Has anyone had a similar situation?

[gingersprout]

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And if so, what did you do?

As some of you have read, I had a chem midterm today. It didn't go so well. And I studied like you wouldn't believe. No one that I talked to was able to finish the test (including myself). Anyhow, I emailed the professor with my frustration wanting to figure out what I could do. I was sarcastic, and after and early response in which he said he was "LMAO" about my sarcasm, I continued. Long story short, he eventually said, "I don't know whether I should tell you to cool off for a few days or to $#@! off permanently." Needless to say, I filed a complaint with the university. After finding out about this, my professor said I was playing with fire and asked me if I was drunk. I was never rude to him, I never attacked him as he did me. And even so, it is NEVER appropriate to talk to a student like that. Anyway, I am now strongly considering dropping the class, not because I don't think I can do it, but because of the disrespect.

Anyway, has anyone else gone through something like this? And if so, what did you do? This has me really distraught...

 

[sunshinevet]

And even so, it is NEVER appropriate to talk to a student like that.

I would also NEVER consider it appropriate to sarcastically email a prof. Really, what WEREN'T you thinking?

Honestly, it sounds as though you were emailing this prof to complain about how hard you found the exam. And I'm sure people bug him about that all the time. And if you, as a STUDENT, who needs to be asking him NICELY for help, don't come to the table maturely and constructively, i would probably tell you to f off too. I'm sure he has more valuable things to do with his time than be b*tched at by whiney students who found a test difficult.

 

[Minnerbelle]

And if so, what did you do?

As some of you have read, I had a chem midterm today. It didn't go so well. And I studied like you wouldn't believe. No one that I talked to was able to finish the test (including myself). Anyhow, I emailed the professor with my frustration wanting to figure out what I could do. I was sarcastic, and after and early response in which he said he was "LMAO" about my sarcasm, I continued. Long story short, he eventually said, "I don't know whether I should tell you to cool off for a few days or to $#@! off permanently." Needless to say, I filed a complaint with the university. After finding out about this, my professor said I was playing with fire and asked me if I was drunk. I was never rude to him, I never attacked him as he did me. And even so, it is NEVER appropriate to talk to a student like that. Anyway, I am now strongly considering dropping the class, not because I don't think I can do it, but because of the disrespect.

Anyway, has anyone else gone through something like this? And if so, what did you do? This has me really distraught...

Well I personally have never gone through something like this as being sarcastic with my professors is not my style, but my good friend got into s*** like this ALL THE TIME and I had to be the one to help clean up her mess.

First off, I'm really sorry you're having a hard time with this class. I know that can be really stressful. But maybe distance yourself from the situation for a sec and look at it from the professor's perspective.

He puts together an exam that I'm sure he knows is going to be tough, that maybe only 3-4 people in the class will be able to finish. That's pretty typical for an orgo class. There's usually a very small group of students on top who really have their s*** together and can whiz through. In a lot of places the average test score for the class is like between 40-70%... and that's just how it's done. But generally it's curved in the end, and most of the "okay" students end up with something between a C and a B. Sometimes you have to understand that the amount of effort/time you spend studying does not mean you deserve an A. If orgo's not your thing, it's just not your thing. Complaining to your professor is not going to change that.

Anyway, he gets a not so stellar student who wasn't able to finish the test sending a sarcastic email to him about how upset she/he is about it (and I'm assuming you still don't even know what you scored, how you did compared to the rest of the class, etc...). So how would YOU respond in that situation? I mean the most logical response it sounds like would be "dude, chillax." But in response to your sarcasm (and it seems like you must've escalated after his first response) maybe he thought you were looking for a sarcastic response.

I'm sure if you had said "Prof X. I'm feeling pretty awful about the exam today, and I'm not sure what to do because I tried really hard to study for it and I don't know what else I could have done. Can I schedule a time to talk to you about it after the exam is returned" he would not have responded the same way.

After that, you even reported the poor guy! An orgo prof that my said friend pissed off kind of the way you did had a very wise word of advice: NEVER piss off the person who has authority over your grades!

