Emailing professor

[Turkishking]

My estimated GPA should be a 3.84 if I receive an A- in Bio I. I currently took an exam, and I think I actually did poor. I'm estimating around a 70 not including a curve. I calculated my Bio grade and that puts me at a 88.01.. The class average is a C+. I talked with the professor after the exam. He said we can discuss more and change things a bit after grades are distributed tomorrow. After I receive my score tomorrow should I ask him to curve my final grade to a 90? I've shown great improvement and dedication until this exam. What would be an appropriate way of asking him this. Throughout the semester we've talked many times about things besides grades and Biology, so I'd say we are on good terms.

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[nwts]

This is just my two cents, but I don't think you can outright ask your professor to bump your grade up. I think you could say something along the lines of: "I am frustrated because I feel like I consistently performed very well in the course throughout the entire semester, and then I had a bad day on the day of the last exam, and that significantly lowered my grade. I just wish there was a way that I could prove that this was just a bad day and that I actually do know the material." I think that is about as far as you can go. If you outright ask you professor to raise your grade, that can come across as an attitude of entitlement.

Also, you absolutely should not bring up the effect this grade will have on your GPA. I'm not sure if you planned to talk to your professor about this or not, but I thought I'd mention it since it was in your post.

 

[Turkishking]

Thats what I was planning on doing. It really frustrates me I put in so much effort to come to this result. I've came up from a 61 on my first exam. Well we will see tomorrow, and thanks for the advice

 

[Goro]

It's almost Xmas. Do the guy a favor and don't be the typical grade grubbing pre-med.

My estimated GPA should be a 3.84 if I receive an A- in Bio I. I currently took an exam, and I think I actually did poor. I'm estimating around a 70 not including a curve. I calculated my Bio grade and that puts me at a 88.01.. The class average is a C+. I talked with the professor after the exam. He said we can discuss more and change things a bit after grades are distributed tomorrow. After I receive my score tomorrow should I ask him to curve my final grade to a 90? I've shown great improvement and dedication until this exam. What would be an appropriate way of asking him this. Throughout the semester we've talked many times about things besides grades and Biology, so I'd say we are on good terms.

 

[Turkishking]

It's almost Xmas. Do the guy a favor and don't be the typical grade grubbing pre-med.

It would only be 2 to 3 points. Plus I'm sure I'm one his favorite students because I actually care about the material rather than sleep in class.

 

[Dizziness and Giddiness]

Or you could study so hard you aren't even close to missing your goal, and then the universe won't owe you anything.

It'll be way more fun than being the Grinch who stole Christmas.

 

[starlite911]

If you got a 61 on the first exam and also didn't do so great on the final, I don't know how you can argue that you've "improved" and deserve to have your grade bumped up 2-3 points. Just because he likes you doesn't mean he owes it to you.

 

[nwts]

It would only be 2 to 3 points. Plus I'm sure I'm one his favorite students because I actually care about the material rather than sleep in class.

Do you mean 2 to 3 points on the exam, or 2 to 3 points in your numerical score for the course? In other words, do you need your professor to take your grade on your test from a 70 to a 72-73, or do you need him/her to take your grade in the course from an 88 to a 90-91?

 

[Turkishking]

Do you mean 2 to 3 points on the exam, or 2 to 3 points in your numerical score for the course? In other words, do you need your professor to take your grade on your test from a 70 to a 72-73, or do you need him/her to take your grade in the course from an 88 to a 90-91?

I was thinking more along the lines of my final grade in the course

 

[enchantediris]

It would only be 2 to 3 points. Plus I'm sure I'm one his favorite students because I actually care about the material rather than sleep in class.

2-3 points is a lot of points for a final grade! Usually when professors consider bumping students up a letter grade, it's because they're right on the border of being rounded up (e.g. giving someone with an 89.2 an A- instead of a B+).

 

[Turkishking]

If you got a 61 on the first exam and also didn't do so great on the final, I don't know how you can argue that you've "improved" and deserve to have your grade bumped up 2-3 points. Just because he likes you doesn't mean he owes it to you.

I had a bad day

 

[Turkishking]

2-3 points is a lot of points for a final grade! Usually when professors consider bumping students up a letter grade, it's because they're right on the border of being rounded up (e.g. giving someone with an 89.2 an A- instead of a B+).

Well right now I have a 89.83. So let's say the exam is curved and my grade stays stable, then is it right to ask for a final grade of a 90 indirectly?

 

[Goro]

I agree. About a decade ago, I had a student pull this on me...I almost kicked him out of my office. Time to let this one go, and do better in the future.

.

2-3 points is a lot of points for a final grade! Usually when professors consider bumping students up a letter grade, it's because they're right on the border of being rounded up (e.g. giving someone with an 89.2 an A- instead of a B+).

 

[mimelim]

It would only be 2 to 3 points. Plus I'm sure I'm one his favorite students because I actually care about the material rather than sleep in class.

