Got a B in Chem but the TA game me a D in the lab..

[DocHeart]

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If I got a B in chem lab but then a D in the lab.. and they show up as separately on my transcript how does will that effect my GPA and How will med school look at it? Sorry if this question is bit stupid, been really depressed ever since I saw my grade up a few hours ago.

 

[LuciusVorenus]

The only way to know how it will affect your GPA is by calculating it. I'm guessing it's only 2 units though if you're on the quarter system? If so then the damage should be a lot less. Try retaking it and getting an A, it's only a lab, so maybe that will redeem you. After all, there are plenty of reasons you could fail a lab excluding not knowing the material (not going to labs for instance). May I ask why you were given a D?

 

[schrizto]

You shouldn't say the TA was the one who gave you the D. It's more like you got the D. Labs grades usually aren't highly dependent on the TA's opinion of you, it's mostly do the experiments, get the results, and answer the conclusion questions.

 

[DocHeart]

I'm going to try to retake it I guess.. I did talk to him last night and he said hell see what he can do for me.. I think I must of messed up royally on the final.. though I did really well on my class final

 

[MilkmanAl]

Labs grades usually aren't highly dependent on the TA's opinion of you, it's mostly do the experiments, get the results, and answer the conclusion questions.

I'd actually disagree on that one. My experience with med school pre-req TA's is they either don't really give a crap and give everyone A's or they are extremely biased in favor of/against certain people in the class. My lab partner and I were once on the receiving end of a TA who...uh...appeared to have a striking preference for the sorority girls in our lab. I was in another group where the TA decided to start hacking people's grades for no reason. I'll never forget being docked 5 points for "sentence too long" on a sentence that barely spanned 2 lines. Some people got their grades mutilated, while others didn't. (The course director didn't do anything about it, in case anyone is curious.)

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is that since you received separate grades for the lab and class, med schools won't give you credit for that lab. You'll need to retake it and score at least a C.

 

[austinap]

I'd actually disagree on that one. My experience with med school pre-req TA's is they either don't really give a crap and give everyone A's or they are extremely biased in favor of/against certain people in the class. My lab partner and I were once on the receiving end of a TA who...uh...appeared to have a striking preference for the sorority girls in our lab. I was in another group where the TA decided to start hacking people's grades for no reason. I'll never forget being docked 5 points for "sentence too long" on a sentence that barely spanned 2 lines. Some people got their grades mutilated, while others didn't. (The course director didn't do anything about it, in case anyone is curious.)

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is that since you received separate grades for the lab and class, med schools won't give you credit for that lab. You'll need to retake it and score at least a C.

As someone that teaches first-semester undergrad ochem lab to premeds, here's my take:

1. We actually have very little flexibility in what we give you for a score. The entire class is usually huge, so grading is standardized across all of the sections. That being said, there is a difference between how well all of us teach, so you can get screwed simply by having a TA that is a terrible teacher.

2. Where we do have flexibility is in grading discussions. Usually even that part is fairly standardized as there are certain specific things that are being looked for, but we have the flexibility to take off a few points if we can't understand what you're saying, or if your writing is so terrible that it takes us three tries to get it.

That being said, I think most of us err on the side of being too nice when we grade discussions. At that level, there are very few people that can write with any reasonable skill. Most of them are terrible. Here are my tips and tricks for not making your TA hate grading your work: use compete sentences; use paragraphs; don't make up things (or words); don't write like you text (e.g., use "you" rather than "u"); read what you write to make sure it makes some sense; and at least try to follow any instructions that were given.

 

[298609]

don't write like you text (e.g., use "you" rather than "u");

people DO THAT?????

 

[apumic]

people DO THAT?????

I think you'd be surprised just how awful some people write. I've TA'd senior-level courses where people write almost that bad. I'm like, "Seriously?!" ...but yeah... I've failed about half a class on a writing assignment because their writing was so far below the standard for the class. Anyway...end of rant. haha.

 

[austinap]

people DO THAT?????

I even had a student ask me for a letter of recommendation using text-speak. I declined.

 

[SweetRain]

I'd actually disagree on that one. My experience with med school pre-req TA's is they either don't really give a crap and give everyone A's or they are extremely biased in favor of/against certain people in the class. My lab partner and I were once on the receiving end of a TA who...uh...appeared to have a striking preference for the sorority girls in our lab. I was in another group where the TA decided to start hacking people's grades for no reason. I'll never forget being docked 5 points for "sentence too long" on a sentence that barely spanned 2 lines. Some people got their grades mutilated, while others didn't. (The course director didn't do anything about it, in case anyone is curious.)

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is that since you received separate grades for the lab and class, med schools won't give you credit for that lab. You'll need to retake it and score at least a C.

It sounds like you've had a terrible TA, but you shouldn't generalize. I've TA-ed for a general science course and I although I didn't participate in grading (it was scantron exam) I would NEVER assign grades based on my personal opinion on the student. I also work in an organic lab so I have a lot of interaction with grad students and none of them would ever take points off unfairly. It's just not professional.