Very true. It's not his fault that you didn't do well on the exam. I'm sure he doesn't want some sarcastic remark about his test making skills or teaching style coming from a student who just bombed a test.

I guess maybe just learn from this that you should never send sarcastic emails to your prof, that you should email prof at an appropriate time for a specific purpose rather than venting (which is what it sounds like).

As for whether you should continue or not. I would drop the course if you feel like you can't let go of the situation (and feel like you can do well in the course). If you do continue, I would try to make amends with the professor and explain that you were really stressed out and you apologize about how you handled the situation. I agree that it's not appropriate for him to tell you to **** off (but it sounds like he was being sarcastic right back). But remember, you're the one who wants to pass the course with a good grade (he doesn't give a f***) so you're the one that should probably make things right.

 

[rileyroo]

i think one sarcastic email might have been ok, but repeated sarcasm is draining. perhaps you overstepped your boundaries by continuing the sarcasm and you triggered something in him, resulting in his response. of course i would have been devastated had i received an email from a professor like that, but i'm sure he was probably just as devastated and exhausted from your emails. whatever you decide, i think you should definitely apologize. but if it were me, there's no way i'd stay in the class after the email situation, reporting the prof, then his response of playing with fire.

 

[gingersprout]

I did apologize. And this was BEFORE the rude comments. And as for the remark about him getting an email from a not so stellar student, I am a stellar student. I do really well on all the quizzes, I do the homework, and I have a 3.8 gpa. Professors need to realize that if the class average is a 50%, that is a reflection on them as a professor, not the students.

As for whether or not the sarcastic comments were inappropriate, he tells students that they owe him a beer in class on a regular basis and emails us in text message style. And he has encouraged my sarcasm on multiple occasions. If he doesn't like sarcasm, then he shouldn't encourage it and he shouldn't use sarcasm. And he should establish a relationship of respect with his students. No one takes him seriously.

And regardless of whether or not my sarcasm was inappropriate, it is NEVER appropriate to talk to a student like that. EVER. I am a good student. All my professors like me.

My first email was asking for help. Only the last line was sarcastic. I said that I was frustrated, I never said the test was too hard, I said I was frustrated with the fact that I do all the homework, I get help when needed, and still, nothing seems to help. The sarcastic remark was, "I just want to know what I can do short of selling my soul to the devil."

And this is general chem, no ochem. I understand they are both tough courses. And my professor doesn't curve.

Honestly, the responses on here have kind of saddened me. Maybe I have had a different upbringing. Maybe my school is just different. Maybe the fact that I work as a tutor and have had it drilled in my brain that if most of the students aren't getting it, it's entirely the fault of the teacher. But it has ALWAYS been my experience, and I have always been encouraged to stand up for myself. I did nothing to deserve rude treatment. Additionally, if he wants to black mail me with my grade, that proves him to be even more unprofessional. I'm not in to playing dirty games. I work hard for what I get and fight for what I know I deserve and for what I believe in.

Last year there was a seminar at my university that all the science professors had to attend about how students best learn. The speaker, who was a chemistry professor, might I add, argued that the way chemistry is traditionally taught, is not conducive to learning.

I know the material. I do. Whether or not you want to believe me is your choice. For the few remarks that were helpful, I appreciate it. But for the most part, all they've done is upset me more. Not because I feel I did anything horribly wrong, but because it seems incredibly sad that anyone would accept less than what they've worked for and prepared for.

 

[david594]

Professors need to realize that if the class average is a 50%, that is a reflection on them as a professor, not the students.

I'm really getting sick of hearing this line. So everyone gets a 50%, what does that mean? I means the test was hard. It means next time all the students will try harder. If everyone got a 100% on the test they would work less hard next time.

As long as the professor doesn't fail everyone at the end of the semester their is nothing wrong with his teaching style. People reach for the bar, some professors just like to set it high.

