Can't stop thinking about this grade...

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mwsapphire

mwsapphire

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Hullo
I seem to be making good grades this semester, I got a B+ in my criminology class ( online, ten weeks) , but seem to have all A's and A-'s besides that. The only exception being, genetics. I have no idea what my grade is gonna be. We have a system where its 35 percent online HW ( The HW is graded for completion, but the quizes are graded for accuracy and they are a huge pain in the ass, so my HW average is probably low-mid-nighties). Attendance is 5 percent, and I have great attendance. There are only 3 tests, including the final, and each is worth 20 percent.
The class average on the first on was 27/40 , I got a 34/40, where the highest grade was a 36/40.
The second test average was a 16.6/28, I got a 24/28. One person got a 100, but they may have been an outlier.
He says he's gonna do some sort of scaling/extra credit thing at the end of the semester, but I'm not sure what it is or how much it's gonna be worth.
Genetics is the most brutal ( mandatory) Bio class here, so most of my pre med friends just wanna pass with a B- or so and move on.
So my question is, has anybody else found themselves in this sort of situation? Where a class with mysterious scaling is just driving.you.nuts. I work so hard in that class, it's where the majority of my studying time goes and I'd just be really upset to not get an A, especially since I likely have one of the highest grades right now.
Anybody else find themselves in this situation? I know Im extremely neurotic, but it's just wild that whenever I think "school" or "homework" I think about this class's grade. I know it'll be fine in the end,but it's still messing with me.
Anybody else ever feel like this? Does it make you feel like you're insane? I'm not sooo stressed that I can't eat or sleep or anything, it's just raising my stress levels past my baseline and I feel like it shouldn't be.

( I know I made a thread like this, but that was an April Fools thread and this is a serious thread).
 
Yes, you are being neurotic. I've done it, we've all done it. Just don't dwell on it so much, quit wasting time on sdn posting about it and go study! Work hard, if you don't get the A at least you'll know you tried your hardest and left it all on the table. That's what I always use to tell myself, work so hard that you won't have regrets.
 
I found myself in a similar situation when taking genetics, and somehow ended up with an A. I wouldn't say that your insane, it happens to all of us.

Sent from my SM-N910T using SDN mobile
 
walloobi said:
You'll get something between a B+ and a low A. Probably an A-. Nothing to worry about!
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I want at least an A- though I'm sort of afraid of a B+ I really wanna get my GPA to a 3.8.
A- is fine I guess, it's just, that would mean only 1 person got an A....
 
mwsapphire said:
Genetics is the most brutal ( mandatory) Bio class here, so most of my pre med friends just wanna pass with a B- or so and move on.
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Same. I took my lumps and moved on to bigger and better things, ended up with a B+. We even had a 4 hour long final exam (technically not allowed but our professor used a loophole), to add to the awfulness of the course.
mwsapphire said:
I'd just be really upset to not get an A
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As long as you do your best, whatever grade you get is whatever grade you were ever going to get. You're in a really good position right now with the first two exams and the quizzes, something would have to go terribly wrong for you to get screwed out of an A/A- in the class, either of which would be very respectable. The way you are heading right now, you would most likely end up with >89 in the class while the class average would sit around 75. That should be more than enough for a A- (at the very least). Also, if it would really be true that only one person in the entire class would get a solid A, that's obviously not going to be how the professor would curve the class, it'd be ridiculous.
 
I also freaked out when I took genetics, although not as badly as you're describing. I bombed my first exam and I incessantly calculated grade scenarios until my second exam. I ended up with an A, but I wasted a ton of energy worrying about my grade. Even if I had gotten an A- or B+, the impact on my GPA would have been minimal.

It seems that you're in a similar scenario, i.e. your GPA won't suffer if you get an A- or B+. So please relax.
 
I'm in a capstone class and the prof is driving me insane. I'm accepted to med school so i have no reason to worry but the professir is a joke. The class itself is a joke. There are the most ridiculous assignments (critique resumes, practice job interviews, create personal statements, discussion postings, watching and having responses to tedalks, etc). Now first of all, none of the **** applies to me as u can obviously tell. But ignoring that aspect, this **** is busy work. Purely bull**** busy work made to add a requirement to graduation so it looks like my college prepares u for the real world.