Let me summarize what you are planning to do for you, because I don't think you appreciate it. You want more points on your final grade because you think that the professor likes you. Not because you deserve it, but because you have been trying really hard. You also think you deserve more than other students because you don't sleep in class.

You need to reevaluate your priorities. There are an endless number of things that you should be spending your time thinking about/working on instead of this. Most of which would likely impact your chances of a medical school acceptance more than this.

You got a 61 on an exam and a projected 70 on another because you "had a bad day" and think that you deserve more, even though there is no grade disputing. You just want more points because you are a special snowflake. Stop being self destructive.

 

[IlDestriero]

My estimated GPA should be a 3.84 if I receive an A- in Bio I. I currently took an exam, and I think I actually did poor. I'm estimating around a 70 not including a curve. I calculated my Bio grade and that puts me at a 88.01.. The class average is a C+. I talked with the professor after the exam. He said we can discuss more and change things a bit after grades are distributed tomorrow. After I receive my score tomorrow should I ask him to curve my final grade to a 90? I've shown great improvement and dedication until this exam. What would be an appropriate way of asking him this. Throughout the semester we've talked many times about things besides grades and Biology, so I'd say we are on good terms.

Sure. You should definitely ask him to do that for you. After all why not give you the A that you failed to earn. Hell, ask for an A+
You'd get laughed out of my office.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

I had a bad day

Now that you mention it, I had a pretty bad day the day I took the MCAT. Do you think I should email AMCAS and ask them to round up my score? I tried really hard, harder than most premeds.

 

[Turkishking]

Now that you mention it, I had a pretty bad day the day I took the MCAT. Do you think I should email AMCAS and ask them to round up my score? I tried really hard, harder than most premeds.

I was being sarcastic about "having a bad day". I'm leaving it alone. Thanks for the responses. If my final grade ends up staying at a 89.83 maybe there might be a curve but I won't annoy him about it.

 

[IlDestriero]

 

[BluMist]

... but this is @Turkishking we are talking about!!!

in all seriousness, this is pretty mild for a Turkishking thread

It's almost Xmas. Do the guy a favor and don't be the typical grade grubbing pre-med.

 

[nwts]

I was thinking more along the lines of my final grade in the course

You can't ask for that, either directly or indirectly. That is just way too much to ask for. If you need 2-3 points added to your final grade to get you to an A-, that means you are actually closer to a B than to an A-. Your professor will not be able to justify how it would be fair to the rest of the class if he/she gave you such a large boost.

Think of it this way: imagine that you needed 0.2 points added to your final grade to get you to an A-. If your professor added 0.2 points to the final grade of every student who didn't get an A in the course, how many of them would have a change in their letter grade? Probably less than 10%. In this case, the professor can justify giving you the little boost because you were so close, and it's a small enough boost that almost everybody's grades would not be affected if they were given the same amount. However, now think about the case of giving you 3 points. If your professor did that for everybody who didn't get an A, how many of them would have a change in their letter grade? Likely over half of them. It is not reasonable for your professor to give one and only one student a benefit that would have changed the grades of over half the class. That is extremely unfair to the rest of the class.

I understand that you're frustrated, but please try to make your peace with the fact that you got a B+. A B+ is not a bad grade, and it won't irreparably damage your GPA. However, if you ask this professor for a benefit that you are not entitled to, you will likely irreparably damage your relationship with him/her. This kills any chance you had for asking for a letter of rec or anything like that down the road. It is to your advantage to take the B+ graciously and leave the door open for things like letters of rec later on.

 

[Turkishking]

I understand what you all saying, and I appreciate the input. I only brought this up because I talked to the professor after the exam. He said something along the lines of we can find a solution. He just said send him an email after I get my result. I don't annoy professors and refrain from doing so. Maybe what I said may make me sound like a special "snowflake". I was just a bit frustrated.

 

[nwts]

I understand what you all saying, and I appreciate the input. I only brought this up because I talked to the professor after the exam. He said something along the lines of we can find a solution. He just said send him an email after I get my result. I don't annoy professors and refrain from doing so. Maybe what I said may make me sound like a special "snowflake". I was just a bit frustrated.

The "finding a solution" comment was probably a bad one for your professor to make because I'm sure he/she did not mean to imply that he/she would make sure you got an A-, regardless of how far your actual numerical score was from an A-.

I understand that you are frustrated. I've been in a similar situation multiple times, and it is annoying to have worked all semester for something and then mess it up at the last moment. I laid out that example for you so you could see how large of a favor you were asking for. I hope that you did not feel attacked, as that was not my intention. I just wanted to stop you before you shot yourself in the foot.

 

[Turkishking]

I'm not sure what he was implying either.

 

[nwts]

I'm not sure what he was implying either.

Honestly, some people say things like that in an effort to calm you down without putting any thought into what specifically they meant by the comment.

 

[Dr.Smexy]

It would only be 2 to 3 points. Plus I'm sure I'm one his favorite students because I actually care about the material rather than sleep in class.