 

[deleted266066]

I think the way you originally asked for advice made it sound much more worse on your part than the situation actually merits, which would explain why everyone was jumping on you. Next time just make sure to give more details about your circumstances so you can get some advice that is more applicable to you 🙂

Regardless of what is right/wrong/what actions should be taken regarding this... I just wanted to point out that I don't know of a single college in the US that has class averages regularly above a 60% on their general chemistry exams. Organic chem maybe, but not gen chem. There are probably some out there, but none that I am aware of. I once had a gen chem test where the average was a 31%! Is this fair? No. But is everyone in the same boat? Yep.

I don't like how it's done, and I'm sure no one does. But it's how professors have decided weed out kids that aren't willing to work hard enough, and/or accept that sometimes that's just how the system works. Unfortunately, tons of kids go pre-health at first, so profs want to cut that number down nice and quickly. The kids that don't "belong" quit really fast, but then the rest of us who actually SHOULD be there end up getting punished too.

At this point the irritating gen chem 50% average is almost a right of passage for pre-health students. Does this suck and do I and at least 99% of pre-health students wish it were different? Sure. But just know that you're not in a unique situation...whether or not this is fair and should change, we've all had to go through gen chem hell lol

 

[deleted266066]

This also isn't high school anymore. Some colleges hand out A's, most don't. Regardless of where the class average is, it's supposed to be set around a general grade distribution. And like david594 said, as long as not everyone literally fails, the teacher is well within their rights to hand out terrible exams, even if it makes them a huge pain in the ass.

Where I attend now, you could have a class consisting of Einstein, Stephen Hawking, a savant, and yourself; if the class consisted of these 4, Hawking would probably get an A, the Einstein and the savant would duke it out for the B and C, and you would get a D. *Even though* everyone in the group is very smart and more than capable, you'll end up with the D just because the other ones did ever so slightly better. I am jealous of the schools where this system is not implemented, just because it makes grades where I attend look worse... where I go, getting a B is much more difficult than getting an A at some places, and not all graduate institutions even take that into consideration.

So... just know that just because you have a 3.8 doesn't mean you'll always have teachers that actually let kids get A's. There are profs out there that only give out a couple for an entire class, whereas the rest of the class gets Cs and Bs, with occasional Ds and Fs.

 

[nyanko]

You aren't in high school. Your professors are not required to protect your feelings (or your GPA!), honor your complaints about the difficulty of their exams or cater to you. Basically, you come across here (and likely to the prof) as a whiny child with an entitlement complex.

If you were having problems with the material, could actually identify what they were other than "waah your tests are too haaaard," and went to him reasonably and he still told you to f off, then you might have a case*. As it is, your assumption seems to be that if the test is too hard for you, then the test itself must be unfair. That's a pretty conceited view to have, and I don't really blame him for reacting that way in the least bit.

*though even in that situation he isn't OBLIGATED to help you, but most professors will if you show that you are worried about more than just your grade, and actually want to learn the material

 

[twelvetigers]

My current orgo professor doesn't tell us the average. I don't know if my grades are great or just average, but there's no room for anyone to complain and no one knows what the curve will be, if there even is one. I think this works out pretty well.

Highest average grade in any chem class was probably about a 70%. Happened in chem I, and again in biochem. It's interesting though, because the 70% average in biochem was quite a surprise - but really, by that point we're all professional students and should know how to prepare for exams, so the averages should go up anyway... right? Hmm.

As for the OP, I don't really have anything to add - it's really hard to determine what went wrong with just a few scraps from am email message. At any rate, things are often 'lost' in text - tone of voice goes a long way to making sure your message is received as intended. This is apparent in the responses to this post, and probably contributed to the email as well. If you want to stay in the class, go talk to him in person. If you want to ask another teacher about the exam/doing well/whatever, do that in person too. Everything is so much clearer that way! Just use email to ask about a good time to come in, or a simple question.

Hope you get things sorted out, GS. 🙂

 

[168135]

Regardless of what is right/wrong/what actions should be taken regarding this... I just wanted to point out that I don't know of a single college in the US that has class averages regularly above a 60% on their general chemistry exams. Organic chem maybe, but not gen chem. There are probably some out there, but none that I am aware of. I once had a gen chem test where the average was a 31%! Is this fair? No. But is everyone in the same boat? Yep.

