Does someone want to tell me what's so wrong with what I did?

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Laurren

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I'm sorry if this is the wrong place, but I need to vent to someone about it.

In order to take the Pre-Calculus course, you needed to have the professor's permission or complete College Algebra. For my major, all I needed is Pre-Calculus.
The registrar told me to e-mail the professor. Which, I did. I waited over one week, I received no response.
So, I google her name, the first result is her Facebook. I ask one of my friends, which is one of her students, if I should not add her, not interact with her, or anything, but just send her a message, detailing my situation, why I need to take the course, and apologizing for the method of contact, so that's what I did. My profile picture was not of myself, my profile was 100% private, I simply just messaged her. She replied, we then took the communication to the college e-mail and she gives me permission to take the course, which is then forwarded to the registrar.

I sorted the situation out with her, then she contacts my advisor, then the department chairman, who is irrelevant. ALL the registrar said was to get her permission.

NOW, after I've been registered for the class for OVER two weeks, purchased and received my book, I received an e-mail saying she told my advisor my method of contact and that "I don't need to be interacting with her over Facebook." now, they're telling me to either take College Algebra or take an AP exam. Does that make ANY sense?
ALL I need for my major is Pre-Calculus.

Do I have a right to get mad and upset about this, because I am. Classes start in two days and there is no way I could have a book for College Algebra by then. Everything was sorted out, even the department chairman e-mailed me, and stated it would be fine to take it, and to enjoy the class. All I cared about was getting into this class, that's why I contacted her the way I did. My friend said that the only contact information in the syllabus was her college e-mail.

I didn't think anything bad of it, it's not like I creeped her or anything, I just NEEDED the class. I made my message to the point and told her why I needed the class.
 
I think personal Facebook should be kept a private thing and not a work thing... So I can see why she was peeved about it. That's akin to looking up the prof's home phone number in the yellow pages in the olden days and calling her home to get permission for the class. School business should be limited to school contacts (school email, office phone, office hours) IMO. I know you didn't mean any harm by it, and wasn't trying to be a creeper. But I do think you did commit an etiquette faux pas.
 
Laurren said:
I'm sorry if this is the wrong place, but I need to vent to someone about it.

In order to take the Pre-Calculus course, you needed to have the professor's permission or complete College Algebra. For my major, all I needed is Pre-Calculus.
The registrar told me to e-mail the professor. Which, I did. I waited over one week, I received no response.
So, I google her name, the first result is her Facebook. I ask one of my friends, which is one of her students, if I should not add her, not interact with her, or anything, but just send her a message, detailing my situation, why I need to take the course, and apologizing for the method of contact, so that's what I did. My profile picture was not of myself, my profile was 100% private, I simply just messaged her. She replied, we then took the communication to the college e-mail and she gives me permission to take the course, which is then forwarded to the registrar.
Click to expand...

A somewhat similar situation recently happened to me where I needed to take Statistics and the school required either a $30 competency test to be taken or pre-reqs taken at that specific institution.

I've taken college Calculus I & II, Calculus-based Physics I & II plus Statistics in high school so I wasn't going to take a $30 test just to say I was proficient in math. I emailed the head of the mathematics department and told her about my interest in taking the course. I had to wait over a month and a half for her reply despite e-mailing her at least twice and calling the department. Professors are busy and it was the holiday so I understand her delay, but it doesn't make it less irksome.

I think in the future, and this is my opinion, you should avoid using Facebook to contact a professor, boss, superior, etc unless they say it's alright. Facebook is often seen as a private space (although there is room to argue against this) and people sometimes do not appreciate you encroaching upon this space. She might have seen your email, but didn't have time to reply and then did not appreciate being contacted through another form that was not her work email.

I don't think she should have gotten your advisor and others involved, but she should have made you aware that you could contact her through 1) email 2) office phone and 3) in person.
 