Ask him for the pump...you'll see how far you actually are from being his "favorite" student and then how he'll put you on his blacklist for least favorite student. No professor likes a student who think he or she is entitled to something he/she doesn't deserve...you still have a lot to learn on the path of maturity.

 

[robin911]

It would only be 2 to 3 points. Plus I'm sure I'm one his favorite students because I actually care about the material rather than sleep in class.

Ummm... if you are one of his favorites I would ask him for a letter of rec. and NOT for a grade bump.

 

[Dizziness and Giddiness]

Be sure to tell your future interviewers about why you're the class favorite.

They'll particularly enjoy grade scraping stories.

 

[candbgirl]

If you had managed to do reasonably well on the final you'd maybe get a little bump but when you say you did poorly I can't imagine why you'd think you deserve a 2-3 point bump up in grade. In your OP you said your Final grade was near 88.01 and now you are saying its 89.xx. Which is it? What if you failed the exam? 70 is pretty close to failing.

 

[jayceee]

Definitely keep us updated on the outcome. Maybe you'll get a Christmas miracle.

 

[Dr. Death]

I HATE people like this. There is a girl in my ochem class that has done this in all her classes and always gets her grade raised. She bombed the DAT and is sitting at a 40% in ochem. She didn't get into dental school last year and isn't going to get in next year. Sweet victory for the hard workers of America.

 

[IlDestriero]

I see optometry in her future.

 

[Chromium Surfer]

In the same boat as you man. I got a 66 on my first ochem test. Then i got a 94 and then a 101 on the second and third exams. On the final I made a bunch of stupid mistakes and let myself get stressed so I scored a 79 on the final. I missed the cutoff for an A by 2%. If I had done a little better on the first exam or made less errors on the final I would have had an A. But at the end of the day I didn't, and so I ended up with a B. I'm going to use this as learning experience for when I tackle ochem II and my other courses. The beauty of grades are that for the most part they are a direct result of your effort and motivation. At the end of the day 1 B will not kill you, and this will hopefully just make you a better student. Best of luck next semester!

 

[Lawpy]

In the same boat as you man. I got a 66 on my first ochem test. Then i got a 94 and then a 101 on the second and third exams. On the final I made a bunch of stupid mistakes and let myself get stressed so I scored a 79 on the final. I missed the cutoff for an A by 2%. If I had done a little better on the first exam or made less errors on the final I would have had an A. But at the end of the day I didn't, and so I ended up with a B. I'm going to use this as learning experience for when I tackle ochem II and my other courses. The beauty of grades are that for the most part they are a direct result of your effort and motivation. At the end of the day 1 B will not kill you, and this will hopefully just make you a better student. Best of luck next semester!

Besides, getting a B legitimizes your GPA and dismisses all concerns about grade inflation/grade grabbing etc.

 

[Turkishking]

Besides, getting a B legitimizes your GPA and dismisses all concerns about grade inflation/grade grabbing etc.

True

 

[Turkishking]

If you had managed to do reasonably well on the final you'd maybe get a little bump but when you say you did poorly I can't imagine why you'd think you deserve a 2-3 point bump up in grade. In your OP you said your Final grade was near 88.01 and now you are saying its 89.xx. Which is it? What if you failed the exam? 70 is pretty close to failing.

If I get a 70 worst case scenario my grade will be a 88.01. If I get a 77 it will be a 89.83. I saw his answer sheet and someone I know took a picture of it, and took an exam copy. Some of his answers were incorrect for some reason

 

[Turkishking]

Update:

Looks like I got an 80 on the exam and put me at a 90.78 which I'm fine with.

 

[heebeejeebies]

I have only ever bugged a TA about a grade once, it was a bump of 0.01 (84.44 to 84.45 ---- rounds to -----> 85) to put me into the next GPA bracket. I still felt crappy about it.

 

[docycle]

Guys, does grade grubbing actually work in college? I've actually never done it, but supposedly it's a pretty common thing, which is why profs commonly have some clause about it in their syllabus (like if you get an 89.99999999%, sorry but it's a B).

Idk I've just always been in very big classes where this kind of thing just doesn't fly. You're another number, and it's nothing for the prof to tell you to screw off, especially if it's via e-mail. That said, I have been granted extensions which is kind of similar though not as severe a request.

 

[Dr. Death]

Guys, does grade grubbing actually work in college? I've actually never done it, but supposedly it's a pretty common thing, which is why profs commonly have some clause about it in their syllabus (like if you get an 89.99999999%, sorry but it's a B).

Idk I've just always been in very big classes where this kind of thing just doesn't fly. You're another number, and it's nothing for the prof to tell you to screw off, especially if it's via e-mail. That said, I have been granted extensions which is kind of similar though not as severe a request.

Depending on how your college runs. At my school the professor reviews at the end of the semester play an enormous part on if the professor gets tenure. So if students like you, you keep your job, they hate you, you are out of work. It's a crappy system that rewards grade inflation, easy classes and discourages real learning.