But thats not the bad part. The bad part is the professor treats it like its a real course! Grades things super harshly, mandatory attendance, 90-94 is an A-, etc. I got an 80 on a powerpoint presentation, the only critique was "needed smoother transitions".

I know i shouldnt care since im past it but the dude pisses me off lol
 
parserfan said:
I'm in a capstone class and the prof is driving me insane. I'm accepted to med school so i have no reason to worry but the professir is a joke. The class itself is a joke. There are the most ridiculous assignments (critique resumes, practice job interviews, create personal statements, discussion postings, watching and having responses to tedalks, etc). Now first of all, none of the **** applies to me as u can obviously tell. But ignoring that aspect, this **** is busy work. Purely bull**** busy work made to add a requirement to graduation so it looks like my college prepares u for the real world.

But thats not the bad part. The bad part is the professor treats it like its a real course! Grades things super harshly, mandatory attendance, 90-94 is an A-, etc. I got an 80 on a powerpoint presentation, the only critique was "needed smoother transitions".

I know i shouldnt care since im past it but the dude pisses me off lol
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At least your a senior and it doesn't matter, unless you wanna graduate with Latins.
 
mwsapphire said:
At least your a senior and it doesn't matter
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You've said this a few times in different threads, and really it's only applicable to a sub-set of seniors who *actually* get to have a "senior slide". It's definitely not all of them and maybe not even half of them at some schools. Senior year still matters and is still stressful, you don't suddenly get a pass to get straight C's and coast into the next part of your life. Having the "Oh, well this year is rough but next year will be better" mindset in UG is more often going to lead to disappointment rather than satisfaction. I had it throughout UG and it only came back to bite me the whole time.
 
Écureuil said:
You've said this a few times in different threads, and really it's only applicable to a sub-set of seniors who *actually* get to have a "senior slide". It's definitely not all of them and maybe not even half of them at some schools. Senior year still matters and is still stressful, you don't suddenly get a pass to get straight C's and coast into the next part of your life.
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Oh no ofc. I just mean A to B isn't stressful anymore, OP said they got an 80.
Neuroticism stems from the difference between and 85, 90, 95, A , B GPA , etc.
Sorry if I cam across as arrogant.
 
mwsapphire said:
I just mean A to B isn't stressful anymore, OP said they got an 80.
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Yeah, parser's situation really isn't bad at all (mouthed off too much though, apparently), since it's a single class. But I just wanted to give some perspective because I just remembered a time where you seemed to say that a senior thesis wasn't a big deal and didn't need that much stress surrounding it. Senior year has been really rough on a lot of my friends, and myself included, so just be realistic about it and don't idealize it fwiw.
 
Taking genetics now, First test average was like a 70 and I got a 112 and same for the second test but the professor knows that the subject matter is tough so he has no point values for the grades on the syllabus. As long as you have a good cushion above the class average you will get a good grade!
 
Which part of genetics are you struggling with? PM me if need be. I've got a bit of experience in the field and it was one of my favorite classes
 
freak7 said:
Which part of genetics are you struggling with? PM me if need be. I've got a bit of experience in the field and it was one of my favorite classes
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I'm technically not struggling.
He does do some sort of scaling and I"m soooo high above average.
That last test was tricky, he wasn't clear about the types of questions he was gonna, and since he only does 2 tests besides the final, the volume of material is the issue.
 
mwsapphire said:
I'm technically not struggling.
He does do some sort of scaling and I"m soooo high above average.
That last test was tricky, he wasn't clear about the types of questions he was gonna, and since he only does 2 tests besides the final, the volume of material is the issue.
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Yeah that'll happen. Just keep your head up and keep piling through.
 
