Dealing with Difficult Professors

[deleted699287]

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Hello,

What are your guys' experiences and recommendations when dealing with difficult school faculty/professors?

I ask this because several professors in my program are almost malicious in their approach to us. There have been a number of incidents where students will politely and respectfully meet with faculty concerning an assignment or grade... and certain faculty will react in a way that is unproductive and malicious.

Example: Student says that she has noticed that the class as a whole received very low grades on a project and this was similar with the year before, and she asks if there are any options to remediate the grade. A faculty makes his/her own interpretation and tells the course coordinator that the student thinks that the course coordinator does not care about the students, which prompts the course coordinator to meet with the student.
My takeaway: It seems like the faculty chose to subjectively report to other faculty in a way that made the student seem worse than reality and essentially cause trouble for the student. I found this very unprofessional and actually very harmful to the student. In general, it just feels like certain faculty do not have our best in mind and actually hurt us for whatever reason.

This is not an isolated incident and is becoming a pattern throughout the year. Is there anything we can do and should do, anyone we can go to? Or is it best to just endure it? I am sure this is probably an issue in work as well, and I wonder what options are available?

 

[engmedpt]

You're going to have to deal with it. My spot isn't like that. Apparently, they are very helpful. Conform your questions and approach to be as respectful as possible without leaving room for ambiguous interpretation of your demeanor. Not all faculty are like that. They are people....like you and me. Some have bad days and some have good. My undergrad research profs have been absolute hell. At the same time, others have been great. I would pick through your mentors and find the ones most receptive to working with students outside of class via email, etc. There is even a faculty member on here who posts a lot. He's awesome. He would be awesome as a teacher. Try to find someone like that, otherwise endure it and religiously uphold expectations. If that is done, then more respect may come and it will be a better mentor student relationship.

 

[Azimuthal]

I would not complain about grades unless the the assignment was not on the syllabus. A cohort has many advantages and disadvantages. One disadvantage being that a few vocal members feel that their grades should be higher and then it becomes a collective issue.

As for dealing with the faculty, that's what faculty reps are for. Students must make their concerns known. All concerns and meetings should be documented for record keeping. Also, as a collective, students should be saying the same things on the end of course evaluation.

 

[AlanWattsBlues]

It's probably a bad idea to seek grade remediation under any circumstances. You've got to pick your battles...

I've certainly seen examples where professors behave unprofessionally/unproductively, even to the extent that it undermines students who ultimately fail out. As students we are largely powerless, so end of course feedback is the only opportunity to have an impact. As Azimuthal stated, get people on the same page if there are common complaints about a faculty member.

Early on I resolved to keep my head down and my mouth shut, and that was about the best strategy I could come up with to deal with professors who seemed to be on a bit of a powertrip. Over time, I've developed better relationships with some members of the faculty. But that's largely been a happy accident. I know that's not the kind of advice that someone might enjoy hearing, but it's what helped me pass through relatively unscathed (so far).

Good luck.

 

[DesertPT]

Arguing grades in a graduate professional program is like arguing balls and strikes...the rules don't allow it and people know it will get them ejected from the game, but sometimes they still do it anyway.

 

[callmecrazy]

Honestly, it sounds like the student was whining, and grad school faculty generally have no patience for that, nor should they. It would also be a totally different story if the student in question approached the faculty seeking assistance or resources to better understand the project's material, versus trying to statistically improve their grade. Consider priorities. It was a challenging project, and has been so in the past as well. Learn and move on. Also, assume whatever you tell one professor can be shared and discussed with the entire department. It's not uncommon for them to have regular meetings specifically discussing students. That includes grades, complaints, behavior, etc.

 

[NewDPT31]

In grad school, I made a deal with one of my professors. It was one of those super boring basic classes that was 3 hours a day all summer. She literally read off the powerpoints. I had a hard time concentrating in large classrooms, especially over dry material at 8am all summer. When I missed a class she called me in to talk. We got into a rather large discussion about learning styles/habits/environments. Long story short, she agreed that I didn't have to go to class, but that I could not argue/appeal if I failed. After all, she wasn't repaying my $250k in loans. I'm a consumer. I couldn't concentrate on the important classes and wasting 3 hours a day listening to her read powerpoints. I can read her powerpoints in 15mins in what takes her 3 hours. And I didn't have to sit there and listen to people ask basic questions.

