How can I ask prof to change grade?

[TigerLilies]

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My prof in a class I took in the fall, praised me as one of the best freshmen english students that she has ever had but i only received an A- in the class. Should I ask my prof why I didn't get an A? I am worried that she would dislike be because of this. Is there any way, I could ask her without coming across as a grade *****?

Thanks so much!!

 

[Medikit]

Say it with me:

There is nothing wrong with an A-, it is an excellent grade

There is nothing wrong with an A-, it is an excellent grade

There is nothing wrong with an A-, it is an excellent grade

There is nothing wrong with an A-, it is an excellent grade

There is nothing wrong with an A-, it is an excellent grade

There is nothing wrong with an A-, it is an excellent grade

There is nothing wrong with an A-, it is an excellent grade

There is nothing wrong with an A-, it is an excellent grade

There is nothing wrong with an A-, it is an excellent grade

There is nothing wrong with an A-, it is an excellent grade

 

[crys20]

My god no, don't ask her. An A- is fine...do not ask, i repeat, do not ask there is no way NOT to come off like a 'grade *****'. She probably would start to dislike you 😉 Seriously, chill out, an A- is fine.

 

[Haybrant]

the best freshman in english got an A-? I think you ought to ask if that is not the grade you earned i.e if you got A's on all papers, particip, hw etc.. then say what the deal. But be down to earth about it and honest. An intelligent prof will understand. If you want an LOR from the person though it may be a diff story, but if you are only a freshman you will have plenty of opportunity for non-sci LOR's

my english profs told me i was the best senior in english; then again, i was the only senior in english

 

[crys20]

If it is really bothering you, I would just drop a casual email (she'll remember you if you were the best frosh) and ask what the cut off was for a regular A or whatever since you thought you did really well on the paper/final/whatever. Don't ask her right off to change it, just do that and see what she says.

 

[derf]

maybe the OP is thinking about asking for a LOR from this teacher. In this case, an A (not an A-) would be better.

I say casually drop a note like the previous poster said.

 

[Cheerfulgrrl]

maybe the OP is thinking about asking for a LOR from this teacher. In this case, an A (not an A-) would be better.

I say casually drop a note like the previous poster said.

I agree - and (per Haybrant) I definitely think you should go through all your grades from the class and see if they actually = A. If they do, it makes it easier to ask in a casual (but still very polite) email about your final/last paper and what the cutoff was. I think it looks less grade-whoreish if you also say that you want to be a good writer, etc., and thus you are also concerned about where you went wrong on the final. I wouldn't mention the "best" comment.

This grade could actually be a mistake - I had a professor miss-enter my grade, and I was terrified to go ask him what happened. He just made a mistake and was as surprised as I was. So, although normally I would agree that an A- is a perfectly acceptable grade, in the off chance that you did in fact earn an A, I would follow this up.

However, if your grades do not clearly equal an A, or if the professor gets back to you and refuses to change the grade, and hopefully tells you why, accept your A- graciously.

 

[scrappysurfer]

My prof in a class I took in the fall, praised me as one of the best freshmen english students that she has ever had but i only received an A- in the class. Should I ask my prof why I didn't get an A? I am worried that she would dislike be because of this. Is there any way, I could ask her without coming across as a grade *****?

Thanks so much!!

The problem with this is that you are a grade *****. And definitely a freshman. An A- is simply not a bad grade. Yes, its annoying. Yes I would have had a better GPA if those A- grades were all As and those B+ grades were all Bs. I can promise you that in my 6 interviews I only had one person point out a bad grade (a D!!!) and he brushed it off before I could answer him saying that we are all human.

If you would like to ask her about your grade, you will need to approach it from a "what improvements do I need make to EARN an A in the future" standpoint. As a professor at my undergrad institution (who is also on the MD/PhD admissions committee) stated before handing out midterms this week profs "do not give out battlefield promotions."

