show up for office hours if you're doing poorly.

 

[aSagacious]

if you had simply done well throughout the semester, you wouldn't be in this position. Accept responsibility for your actions.

+1

 

[NickNaylor]

I'm teaching a biology course right now at a community college... And one of my students emailed me the other day about getting extra credit specifically because he is failing the class and the lab. To be honest, it kind of made me mad that he asked, but only because I looked up his attendance and he skips class and lab all the time. If he had shown up to class pretty much every time, I would have entertained the idea. However, since he didn't make any effort, why should I make the effort to accommodate him at the end of the semester when he realizes that he should have worked harder...

I don't think it matters that you didn't go to office hours really… But if you were absent to class and didn't participate, then you deserve your grade and should not ask. If you feel like you attended everything, then you could ask and it wouldn't hurt. It's not like your teacher is going to lower your grade because you tick her off by asking…

Really? What happened to personal pride? What happened to being proud of the work YOU did rather than a result that someone just gave you?

This is going to make me sound like an *******, but frankly, if someone is giving their absolute best effort - and I mean their REAL best effort, not "I study with my friends at the library all night every night" best effort - and they can't manage to get at least a few As if not mostly As, they should honestly question whether or not they're fit for a college and/or medical school education.

 

[GooseWing]

he’s probably curving the final grades based on what he feels about us?

Don't expect much.

 

[MeowMeowCAT]

Do you think it's worth it to approach the professor about my concerns and possibly ask for an extra credit assignment or would it just do me more harm since he's probably curving the final grades based on what he feels about us?

Why not, it is worth a try. I went to my Calc 3 professor before the withdrawal period just to see his "What the hell?" face. And left with a good boost of self-esteem, words of advice about retaking the class, and will be doing so...with him...over the coming summer semester.

Did it help improve my grade? No. Did it help me verify that fact that I would be withdrawing from the class...haha, yes.

It's worth it...No matter what grade you have or are going to get. Even if you did not take the opportunity of office hours or the like, at the very least it will be serve as an opportunity for the professor to remember your face...for maybe a LOR down the road.

 

[ridethecliche]

Really? What happened to personal pride? What happened to being proud of the work YOU did rather than a result that someone just gave you?

This is going to make me sound like an *******, but frankly, if someone is giving their absolute best effort - and I mean their REAL best effort, not "I study with my friends at the library all night every night" best effort - and they can't manage to get at least a few As if not mostly As, they should honestly question whether or not they're fit for a college and/or medical school education.

There are no words to accurately describe what I think about this statement.

 

[Barcu]

Try harder next time.

Welcome to the big leagues.

Really.

Asking a professor for extra credit that he/she didn't provide to the class as a whole is the ultimate in embarrassment and humiliation. If you had simply done well throughout the semester, you wouldn't be in this position. Accept responsibility for your actions.

And show up for office hours if you're doing poorly.

Really? What happened to personal pride? What happened to being proud of the work YOU did rather than a result that someone just gave you?

This is going to make me sound like an *******, but frankly, if someone is giving their absolute best effort - and I mean their REAL best effort, not "I study with my friends at the library all night every night" best effort - and they can't manage to get at least a few As if not mostly As, they should honestly question whether or not they're fit for a college and/or medical school education.

So much truth.

Just suck it up and accept the grade. It's a bit too late to do much about it now.

You can go and talk to your professor about ways to improve your class performance if you think you might want to retake the class or gain valuable insights into taking more bio classes in the future. But don't ask for extra credit.

 

[MeowMeowCAT]

But don't ask for extra credit.

Definitely. Asking for "extra credit" is a pre-college and childish thing, and will sound silly regardless of who the professor is. At the very least say something along the lines "Is there any potential of my grade improving", emphasis on the cliffhanger ending. It shows concern but does not sound too much "I want you to raise my grade!" The very least the professor can do is some quick analysis of your progress and provide some helpful comments and maybe hint as to which direction you grade is going...And basically answer if there is indeed a chance of your grade being improved.

Be professional, respectful and understanding about this sort of stuff.

 

[noshie]

Really? What happened to personal pride? What happened to being proud of the work YOU did rather than a result that someone just gave you?

This is going to make me sound like an *******, but frankly, if someone is giving their absolute best effort - and I mean their REAL best effort, not "I study with my friends at the library all night every night" best effort - and they can't manage to get at least a few As if not mostly As, they should honestly question whether or not they're fit for a college and/or medical school education.

I totally agree that you should be proud of what you have done... If it were me, I would never ask for a boost in my grade because either I did my best and I deserve what I got, or I didn't do my best and I deserve a bad grade to reflect that...

So, Nickie... Can I call you that...? Haha. I think you may have a skewed view about this... Only because you are a hard worker and you do very well when you put in all that effort. But, I am a hard worker, and though I will admit that I didn't put much effort into studying for my undergraduate classes, there are usually other factors that don't allow some people to put in their "real best effort." You can't generalize that you are not fit for getting a degree or going to med school solely on the basis that you do poorly in classes… Some people have other obligations in life and just can't study 24/7… That being said... You deserve what you earn, and you should own up to your actions.