I don't like how it's done, and I'm sure no one does. But it's how professors have decided weed out kids that aren't willing to work hard enough, and/or accept that sometimes that's just how the system works. Unfortunately, tons of kids go pre-health at first, so profs want to cut that number down nice and quickly. The kids that don't "belong" quit really fast, but then the rest of us who actually SHOULD be there end up getting punished too.

Amen. It's my chemistry marks that will probably make it so that I can't get into vet school. Everybody I talked to said that I should be happy I passed. Well, doing slightly better than the class average of like a 55% is not going to get me into vet school. I tried to get a tutor but the few students who actually do well enough to tutor are too busy because of their chem majors. I came out of that class so confused and feeling like I know nothing. We got a new organic prof, who I've heard worse things about. I have to re-take the course from her in the spring 🙁

 

[Adrift108]

Amen. It's my chemistry marks that will probably make it so that I can't get into vet school. Everybody I talked to said that I should be happy I passed. Well, doing slightly better than the class average of like a 55% is not going to get me into vet school. I tried to get a tutor but the few students who actually do well enough to tutor are too busy because of their chem majors. I came out of that class so confused and feeling like I know nothing. We got a new organic prof, who I've heard worse things about. I have to re-take the course from her in the spring 🙁

I'm retaking orgo too..don't beat yourself up too much, it's not an easy class and just barely passing isn't such a good idea if we're trying to get into vet school.

On that note for gingersprout, I know you're probably frustrated about the situation but, even if your prof is the biggest butthole in the world in the end that's who you are getting your grades from. Always, always always, maintain a good relationship (I'm not saying you guys should be chums) with profs. Even if he doesn't act like the professional he should be, you should always act professional as the student even if nobody else sees it. Plus this is the same professionalism you'll need to exhibit in vet school as well as when you are a veterinarian. It's a lesson learned though so just keep plugging.

 

[BlacKAT33]

I think you should "let go" of your GPA a little but, by this i mean that in the transition from hs to college you should realize that you will no longer be a straight A student unless you have no social life. I was a straight A student in hs, and after freshman year college i realized i just need to have fun and learn, that is what you are there for. a college gpa of 3.8 is AMAZING, if you can keep it like that it would be great, but dont think that if it slips a little vet school is out. In the end, if your GPA slips to 3.6 it wont matter, it will be your GRE and experiences that that will make you an even stronger candidate.

My orgo class had averages of 40% and i was scoring about 55% (ended up with an A after the final). My gen chem course had an avg of 50% and people who got an A were probably in the 70% range. I dropped gen. chem II because my teacher said he wasnt going to curve even though half the class was failing. He literally told me "if half my class writes water as HO then i'm going to fail half the class". Nice guy eh? he was very intimidating and I was afraid i may get a D and i couldnt handle the fear. In the end he did curve the course. Either way, i took it again in summer (same teacher!! how lucky was i? lol) i studied my ass off and got an A. Sometimes you just need to adjust to the teacher's style instead of sticking to the book. My last horrible experience was a teacher who gave grades by having the top 10% As, next %Bs, and so on. So for example, if a third of the class was in 90% range, he would SCALE DOWN grades and only the top 10% would get As. ridiculous right? He said he wanted a real bell curve.

My advice is to stop worrying so much about your grades and just try your best to learn. Everyone else is in the same situation as you with low grades and im sure no one knows how it will turn out. But this is how it was for half of my college courses. Once you accept this, your stress level will def go down 😎

 

[Adrift108]

I think you should "let go" of your GPA a little but, by this i mean that in the transition from hs to college you should realize that you will no longer be a straight A student unless you have no social life. I was a straight A student in hs, and after freshman year college i realized i just need to have fun and learn, that is what you are there for. a college gpa of 3.8 is AMAZING, if you can keep it like that it would be great, but dont think that if it slips a little vet school is out. In the end, if your GPA slips to 3.6 it wont matter, it will be your GRE and experiences that that will make you an even stronger candidate.