Okay so I'm pretty sure my prof likes me a bit less now.
So he does these informal, "office hours" in Starbucks were he sits and preps his lectures before his MWF 10 am class, and we can come ask him questions. So I went to ask him a simple, baby question. I asked him what the second highest on the last test was, if that 100 was an outlier. He said he didn't have the grades in front of him, I said I was just wondering how I'm doing compared to everyone else ( he doesn't bell-curve, so it wasn't a competition thing), just because I was so close to the highest score last time. It was like a game to me.
And he was like " if two people have scores higher than you, and I scale, what do you think your grade is gonna be?* cue are you crazy face*"
Me: " An A...?'
Him: " So why do you need to compare. You're doing really well."
That whole convo was so uncomfortable, he said you have to be smart and hardworking, and people who work hard and still don't do well don't have the talent ( that was a bit inappropriate, but since I seem to have "talent" he must have felt like he could say that in front of me).
He probably thinks I'm such obnoxious gunner now, even though I was literally curious. In HS I obviously wasn't pre med, but I loved knowing how many did better than me on AP Chem tests. I had some of the highest averages. It's just fun.

I don't think he knows I'm pre med. But frick. I really didn't do much to easy stereotypes, now, did I...
 
mwsapphire said:
Okay so I'm pretty sure my prof likes me a bit less now.
So he does these informal, "office hours" in Starbucks were he sits and preps his lectures before his MWF 10 am class, and we can come ask him questions. So I went to ask him a simple, baby question. I asked him what the second highest on the last test was, if that 100 was an outlier. He said he didn't have the grades in front of him, I said I was just wondering how I'm doing compared to everyone else ( he doesn't bell-curve, so it wasn't a competition thing), just because I was so close to the highest score last time. It was like a game to me.
And he was like " if two people have scores higher than you, and I scale, what do you think your grade is gonna be?* cue are you crazy face*"
Me: " An A...?'
Him: " So why do you need to compare. You're doing really well."
That whole convo was so uncomfortable, he said you have to be smart and hardworking, and people who work hard and still don't do well don't have the talent ( that was a bit inappropriate, but since I seem to have "talent" he must have felt like he could say that in front of me).
He probably thinks I'm such obnoxious gunner now, even though I was literally curious. In HS I obviously wasn't pre med, but I loved knowing how many did better than me on AP Chem tests. I had some of the highest averages. It's just fun.

I don't think he knows I'm pre med. But frick. I really didn't do much to easy stereotypes, now, did I...
Click to expand...
Go study
 
mwsapphire said:
So I went to ask him a simple, baby question. I asked him what the second highest on the last test was, if that 100 was an outlier.
Click to expand...
mwsapphire said:
He probably thinks I'm such obnoxious gunner now, even though I was literally curious.
Click to expand...
You just fit the bill for every single gunner pre-med this professor has probably ever come across, sorry. This only comes second compared to those who get 97 on an exam and then come to a professor's office hours to argue the grade. It really doesn't matter whether or not the professor likes you or not, but do know that you are going to have the baggage of all those who came before you whenever you interact with professors, they've seen this kind of stuff too many times before. All that matters is that you do your best and you get the best grade possible for yourself, comparing yourself to others is pointless (especially outside of bell-curve classes).
 
Écureuil said:
You just fit the bill for every single gunner pre-med this professor has probably ever come across, sorry. This only comes second compared to those who get 97 on an exam and then come to a professor's office hours to argue the grade. It really doesn't matter whether or not the professor likes you or not, but do know that you are going to have the baggage of all those who came before you whenever you interact with professors, they've seen this kind of stuff too many times before. All that matters is that you do your best and you get the best grade possible for yourself, comparing yourself to others is pointless (especially outside of bell-curve classes).
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I wasn't arguing my grade.
But yeah that's what I was thinking, it's more that he's seen it so many times.
EDIT: Nvm I read your post more carefully.
Im more embarrassed than anything, I really am just in awe of the person who got a 100.I think once you make it clear you're pre med, you're automatically labelled, a "gunner". Like, even if your having issues with online hw working and you email the prof to tell them that you couldnt open the HW so you couldnt do it and you don't deserve a late grade is fine, unless you're pre med, then you're a grade grubber.
 