If you take yourself this seriously for the next 3.5 years, you will be burned out long before you have a chance to apply for medical school. Pick up some hobbies you enjoy to balance any ego dependence on your grades, sit back, and enjoy the ride.

 

[OrganicMLover]

I would ask her for the A. An A- is a below average grade for admitting medical students. The avergage GPA for admitting med students ( at least in my state ) is 3.75. An A- is only worth a 3.67. Dont listen to these people telling you not to worry about it or calling you a grade *****. Be a grade ***** that is what medical students care about more than anything besides the MCAT.

 

[fpr85]

Why be happy with an A- when you can most certainly earn an A? OP, I suggest you ignore the people calling you a "grade *****", who gives a damn what they think, the only thing I wouldn't do is ask your professor if he/she could possibly bump your grade up to an A, because you didn't earn it.

The way I would approach it is go visit your professor during office hours and start out with something along the lines of "I acknowledge that an A- is an excellent grade, and it took lots of time and dedication to achieve that grade, I'm just curious to know what could I have done to get an A, where are my areas for improvement?"

Good for you for going the extra mile 👍

 

[AcousticDoc]

If your prof is a cougar try sleeping with her.

 

[Babooshka]

My prof in a class I took in the fall, praised me as one of the best freshmen english students that she has ever had but i only received an A- in the class. Should I ask my prof why I didn't get an A? I am worried that she would dislike be because of this. Is there any way, I could ask her without coming across as a grade *****?

Thanks so much!!

if i were you, i wouldn't ask for a grade change, but i'd continue building a relationship with her and do some outside-of-the-class work with her and juice her for a bangin' letter of rec when the time comes.

 

[bluedaisy]

Dude, being confused about a grade =/= being a grade *****.

Last semester I couldn't figure out why I had a B in o-chem, so I just wrote the professor an email -- I tried to be as nonconfrontational as possible, just mentioned that I thought I'd done well on my midterms, etc., and was curious about what my numerical final grade was. He was surprisingly nice about it, and wrote back promptly with an explanation of what I got on the final, what my final grade was, and what a ******* I am. 🙁 But it was nice to at least know for certain it wasn't a mistake.

And BTW, A-? Still stings plenty! When I was a freshman I used cry over them. Of course, that was before I started taking science classes and learned what bad grades were really like. 🙄

 

[riceman04]

My prof in a class I took in the fall, praised me as one of the best freshmen english students that she has ever had but i only received an A- in the class. Should I ask my prof why I didn't get an A? I am worried that she would dislike be because of this. Is there any way, I could ask her without coming across as a grade *****?

Thanks so much!!

calm down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is one of the reasons why so many profs despise pre-meds (well at least many do at my school)

an A- is nice!!!!!!!!1

 

[SD Skunk]

My prof in a class I took in the fall, praised me as one of the best freshmen english students that she has ever had but i only received an A- in the class. Should I ask my prof why I didn't get an A? I am worried that she would dislike be because of this. Is there any way, I could ask her without coming across as a grade *****?

Thanks so much!!

ask for the A in a most tactful way.

and for the record, i'm so damn irritated by those who claim that an A- is a great grade. yeah, it's a great grade when you think you're going to get a lower grade. but it's a piece of s h i t grade when you feel like you deserve an A and have worked for it. it's a let-down. period. i don't think anyone can argue with this extremely rational and reasonable line of argument.

yes it sucks and it may be "grade whoring" or whatever, but the cold hard truth is, this kind of attitude is what separates the best from the merely decent. i don't mean to sound like a dickhead, but ask anyone who is at the tip top, and you will unanimously get the same response. like it or not, yes, it takes that drive. yes, it takes that sort of anal meticulousness. yes, it takes that extreme type A personality. having nearly impossibly high standards will motivate you to get what seems impossible for most others. and those others are exactly the ones who will ridicule you for wanting the top grade instead of just a so-called good grade.

i'm right about this. i know it.

in the end, though, we wouldn't be grade ****** if the system didn't pressure us so intensely to get those damn juicy-ass numbers. that 4.0 GPA. that 45 MCAT. that 1600 SAT. that 36 on the ACT. that 180 on the LSAT.

don't hate the player, hate the motherf ucking game. it's true.