Some fellow students were upset, but I didn't care about that either. It was strictly lecture and no lab work. We each have our own personal situations, and I am repaying my loans because the key is survival in PT school. Me not being there had no adverse affect on anyone. I got an A. I passed my other classes. I got adequate sleep. Everybody won.

 

[jesspt]

" Student says that she has noticed that the class as a whole received very low grades on a project and this was similar with the year before, and she asks if there are any options to remediate the grade"

This will not help you. Ever.

 

[deleted699287]

Yeah, I see where you guys are all coming from and agree for the most part. From my own experiences and the stories I have heard of classmates meeting with faculty about something they felt was unfair, 95% of those meetings did not end up with any points recovered and probably 30% of those classmates probably ended up making things worse. I guess it is just a crappy reality that students have to deal with.

I genuinely feel bad for my classmates and indignant myself - I feel like we are being wronged but we really have no position to do anything about it. I wouldn't mind if it was here and there, but this is something that is pretty regular and common throughout the program. We are required to have a 3.0 cumulative GPA, so getting C's and D's really puts us students in a precarious position. Just one slip-up may easily result in a D in a class or even a cumulative below 3.0, which constitutes a fail. It is almost too easily attainable. We just ended our 3rd semester of our first year, and I know of a couple friends that may get a D in a class and have to wait an entire year to take the class next year with the next batch of first years. At this point, they have invested $40+k and a year of their lives, and I would feel really awful if they failed. I don't think they deserve to be failed and it is the result of a really poor program. I just wish I could do something about it, and it sucks that I can't. My point? This is not really about just getting a few points here and there for pride's sake. I don't want to see my classmates or myself fail out of the program because of unfair circumstances.

 

[Bones26]

A few things to remember:

1. PT schools want you to succeed. It's in their best interest to have a low attrition rate and high NPTE first-time passing rate. They will not let a significant portion of your cohort fail out of school. Maybe a significant portion may need to join another class, and even that's pretty gracious. At my school that wasn't an option unless for a documented medical necessity. Two C's or one D, and you're out of the program completely without an option to join another class. Your school will set up some kind of probation program or "remediation plan" to help someone who's sinking.

2. With that said, part of PT school is weeding out people who aren't going to pass the NPTE or be successful. We had a classmate fail, and it was really sad at the time. But, you know what? In some ways it was a blessing. He was not truly interested in becoming a PT. He was forced to reflect and think about which direction was the right one for him. He was saved from going further down a road that wasn't really something he wanted. There are worse things in life than failing.

tl;dr: If being a PT is right for you...work hard, choose your clinicals wisely, and don't sweat the small stuff. The "unfair" stuff with your professors won't make a difference in the end. Sometimes you just have to buckle down and get through it.

 

[jesspt]

"I guess it is just a crappy reality that students have to deal with."

Faculty test you on, and create projects around, material they feel is important. Trying to go in a complain about a low grade essentially tells them that you don't feel it is as important as they do, and honestly, as a student, you dont' have much context to inform that opinion.

You want to get a profressor off your back? Get a better handle on the material and get a better grade.

 

[Azimuthal]

"I guess it is just a crappy reality that students have to deal with."

Faculty test you on, and create projects around, material they feel is important. Trying to go in a complain about a low grade essentially tells them that you don't feel it is as important as they do, and honestly, as a student, you dont' have much context to inform that opinion.

You want to get a profressor off your back? Get a better handle on the material and get a better grade.

The truth bomb just ignited, and it was precision guided.

 

[PT2Bee]

We just ended our 3rd semester of our first year, and I know of a couple friends that may get a D in a class and have to wait an entire year to take the class next year with the next batch of first years. At this point, they have invested $40+k and a year of their lives, and I would feel really awful if they failed

life isn't fair. Have those students exhausted all the resources possible to improve grades? Ask for help, tutoring from classmates, extra studying time, change studying habits, etc? It's easy to point the finger at professors and "poor programs" but we are all adult learners. If I knew that a large portion of the class in front of me did poorly on a project that I was just assigned, you better believe I would be in that professors office inquiring about what exactly they want and what I could do differently than groups past. Take some initiative instead of whining about how your grade is low and you want an extra 5 points because it isn't fair.

 

[engmedpt]

First year if its like my program is the hell year....youll get through it.