I'm of the opinion that one's private life is private. Your relationship with any faculty member is strictly professional until considered otherwise. With a little digging I could get home phone #'s and addresses for faculty members, but I would never consider using them (this also applies to friending faculty on facebook while they are still your instructor too). After all, you wouldn't want professors contacting you on your phone/facebook unsolicited, would you?

You will come to find out that faculty generally don't ignore written communications like email because they want to, but rather, because they have so much else to do. In the future, you could try sending a follow-up email or calling a published work phone #. That said, the department's response to this seems to be pretty disproportionate for what should really be a 'don't do this again'. Take this is a learning experience.

Edit: Beaten to the same sentiment by two people.
 
All I can offer is my opinion.

Assuming there were no issues with them questioning your academic abilities to perform well in the class, you may have stumbled into a faculty fraternizing faux pas. I know at my college Facebooking faculty and TA's is very heavily frowned upon. It's not seen as professional or fair to other students.

It's possible you weirded your teacher out and, who knows, maybe she's a little unstable or something.

Even so, if you were previously given permission to take the course and led to believe that it was okay for an extended period of time, your college owes you an explanation or a chance to defend your actions (I would hope you kept the e-mails).

The teacher and all the other's involved could have just as easily have said "no" and saved you some of the trouble so, IMO, it's on them to explain and clear things up.

What does make me curious is, why didn't you e-mail her again through the school before going to Facebook (or try other means like contacting one of her superiors, locating her office if she has one, or just waiting for school to start to get permission from her in person)?
 
Totally forgot to address the last part of your post about not being allowed to take the course anymore.

So who's telling you to take college algebra or an AP test (I don't even understand why someone who hasn't taken pre-calc would take an AP test... But I digress)?

I think at this point the best thing to do would be to go talk to the prof in question, apologize, and sort it out. Or, if there's another prof teaching the same course, try taking it with them. You can always go and talk to the dept head/dean, but I would imagine it would be uncomfortable to take the class with this professor unless you clear the air first. So why not talk to the prof first? If that fails, maybe talk with the dept head to at least get an explanation for why you can't take the class anymore.

I don't see why you should be blocked from taking the course unless there's some rule at your school about social media usage. But I don't think it will help your cause to be indignant.
 
It really depends on who your professor is and how well you know them... two of my studio arts professors as well as my physics professor gave me their cellphone numbers while I was enrolled in their classes in case I needed extra help or access to one of the buildings. I'm also "friends" with three of my past professors on Facebook and LinkedIn (I waited until I was long graduated until I sent my request).

That being said, I really need to go through my phone contact list because my phone is a bit finicky and I'm petrified I'll end up pocket dialing one of my old profs or co-workers on their cellphones. XD

I agree with Minnerbelle. Well said.
 
I totally get why the professor is peeved. Contacting someone on FB for a matter such as this is a big NO NO. Facebook is not meant for this type of thing at all.

Ok, now I'm playing devils advocate... Who cares if you only need precalc for your major.. If precalc has a prerequisite of college algebra then take college algebra then take precalc. It is not going to kill you to have another math. Not to mention that for vet school admissions you will likely have to take 3-6 hrs of Math .. Some schools even require Calculus not precalc..

FWIW.. I graduated with over 150 credit hours (120 was required) to make sure I got the prerequisites for vet school and the requirements to graduate. There are lots of classes that will require you to take a prereq. Just to get into the class, and you won't be able to get out of them all.
 
Update:
I just got a call from the registrar's office, stating that I need to change my course to College Algebra or not take anything. SMH.
SO, I HAVE TWO DAYS BEFORE SCHOOL AND THEY SAID TO COPY OUT OF ANOTHER STUDENT'S TEXT UNTIL I GET MY BOOK. Wonderful.


I tried e-mailing her. Twice.
It was over the winter break, as well. When I talked to her on FB, she said that she didn't have anything from me on there.
I apologized multiple times to her. I just really really needed that course. I didn't mean to be creepy, I explained myself thoroughly.
 