My orgo class had averages of 40% and i was scoring about 55% (ended up with an A after the final). My gen chem course had an avg of 50% and people who got an A were probably in the 70% range. I dropped gen. chem II because my teacher said he wasnt going to curve even though half the class was failing. He literally told me "if half my class writes water as HO then i'm going to fail half the class". Nice guy eh? he was very intimidating and I was afraid i may get a D and i couldnt handle the fear. In the end he did curve the course. Either way, i took it again in summer (same teacher!! how lucky was i? lol) i studied my ass off and got an A. Sometimes you just need to adjust to the teacher's style instead of sticking to the book. My last horrible experience was a teacher who gave grades by having the top 10% As, next %Bs, and so on. So for example, if a third of the class was in 90% range, he would SCALE DOWN grades and only the top 10% would get As. ridiculous right? He said he wanted a real bell curve.

My advice is to stop worrying so much about your grades and just try your best to learn. Everyone else is in the same situation as you with low grades and im sure no one knows how it will turn out. But this is how it was for half of my college courses. Once you accept this, your stress level will def go down 😎

Just goes to show you that even though we all know vet school admission is tough, most of us aren't perfect straight A students 👍 just try and settle things with your teacher and not get into the situation again.

 

[squibby]

If you ask any doctor they will tell you that unless you go into pharmacology or something, you really only need to know o-chem enough to use its concepts in biochemistry.
Chemistry has always been a weak spot for me. O-chem was an ego-buster, but if you work hard and make it through, you will be a better student, and I think person, than before.
Bad professors are everywhere, and it is my opinion that your job as a student is to figure out how to deal with it. You will undoubtably meet another difficult person like him/her, whether another professor, or your boss.
I got C's both semesters of o-chem, and prior never had anything other than an A in science. I felt so stupid, but I worked really hard at it, and was proud of myself for not giving up in fear of getting that C. That professor actually wrote me an email offering an evaluation for my applications. I thought he would be the last one to think highly of me, but he knows that there is more to success than just your grades.
In the middle of o-chem I thought I had screwed up my chance of getting in, but now that I am past it, and am doing well in classes for which o-chem is a prereque, I see there is more to it than your grade in that class.
I just heard from someone in one of my classes about a girl with a C average, only small animal experience, that went to a junior college and a state school, who got into Davis on her first try.

 

[scb44f]

Honestly, the responses on here have kind of saddened me. Maybe I have had a different upbringing. Maybe my school is just different. Maybe the fact that I work as a tutor and have had it drilled in my brain that if most of the students aren't getting it, it's entirely the fault of the teacher. But it has ALWAYS been my experience, and I have always been encouraged to stand up for myself. I did nothing to deserve rude treatment. Additionally, if he wants to black mail me with my grade, that proves him to be even more unprofessional. I'm not in to playing dirty games. I work hard for what I get and fight for what I know I deserve and for what I believe in.

I think this way of thinking may be your most immediate problem. Yes, professors may not teach in a way that helps you learn the best, but it's not completely their fault that you aren't learning it. Sometimes, the information just didn't "click", you didn't study enough, you didn't ask peers to explain it to you in a different way, etc. I'm just saying that you can't put it all on your professor.

For instance, I know plenty of people who got C's and D's in my chemical engineering thermo II class last year. All tests were open book/note with averages around 70%, and all of the information we needed was in our notes. Can you blame the professor for not preparing us? I can't. Out of 3 tests, I got 100% on two of them. It was just a matter of understanding, asking for help, studying well, etc.

Anyway, have you considered discussing the issue with the professor one on one? E-mails can be misconstrued easily.

 

[Perfbird]

You aren't in high school. Your professors are not required to protect your feelings (or your GPA!), honor your complaints about the difficulty of their exams or cater to you. Basically, you come across here (and likely to the prof) as a whiny child with an entitlement complex.