 

[NickNaylor]

I totally agree that you should be proud of what you have done... If it were me, I would never ask for a boost in my grade because either I did my best and I deserve what I got, or I didn't do my best and I deserve a bad grade to reflect that...

So, Nickie... Can I call you that...? Haha. I think you may have a skewed view about this... Only because you are a hard worker and you do very well when you put in all that effort. But, I am a hard worker, and though I will admit that I didn't put much effort into studying for my undergraduate classes, there are usually other factors that don't allow some people to put in their "real best effort." You can't generalize that you are not fit for getting a degree or going to med school solely on the basis that you do poorly in classes… Some people have other obligations in life and can't just study 24/7… That being said... You deserve what you earn, and you should own up to your actions.

I totally agree. And for them, then college experience is no doubt more difficult. I worked 10 hours/week for undergrad - certainly not a full time job as some people have to do. But EVEN THEN, I imagine you can still at least squeak out Bs if not an A every now and then.

I'm talking more about the people that regularly get Cs. Though, importantly, even Bs probably won't be good enough to cut it for MD schools unless you have some pretty outstanding circumstances (working full time, for example).

 

[FirefighterDoc]

Definitely. Asking for "extra credit" is a pre-college and childish thing, and will sound silly regardless of who the professor is. At the very least say something along the lines "Is there any potential of my grade improving", emphasis on the cliffhanger ending. It shows concern but does not sound too much "I want you to raise my grade!" The very least the professor can do is some quick analysis of your progress and provide some helpful comments and maybe hint as to which direction you grade is going...And basically answer if there is indeed a chance of your grade being improved.

Be professional, respectful and understanding about this sort of stuff.

Thats the kind of thing you do in the middle the semester. NOT at the end of the semester when grades are in.

 

[MeowMeowCAT]

Thats the kind of thing you do in the middle the semester. NOT at the end of the semester when grades are in.

No doubt about that. 👍

 

[RealityDream]

If you know you'll get a C-, might as well as for a D. and retake it next quarter/semester since the difference between a C- and D isn't much. But if you re-take it, you need to get an A in order for AMCAS to average it out as a B for (ex: if its 4 units; it'll be a B for an 8 unit class).

If you don't want to retake the course, then just take that C- bravely. 1 C- isn't going to hurt you.

Has anyone ever been in a situation where you approached a professor for an extra credit assignment? I’ve never done this before and don't know if it even works.

I did really poorly in one of my bio classes and since we don't have a final, grades are over and I cant really do anything about it. I have like a C- right now and should’ve went to office hours earlier in the year but didn’t. unfortunately the final test was worth the most and I did the worst on it. It's really frustrating cause i tried hard in this class

Do you think it’s worth it to approach the professor about my concerns and possibly ask for an extra credit assignment or would it just do me more harm since he’s probably curving the final grades based on what he feels about us?

 

[kts]

yeah that's what i thought. i'm not going to ask, but might just express my concern. for the record i went to every class and did all the assignments and also the "optional" reading, even my friends who i gave notes to cause they were too lazy to make it to class did better than me. i dont know what happened, it's really frustrating

 

[Kaustikos]

yeah that's what i thought. i'm not going to ask, but might just express my concern. for the record i went to every class and did all the assignments and also the "optional" reading, even my friends who i gave notes to cause they were too lazy to make it to class did better than me. i dont know what happened, it's really frustrating

I'm picking something up on my radar.... 2 bogeys attempting to intercept success....

 

[kts]

I'm picking something up on my radar.... 2 bogeys attempting to intercept success....

not at all. unfortunately

 

[n3xa]

Really? What happened to personal pride? What happened to being proud of the work YOU did rather than a result that someone just gave you?

This is going to make me sound like an *******, but frankly, if someone is giving their absolute best effort - and I mean their REAL best effort, not "I study with my friends at the library all night every night" best effort - and they can't manage to get at least a few As if not mostly As, they should honestly question whether or not they're fit for a college and/or medical school education.

A-****ing-men. We need more people like you in this world. Barvo. 👍

A post-bacc pre-med classmate tried this in pathophysiology last year. I ended up falling out of my chair from laughing. That probably wasn't the nicest thing to do. Neither was telling her she looks so wound up that if you shoved a pencil up her bum she'd poop diamonds.

I'm surprised she didn't shank me.

 

[mauberley]

A post-bacc pre-med classmate tried this in pathophysiology last year. I ended up falling out of my chair from laughing. That probably wasn't the nicest thing to do. Neither was telling her she looks so wound up that if you shoved a pencil up her bum she'd poop diamonds.

I'm surprised she didn't shank me.

You're a bad person and you'll make a horrible physician.

 

[n3xa]

You're a bad person and you'll make a horrible physician.

QOTD.


I have to get an A
I have to get an A
NO YOU DONT UNDERSTAND MAUBS I HAVE TO GET AN AAAAAAAAA


This particular professor was well-known for being incredibly lenient on the grading scale anyway.