Laurren said:
Update:
I just got a call from the registrar's office, stating that I need to change my course to College Algebra or not take anything. SMH.
SO, I HAVE TWO DAYS BEFORE SCHOOL AND THEY SAID TO COPY OUT OF ANOTHER STUDENT'S TEXT UNTIL I GET MY BOOK. Wonderful.


I tried e-mailing her. Twice.
It was over the winter break, as well. When I talked to her on FB, she said that she didn't have anything from me on there.
I apologized multiple times to her. I just really really needed that course. I didn't mean to be creepy, I explained myself thoroughly.
Click to expand...

Try not to freak out too badly. I went through the first few weeks of some courses without a textbook because it didn't arrive on time. If you stay in the class, could you try to get an e-text (or whatever they're called). I believe Chegg offers a digital form of some books while you wait for your hardcopy.

Alternatively, you could always forget about math this semester and take another requirement - picking up the course next semester when things have been settled or getting ahead by taking it as a summer course. I don't think these things are ever set in stone.
 
Laurren said:
Update:
I just got a call from the registrar's office, stating that I need to change my course to College Algebra or not take anything. SMH.
SO, I HAVE TWO DAYS BEFORE SCHOOL AND THEY SAID TO COPY OUT OF ANOTHER STUDENT'S TEXT UNTIL I GET MY BOOK. Wonderful.


I tried e-mailing her. Twice.
It was over the winter break, as well. When I talked to her on FB, she said that she didn't have anything from me on there.
I apologized multiple times to her. I just really really needed that course. I didn't mean to be creepy, I explained myself thoroughly.
Click to expand...

We live and we learn. We all do silly things like this that we wish we could undo later. If this is the only time you do this in college then you're ahead of the game :laugh:

But hey, at least it'll be an easy A since you've already taken algebra 👍
 
I hope :/
I've been purchasing my books for under twenty dollars. Now, I have to pay at least eighty for this one.

Maybe, since I'm young, I don't see Facebook as creepy or anything. None of my friends did...but then again, they're all young, as well. I'm just kinda upset about it, truthfully. I couldn't take any other course because this is my first semester and all the history, science, etc. courses are "II" and no "I" classes are being offered.

But hey, if this is my first and last screw up, I'm doing good. Haha. I just don't understand why, two days prior to classes, would this happen to me.
 
I sincerely hope when I'm in veterinary school, I look back on my forum posts, and laugh at what a dumb twit freshman I was.
 
twelvetigers said:
You will.

(I wasn't a freshman, but it still applies. Given enough years, it will happen.)
Click to expand...

Hahaha I look back on my UG years and the things I stressed about and think I was a huge dumbo :laugh:
 
Don't worry about it. I've done enough douchy things in my teen/early 20 years that are so embarrassing I don't think I could even admit it to a shrink.
 
Minnerbelle said:
Don't worry about it. I've done enough douchy things in my teen/early 20 years that are so embarrassing I don't think I could even admit it to a shrink.
Click to expand...

True statement 👍
 
I'm just wondering why the professor granted the permission a couple weeks ago, and then 2 days before semester start suddenly said no? You could nicely ask the registrar if there was a reason given when she changed her mind.
 
Before you freak out about buying the course book, why don't you see if your school library has a few copies on reserve . . .
 
Laurren said:
I sincerely hope when I'm in veterinary school, I look back on my forum posts, and laugh at what a dumb twit freshman I was.
Click to expand...

You will. 👍 I'll agree with the others. It's more fun when you have people that are doing it with you. 😉 I was a pre-vet SDNer a long time ago and ended up going a different direction, but I still look back at my first few posts and wince. Heavily.
 
Yes, you did something wrong.....