Yeah...this. I would hate to see what you say after your first vet school midterm, or when your vet school profs don't put up with your rude sarcasm crap or your "holier than thou" attitude.

Believe it or not, you did something wrong, and trying to turn your mistake around and trying to blame it on your professor by screaming "WELL LOOK AT WHAT THE PROFESSOR SAID, HE CAN'T TREAT ME THAT WAY!" sounds incredibly immature. Truth is, you're in college and professors are not doormats that have to guard their every word for fear of parents calling the principal because "Mr. Rogers told our little Susie she got a B on the test, we know she's an A student - please fire him!" They're people, too, who don't have to put up with students whining at them - I'm sure he got enough nasty emails without your sarcasm. Once was enough, but you stepped over the line by continuing - a little tact would have panned out better.

 

[KGemma]

I think we all get frustrated when we don't do as well as we'd like. My physics class has an average of 40% because my teacher is a genius and our class just isn't. Teachers aren't out to destroy us. My theory on why my physics teacher tests hard is because she's too smart and just doesn't know how to simplify things for an introductory class. Either way, I think maybe you were a tad bit out of line as a student. You have to look at it in your teacher's shoes, who has probably been teacher for quite some time now.

Life will always throw us these situations. We just live and learn.

 

[twelvetigers]

Keep in mind that none of these responses are meant to be personal attacks. You ask the forum for advice and opinions, you WILL get honesty. Please don't take it personally - just read what people have to say and move on. We're not all meanies here... just serving up a reality check, or something like that.

I'm such a softie, I hate for anyone to think they're getting bullied. That's why I never post anywhere else on sdn, lol. We play nice in here, at least mostly.

 

[sumstorm]

You are correct; you shouldn't be spoken to in an inappropriate manner. The prof is right; sarcasm is inappropriate when discussing a serious issue and is playing with fire in that the instructor is the only individual that can give you any flex on those exams.

The quickest and most efficient method for dealing with this is to meet with the professor during office hours, sincerly apologize for your part and express clearly and without emotion that you don't believe what he said is appropriate either, then ask if this is an issue you both can work out together. A lot of that may have been skipped just by asking for the later first, without the sarcasm and upset.

If you know this stuff cold, then at minimum, you should have the highest grade in class. If not, then you have at least that margin to improve upon. Otherwise, it sounds like a sense of entitlement; maybe that is an issue with the communication media.

I was a C student in chemistry. I am also a C student in physiology at vet school. I got into vet school with those C's and I will complete vet school with at least one C.

 

[DVMDream]

I understand your frustration, but being sarcastic to the prof. is not the way to go even if he is the biggest a**hole out there. I have also been taught to stick up for myself when I think something is not right, but part of growing up is learning how to stick up for yourself in a professional manner. One of my professors gave me the wrong grade. I sent him very kind e-mails asking if we could discuss the grade. He e-mailed me once saying he would look into it and get back to me, he didn’t. So I finally sent him one last e-mail (this had been going on for months), asking him to please contact me so we could discuss my grade and if I did not hear from him soon I would have to contact the department (the deadline for changing grades was very close). I was still very polite to him. He e-mailed me back saying he put in the grade change request, thanked me for being polite and patient, explained he had been out of the country and apologized for not getting back to me sooner. As a veterinarian if a client gets angry and starts to become sarcastic you can not be the same way back. It is a life lesson that takes some time getting used to and there will be many times where you will just have to bite your tongue.

Many classes have averages around the 50-60% range. My physics prof. was a complete ***** when it came to teaching. He would say that we need to be able to understand physics in “English”. His method of teaching would be to place the book on the overhead, and say that is how you do this, etc, etc. When students would ask him to do the problems or explain them he would say, “Look in the book.” He refused to explain anything. The averages in his class were around a 50% and most students received B’s. In my parasitology class I received a 35% which actually gave me a B. It was hard for me to see F’s, D’s and C’s at first in college since I was always an A and B student, but you get used to it and learn to not stress out too much over it.