I can't remember off the top of my head but I'm 70% sure that I pulled like a 1.8 in o-Chem II
 
freak7 said:
I can't remember off the top of my head but I'm 70% sure that I pulled like a 1.8 in o-Chem II
Click to expand...
Sooooo....a C-? In Gen Chem? Seriously? Or do you mean Orgo?
 
mwsapphire said:
I think once you make it clear you're pre med, you're automatically labelled, a "gunner". Like, even if your having issues with online hw working and you email the prof to tell them that you couldnt open the HW so you couldnt do it and you don't deserve a late grade is fine, unless you're pre med, then you're a grade grubber.
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No, you're not automatically labelled a "gunner" for being a pre-med, but if you do something resembling those types of students they've had in the past, you definitely will be treated as such. Also, if you have trouble submitting homework last minute because of technical issues and you complain that you shouldn't be penalized for it being turned in late, the professor will most likely tell you that it's your fault for waiting until the last minute to do your homework. Excuses don't go very far, you're a (young) adult now, responsibility is the name of the game.

[Addendum: I'm entirely sure that if you think about the late-HW penalty probably affects 0.02% of your overall grade, and thus, you would be point-grubbing, mountain out of a molehill and all that.]
 
Écureuil said:
No, you're not automatically labelled a "gunner" for being a pre-med, but if you do something resembling those types of students they've had in the past, you definitely will be treated as such. Also, if you have trouble submitting homework last minute because of technical issues and you complain that you shouldn't be penalized for it being turned in late, the professor will most likely tell you that it's your fault for waiting until the last minute to do your homework. Excuses don't go very far, you're a (young) adult now, responsibility is the name of the game.

[Addendum: I'm entirely sure that if you think about the late-HW penalty probably affects 0.02% of your overall grade, and thus, you would be point-grubbing, mountain out of a molehill and all that.]
Click to expand...
Depends, I had one bio cals were you would get a 0 for late HW. And they only took, like, half an hour to do, so it wasn't unreasonable to start the night before. So then it was worth it, this was more something a friend told me in a class where late online HW= zero, and the HW was like 20 percent of your grade. So the prof fixed it, but called her a grade grubber.
Edit; I know you're just trying to make your point, but don't assumer that late/missing HW have a negligible effect, especially since HW is supposed to buffer your tests .
 
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Okay, Sapphire, time for some tough love:

Really though? You don't think you're going to be labeled obnoxious/gunning if you ask the prof how many people got a higher grade than you?

Not gonna lie, I've been there- wanting to know where I stood/how many people scored better than me. But I also had the filter to know its weird af and going to be interpreted as obnoxious to ACTUALLY ask the professor. If its not online or offered up in lecture, just let it go.

If you don't mind being labelled this way, then feel free to continue to ask for this "information," but if you're worried about LORs or profs "liking you," then its probably best to start examining how your behavior is perceived rather than how you want it to be perceived.
 
sammiesings said:
Okay, Sapphire, time for some tough love:

Really though? You don't think you're going to be labeled obnoxious/gunning if you ask the prof how many people got a higher grade than you?

Not gonna lie, I've been there- wanting to know where I stood/how many people scored better than me. But I also had the filter to know its weird af and going to be interpreted as obnoxious to ACTUALLY ask the professor. If its not online or offered up in lecture, just let it go.

If you don't mind being labelled this way, then feel free to continue to ask for this "information," but if you're worried about LORs or profs "liking you," then its probably best to start examining how your behavior is perceived rather than how you want it to be perceived.
Click to expand...
*sigh* Fair enough. I'll have this prof twice, though, so maybe if I dmanage to stop doing this he'd still be able to write me a recommendation. I've learned my lesson.
Haven't we all been here?
 
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freak7 said:
Orgo is slang for o-chem. Damn east coast kids 😡
Click to expand...