Put yourself in the professor's shoes:

You are enjoying your vacation away from school, perhaps checking email once a week, maybe once every 10 days... It is break after all and suddenly you log into your private, personal FB account and have a message from someone that you have not only never met, but is asking you about getting into your class... You don't know this student, technically this student has not even started at this school at all before, it is Christmas break and this student is messaging you on your private FB account for school stuff... A student who really has not even matriculated yet... Yes, I would be mad, I would think that has stepped many boundaries and quite frankly I am surprised that she responded to you so well at first. I would have found it creppy, stalkerish and very much crossing over the lines of a staff-student relationship...

Now, I don't know why her mind suddenly changed, perhaps the policy really did change... but you are either going to have to talk to someone else in the college to see if there is any way around it or just deal with taking the College Algebra, you may not be able to have the book on the day classes start, but I can tell you right off that I rarely ever needed a book in the first week or so of classes. And just know that this is a lesson learned that you don't send private messages through private means to professors. I grew up with grandparents who were teachers and private life is private life... school life is school life... you keep a professional relationship. In about 5 or 6 years you will be able to look back and laugh at this. 🙂
 
Thanks for the input, everyone.

Do you atleast all think that a profile picture (my profile is 100% private) of an alpaca, with a shave neck, a straggly haircut, and its teeth sticking out with a huge gap made it any better? lol

I still don't understand why she'd wait so late or tell my advisor.
 
Also, I should add, at another local school, professors actually urge their students to add them on Facebook? Hmm.
 
Laurren said:
Thanks for the input, everyone.

Do you atleast all think that a profile picture (my profile is 100% private) of an alpaca, with a shave neck, a straggly haircut, and its teeth sticking out with a huge gap made it any better? lol

I still don't understand why she'd wait so late or tell my advisor.
Click to expand...

Clearly, the problem is that your new college has a no alpaca policy when it comes to enrolling in a pre-calculus course. 😛
 
Aw, shucks.

Well, at least she won't know what I look like when she sees me in the halls! BONUS.
 
Some of the high school teachers at the local high school urge their students to add them, as well. I don't know. I guess it depends on the people. Like I stated early, the younger people are more adapt to FB and the lifestyle of it. For example, a twenty-two year old can be a teacher. You're still a kid in some sense, and barely out of your teens. As for professors, I don't know, maybe they want to have a better relationship with the class?
 
Laurren said:
Some of the high school teachers at the local high school urge their students to add them, as well. I don't know. I guess it depends on the people. Like I stated early, the younger people are more adapt to FB and the lifestyle of it. For example, a twenty-two year old can be a teacher. You're still a kid in some sense, and barely out of your teens. As for professors, I don't know, maybe they want to have a better relationship with the class?
Click to expand...

I am not even 25... almost, but I don't see any benefit or anything good out of having professors and students be friends on FB... perhaps it is just me... but the relationships should be kept separate. Granted, if you were to become good friends with a professor and are no longer their student, that would be different, but as far as just... "Hit me up on FB if you have questions." NO... that is why schools have school email addresses for both students and professors.
 
That happens, actually (in reference to teachers telling the kids to "hit me up").

When I went to the school for a tour almost a year ago, these kids in the class I observed were joking and making bets about how their professor didn't accept their friend request?

I just don't understand why she couldn't of kept it between me and her. That be it.
 
Laurren said:
That happens, actually (in reference to teachers telling the kids to "hit me up").

When I went to the school for a tour almost a year ago, these kids in the class I observed were joking and making bets about how their professor didn't accept their friend request?

I just don't understand why she couldn't of kept it between me and her. That be it.
Click to expand...

Well it is also probably different for current students. Maybe those students you over heard have a really close relationship with their professor. I do know some of my friends in college had really small classes (I'm talking like 10 or 15 people) and became close with certain teachers. You didn't know your professor so I don't think it is the same. And even if the teacher is young I think it is still inappropriate, perhaps even more so. Especially if it is a high school teacher, most of their students are still minors and I think it is unprofessional and they could probably get in trouble themselves somehow. I think all of these Facebook situations are so situational that you can't really compare. Unfortunately you had a repercussion from contacting you professor via Facebook. Mistakes happen and now you know to keep conversations to email and class. Just forget about it and chalk if up to a lesson learned!