 

[SD Skunk]

and what exactly is a "good grade," anyhow? that's a personal definition. if someone has high standards, then let them have high standards.

there are those who consider a B to be a good grade. hell, i'm willing to believe a number of students honestly believe that a C+ is alright. and really, that's fine with me if that's what they believe, but i personally want my damn A. if i put in the work for a damn A and deserve a damn A, then i'd better get my damn A, or you're going to hear from me. it's justice, really.

as someone who has had to put up with people trying to lower my standards ever since elementary school, i tell you all this: i NEVER EVER listened to you, and i'm damn proud of that. i got the scores i wanted (and more) because i pushed myself beyond my limits. try it sometime.

i'd like to say one last thing. for every class in which grades were normalized against everyone else's scores, your lower standards and your attempts to bring me down have only made using you as a stepping stone more palatable. think about this.

 

[visualwealth]

I concur 👍

and what exactly is a "good grade," anyhow? that's a personal definition. if someone as high standards, then let them have high standards.

there are those who consider a B to be a good grade. hell, i'm willing to believe a number of students honestly believe that a C+ is alright. and really, that's fine with me if that's what they believe, but i personally want my damn A. if i put in the work for a damn A and deserve a damn A, then i'd better get my damn A, or you're going to hear from me. it's justice, really.

as someone who has had to put up with people trying to lower my standards ever since elementary school, i tell you all this: i NEVER EVER listened to you, and i'm damn proud of that. i got the scores i wanted (and more) because i pushed myself beyond my limits. try it sometime.

i'd like to say one last thing. for every class in which grades were normalized against everyone else's scores, your lower standards and your attempts to bring me down have only made using you as a stepping stone more palatable. think about this.

 

[agentorange]

I concur 👍

same here.. if you never will need a LOR from this person, then i see no reason to not ask "how could i have improved my paper to deserve an A"

 

[TigerLilies]

Thanks so much for all your responses!! Should I go an see her in person (drop by her office) or should I email her?

Basically what reason could I provide as to why I care so much about getting it changed? (Like say applying for a scholarship, and it would greatly affect my chances or something?)

Thanks.

 

[frycek]

first, to the original poster, my thought is: don't try to get your teacher to change the grade. that's just really really not classy at all. however, you are absolutely entitled to ask her how she came up with the grade, and what you could have done differently to get an A. maybe this discussion will lead somewhere naturally about changing the grade, maybe not - but don't bring it up yourself.

if i put in the work for a damn A, then i'd better get my damn A, or you're going to hear from me

uhm... i don't agree with this statement in all its connotations. a good grade isn't something that can always be earned through work. there are some people who, no matter how hard they work, simply don't have the kind of natural instinct it takes to get an A in a certain subject - like Calculus, for example. in high school you could "earn" an A by showing the teacher you were willing to do extra work, but that doesn't cut it in college - you "earn" it by doing excellent work, not just hard work (but of course working hard is the best way to try to get to excellent work.)

but i do agree with the rest of the post as it regards grade inflation. i think it's pathetic how grades are so inflated now the only way to make a shade of distinction between the top of the class and bottom is to sprinkle in a few B+'s among the A's.

 

[TigerLilies]

first, to the original poster, my thought is: don't try to get your teacher to change the grade. that's just really really not classy at all. however, you are absolutely entitled to ask her how she came up with the grade, and what you could have done differently to get an A. maybe this discussion will lead somewhere naturally about changing the grade, maybe not - but don't bring it up yourself.


uhm... i don't agree with this statement in all its connotations. a good grade isn't something that can always be earned through work. there are some people who, no matter how hard they work, simply don't have the kind of natural instinct it takes to get an A in a certain subject - like Calculus, for example. in high school you could "earn" an A by showing the teacher you were willing to do extra work, but that doesn't cut it in college - you "earn" it by doing excellent work, not just hard work (but of course working hard is the best way to try to get to excellent work.)

but i do agree with the rest of the post as it regards grade inflation. i think it's pathetic how grades are so inflated now the only way to make a shade of distinction between the top of the class and bottom is to sprinkle in a few B+'s among the A's.