If I were you I would go and talk to him in person. Apologize for being sarcastic and let him know you are just stressed out over the outcome of the exam even though you feel you have been studying adequately. Just be kind and see if he can help you. If you feel like you can’t put what has happened behind you or that you can’t pass the class then drop. But the excuse that the professor had difficult exams or was a dick is not going to work when applying for vet school. Good Luck and try not to let it stress you out too much. We have all been in difficult classes and had to learn to deal with those first few D’s and C’s, but it gets easier. Just hang in there!

 

[Shanomong]

.

 

[Perfbird]

Going on what twelvetigers said, I don't/didn't mean to come off as a total biotch, but I really think you need to step out of your shoes for a moment and look objectively at the situation, without anything clouding your judgement. Something about your attitude really gets me upset as I've met people with a similar attitude towards classes/professors, and to sum up it's not very nice for anyone.

A lot of people here are of the same mindset about your situation, and they can't all be wrong. My sincere apologies if I offended you or anything of the sort - it was not my intention.

 

[georgie339]

...

 

[nyanko]

In the OP's defense, I don't think saying "short of selling my soul" really counts as sarcasm. But maybe that's just the NY in me....

To be honest, the "sarcasm" or whatever is the least of it as far as I'm concerned. It's an overall attitude, and not to sound like an old windbag but it is fairly common among younger undergrads to feel like they "deserve" something that they did not earn. Fact is, when I've been a TA, if someone approached me with actual questions regarding the material, and felt she understood it and that her grades weren't reflecting it, I've always tried my hardest to help as much as I possibly could. However, it is a waste of both my time and the student's time to sit and listen to the student blame me for their problems. Yeah, no...those students get shrugs and blank stares.

 

[GellaBella]

All I can say is I have heard far FAR worse things come out of professors/PI's mouths during my time at graduate school.

I have heard students (and other professors) get SCREAMED at in front of many other people for being "f*cking ******ed" and much worse.

the worse thing about that is that there is no recourse. Sure, you can quit the lab...if you want to throw 3 years of work away and start all over. or you can report them and show up in the lab the next day and see how the next 2-3 years of your life goes...

It's not right. It sucks. but it could have been worse.

and to be honest, I took the prof remark as him joking with you. not really offensive.

I definitely would not have reported him.
I think you should apologize

because this is not only going to affect your reputation with him, but you better bet your ass that he has told all the other profs as well and I'm sure he's prob not spinning you in a positive light.

you can say you're a great student and should get to do better all you want but first impressions count. That means there are a lot of profs who haven't met you yet and their opinion of you could be swayed already.
again, not saying its right, but sometimes thats how it works

 

[squibby]

I had a doctor tell me once that I was a "whiny little bitch." Ha ha. I probably was too.

 

[jpeterman13]

To be honest, the "sarcasm" or whatever is the least of it as far as I'm concerned. It's an overall attitude, and not to sound like an old windbag but it is fairly common among younger undergrads to feel like they "deserve" something that they did not earn. Fact is, when I've been a TA, if someone approached me with actual questions regarding the material, and felt she understood it and that her grades weren't reflecting it, I've always tried my hardest to help as much as I possibly could. However, it is a waste of both my time and the student's time to sit and listen to the student blame me for their problems. Yeah, no...those students get shrugs and blank stares.

I'm a TA too, for a BIO I class, and I COMPLETELY AGREE! I will work as hard as I need to to help someone that is humble enough to ask for my help rather than treat me like their employee, that makes me go from annoyed to pissed very quickly. "I took AP BIO in high school and got an A, you guys must not be teaching it as well as they did" is a line from young undergrads that I'm all too familiar with. "I wont get into med school now because you guys got me a bad grade". I tell them that knowing the material inside and out (and memorizing) is sometimes not good enough because if you can't apply that knowledge, you're screwed...and that it is anything but our fault. Welcome to life...it's not fair. But to the OP, don't let this terrible experience make you roll over and die, learn from it. I learned a heck of a lot more in college than biology and chemistry. That's what makes everyone's educational experiences unique (IMO 😀).