Also don't worry about your book, you can usually wait to get them. If you talk to your professor most of them are understanding. People add classes late all the time, so sometimes it is hard to get books right away. Good luck at school!
 
Laurren said:
Also, I should add, at another local school, professors actually urge their students to add them on Facebook? Hmm.
Click to expand...

:laugh: My dad does that(did I guess, he JUST retired). He loves Facebook to keep in touch with current and past students. But he's a Choral Professor.
 
Yea I think it is kind of crossing the line.

At my school most teachers will not add you to facebook until you graduate but some add you before. While my younger classmates are facebook friends with those professors, I refuse. I don't feel comfortable being friends on facebook with my professors, but that could be because I am pushing thirty and I don't think facebook was around when I was growing up. I feel that nothing is private anymore and it is kinda creepy.

I won't even accept friend requests from other students that are in the classes that I TA in. You have to have some boundaries concerning your professional life.
 
Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate the responses.
It is now official... I am a dumb, screw-up, freshman. Lol.

My friend who took her class (the classes are 25 maximum, pre-calculus would've been 12) said she is very easy going and laid back, that she wouldn't of thought anything bad of it, that she'd understand the situation. Who knows, maybe she was PMSing? Loljk, but still.
 
I add my professors after my classes with them are done. I like the ability to keep gently in touch, and I don't post (or in general, do) anything crazy that I'm not OK with them seeing.
 
nyanko said:
I look back on crap I stressed about 2 weeks ago and think it was dumb. Much easier to look in the rearview at stuff IMO
Click to expand...

👍

I hate to tell you ladies but that changes very little the older you get. :laugh:
 
Trilt said:
I add my professors after my classes with them are done. I like the ability to keep gently in touch, and I don't post (or in general, do) anything crazy that I'm not OK with them seeing.
Click to expand...

I plan to add a couple professors to FB when I graduate, but I work in my department and have a strong relationship with the few I plan to add. The rest I'd like to keep in touch with through email.

I know my mentor has added a couple students, but she waits until they graduate and these are students she's gotten to know and has a strong relationship with. Not just random students. Boundaries and all (although in my case those are a bit woozy).
 
I don't know about anyone else, but I'm a people-pleaser/approval-seeker. I get really anxious whenever I even suspect that someone might be annoyed by me or unhappy with something I've done. So I totally understand why you're so upset that this professor spoke out against being contacted on Facebook.
BUT here's a little perspective: All you did was innocently annoy one person, who you had no intention of annoying. It's a bummer, but if you let every little thing get to you, you will be a bundle of nerves in no time!
Just shrug it off and save your worrying for more important things. =)
 
This is a great introduction to social media affecting your professional life and what can and cannot go on Facebook when you're in vet school.

We've had about 5 lectures on it already. You're now officially ahead of the curve. 😀

Don't beat yourself up. I can see your side (even if I think it may have been a mistake). I'm glad you worked it out even if it wasn't the ideal solution.
 
I think the major point to stress here is professionalism. Facebook is definitely not a professional way of contacting someone, especially when you already have her college email address. It may not seem like a big deal to you right now, as a freshman who sees Facebook purely as a fun, relaxed way to socialize. But in the real world, your use of Facebook can make or break any jobs or internships you might be striving for. You have to be very careful about professional etiquette with these things. Generally, if a person is your superior (professor, boss, supervisor, etc) it's best to avoid Facebook unless they specifically tell you it's okay to contact them that way.

That said, I am friends with a couple of my professors on Facebook. They are both very down-to-earth guys who take a personal interest in their students. I've been over their houses, hung out with their families, been on road trips with them, etc so we know each other fairly well. Even so, I'm always very careful about what I post on Facebook. That kind of stuff never goes away, and I don't want a poorly thought-out status update coming back to bite me when I'm applying for a job or asking for a recommendation a few years down the road.