Hey, I'm on the east coast and we call it orgo over here! Well to be fair I agree that if we call general chemistry "gen chem" and physical chemistry "p chem", then it follows that organic chemistry should be "o chem"...
 
mwsapphire said:
Edit; I know you're just trying to make your point, but don't assumer that late/missing HW have a negligible effect, especially since HW is supposed to buffer your tests .
Click to expand...
HW being 20% of your grade is the usual percentage, but the question would be how many HW assignments were there in the semester? Was there an assignment each week? If so, then each HW would be worth 1.4% of your final grade. One late assignment isn't going to turn that 20% into 0% as you seemed to imply in your response. Even if the HW can be completed in half an hour, students need to be proactive in completing it. Having technical issues the night it is due and then complaining the next day is not the proper way to go about it. If you have problems that evening, you need to let the professor know *that evening* because otherwise you will only come across as a lazy student who is trying to weasel out of forgetting to do an assignment. Also, with the late-HW = 0 policy, I sure bet that students don't forget to do their HW more than once a semester, it's rough but its effective. As for it "buffering your test grades" the response would be "try to do better on your exams then if your HW is lacking".

If you don't want to be lumped in with the typical "gunner pre-med" label, then you need to actively work against the culture and behaviors that have brought about that mentality in professors, and God help you if you try to give excuses to a disgruntled graduate student TA.

Edit: Also, saying "Sooooo....a C-? In Gen Chem? Seriously?" is super rude fyi
 
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Écureuil said:
HW being 20% of your grade is the usual percentage, but the question would be how many HW assignments were there in the semester? Was there an assignment each week? If so, then each HW would be worth 1.4% of your final grade. One late assignment isn't going to turn that 20% into 0% as you seemed to imply in your response. Even if the HW can be completed in half an hour, students need to be proactive in completing it. Having technical issues the night it is due and then complaining the next day is not the proper way to go about it. If you have problems that evening, you need to let the professor know *that evening* because otherwise you will only come across as a lazy student who is trying to weasel out of forgetting to do an assignment. Also, with the late-HW = 0 policy, I sure bet that students don't forget to do their HW more than once a semester, it's rough but its effective. As for it "buffering your test grades" the response would be "try to do better on your exams then if your HW is lacking".
Edit; this student did say it the night it was happening, along w/ a screenshot

If you don't want to be lumped in with the typical "gunner pre-med" label, then you need to actively work against the culture and behaviors that have brought about that mentality in professors, and God help you if you try to give excuses to a disgruntled graduate student TA.
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I did mention me getting a 0 on an assignment due to a file not uploading ( enough for a 4 percent grade drop) , but that was a substantial difference.
He wasn't mad at all he just fixed it.
I see your point though.
This is the first time this has happened to me , I can normally keep it under control.
 
Edit: Also, saying "Sooooo....a C-? In Gen Chem? Seriously?" is super rude fyi[/QUOTE]
They said "I'm pretty sure" "like a 1.8" so Idk if they really meant it/ or if they meant to say 2.8/ if they were just messing with me b/c I'm obviously being nuerotic. I thought it was the last one, initially. ( especially since you need to retake a C- in a pre req, and everytime a pre med makes a neurotic post one or two older members mock them, it's standard on here) It's hard to judge tone online.
I should have made that more clear.
My apologies to @freak7
I literally was failing orgo before W'ing so I'm in no position to be cocky.
 
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IMG_7382.PNG




Your comment was directed at someone else not me.
 
I scrolled through the post too fast.
Well then I'm actually apologizing to @freak7 . I though he was just messing with me because I'm being obviously neurotic, but I myself was failing orgo before W'ing so I'm in no position to judge.
 
mwsapphire said:
Edit: Also, saying "Sooooo....a C-? In Gen Chem? Seriously?" is super rude fyi
They said "I'm pretty sure" "like a 1.8" so Idk if they really meant it/ or if they meant to say 2.8/ if they were just messing with me b/c I'm obviously being nuerotic. I thought it was the last one, initially. ( especially since you need to retake a C- in a pre req, and everytime a pre med makes a neurotic post one or two older members mock them, it's standard on here) It's hard to judge tone online.
I should have made that more clear.
My apologies to @freak7
I literally was failing orgo before W'ing so I'm in no position to be cocky.
Click to expand...
Still pretty sure it was a 1.8
 
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