I think your professor has every right to be irritated about the way you contacted her. And I think the policy really did just change and that's why you were removed from the class. The best thing for you to do now is to just let it go. Making a big deal out of it at this point will only make things worse. Take the classes you need to take, and be more careful with how you approach your professors in the future. Learn from your mistakes, and then look back and laugh at them like the rest of us. :laugh:
 
Camelidcrazy said:
This is a great introduction to social media affecting your professional life and what can and cannot go on Facebook when you're in vet school.

We've had about 5 lectures on it already. You're now officially ahead of the curve. 😀

Don't beat yourself up. I can see your side (even if I think it may have been a mistake). I'm glad you worked it out even if it wasn't the ideal solution.
Click to expand...


We've also had several presentations (and a few scoldings) about our use of Facebook. I think that our generation has a very different view of social media and how it should be used. It's really easy to forget how many people see what we put on the internet, and how it can affect our personal and professional opportunities. It's also really easy to forget that people who are just 10 or 15 years older than us have completely different views about social media and its appropriateness as a method of communication.
It's very interesting to be part of the generation that bridges the gap between the digital age and the pre-cell phone era!
 
I don't think the professor acted completely professionally either. When I taught courses and students tried to friend me on FB or send me a message, I'd just ignore those requests and messages. I wouldn't want to be contacted through FB either, but I'd handle that conflict on my own, either through ignoring the FB message or sending a quick reply stating, "I don't respond to FB messages from students."
 
Well, I didn't get removed from the course due to FB contact. I got removed because I didn't have the pre-reqs, AFTER the registrar told me I could contact the professor and get permission, that that would be fine. NOW, I get a call saying that the policy of those classes specifically have changed. You either have an AP exam in lieu of your pre-reqs, or you take the course prior to it, I don't get why it changed last minute. I'm just peeved she had to go tell my advisor? smh.
 
Laurren said:
Well, I didn't get removed from the course due to FB contact. I got removed because I didn't have the pre-reqs, AFTER the registrar told me I could contact the professor and get permission, that that would be fine. NOW, I get a call saying that the policy of those classes specifically have changed. You either have an AP exam in lieu of your pre-reqs, or you take the course prior to it, I don't get why it changed last minute. I'm just peeved she had to go tell my advisor? smh.
Click to expand...

Well maybe the Professor realized later that she didn't think you had the necessary educational background to start in precalc. Have you taken advanced algebra courses in high school? Almost every class I've taken at my college has prereqs and I have had to take classes that I wouldn't have otherwise taken because they are required to graduate for every student (for example, even bio majors need to take Single and Multivariable Calculus). Since you are only in your first semester, I'm sure you will have time to take the precalc class another semester. Additionally, you can just use the precalc book you bought now when you do end up taking it. Not having the textbook for the first week or two of class also doesn't sound like a big deal to me. Maybe the library has it or work with a friend!

I think it was poor taste to contact your potential professor via facebook. I don't think the college is wrong to make you take a prereq before taking a class that requires said prereq. However, the professor probably should have realized sooner that she didn't think you had the necessary background.
 
Last edited:
As an aside, does anyone know if Facebook is still going through with their plans to allow members to pay a certain amount to message those who have private accounts? I don't care too much for the idea of it, but I guess it's what they say if you're not paying for the service you are the product.
 
I was supposed to have had pre-requisites and I had taken ALgebra 1, Algebra 2 honors, Geometry honors, and Pre-Calculus honors in HS.
I contacted the registrar and asked if there was a way around it. They stated contacting the professor for permission. Undoubtedly, after I was registered and the school officials got around to checking their e-mail, they decided unless I had College Algebra or an AP College Algebra test in lieu of the pre-requisite, that I couldn't take it, but PRIOR to that, prior to her finding out about the policy, she tells me I can take it.
 
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