Thanks. This was a class that I took in the fall. So should I email her or just drop by her office?

 

[drat]

Thanks so much for all your responses!! Should I go an see her in person (drop by her office) or should I email her?

Basically what reason could I provide as to why I care so much about getting it changed? (Like say applying for a scholarship, and it would greatly affect my chances or something?)

Thanks.

Oh boy.

An A vs. A- will not "greatly affect" your chances at a scholarship unless it's a scholarship for people who only get A's in English. Your professor is not an idiot.

It seems like you are assuming the professor made a mistake in your grade. Certainly that was a kind comment your professor said, but that doesn't necessarily mean you will receive an A. Maybe, just maybe, you earned that A- (which isn't anything to hang your head about).

If you want to know what you could have done to earn that extra 0.33, talk to you professor, but I wouldn't go into his/her office anticipating a grade change. We all have examples in which we worked really hard and didn't get the outcome we expected. You are not unique...but these experiences make us realize that perfection is not attainable...It's a good lesson to learn your freshman year -- so you aren't totally burned out by your sophomore year.

 

[rugirlie]

We don't have minuses at my school!

I do, however, feel the same way as the OP when it comes to B+'s but I've gotten over it. Like the above poster, I don't think you should ask for your grade to be changed... professors HATE grade grubbers. If it really bothers you though, (just to beat the dead horse) like everyone else said, ask what you should have done to improve your grade... while your professor will probably still hate that you're asking even that, its doable if it really bugs ya.

 

[Haybrant]

you shouldnt listen to the people that say an A- is a good grade; it is, but if you deserve the A why settle for it; these are the same people that will cry in the future when their colleagues are earning $35/hr and they only get $28/hr. 28 aint bad, but it isnt 35. Or they will be the recording artists who cry about people downloading their music even tho they make 1 million +;

anyway, definetly do not email the prof. You need to talk to him/her in person, for multiple reasons I dont have time to elucidate. And no, dont give any cruddy reasons about a scholarship, just say you want what you deserve with no ulterior motives. Good luck

 

[drat]

you shouldnt listen to the people that say an A- is a good grade; it is, but if you deserve the A why settle for it

With all due respect, professor probably knows better than you if the student truly "deserved" an A. As I said before, the professor paid the OP a very nice compliment, but that in no way is a guaranteed A.

 

[bluedaisy]

I disagree. The benefit of going in person is that they can see you and, if it was last semester, better remember who you are, and, in my experience, it's much harder to say no to someone in person. On the other hand, I know that for myself I have a hard time saying anything about grades to a professor. I'm more likely to stammer or make myself look stupid(er). So, email lets me carefully compose something that isn't too emotional and that clearly conveys what I want to say. And it lets your prof respond in an unemotional way too, so that they don't feel as pressured by you; I think that's fairer to them. But that's just me and my dislike of confrontation. 😳

anyway, definetly do not email the prof. You need to talk to him/her in person, for multiple reasons I dont have time to elucidate.

 

[Cheerfulgrrl]

OP: I think you missed the point of many of these posts - if you know you earned an A (based on the papers you have gotten back), it is worthwhile to approach the professor in case there was a mistake. If there was a final, or final paper, you can ask about that (you SHOULD be curious about this) and as others have mentioned, ask for advice about how you could have brought your grade up. If there was a simple mistake made, the professor will figure that out, and you will also have some valuable feedback, along with the A you earned. If you earned an A-, you will have some valuable feedback about what you can do differently in the future.

Your post about manipulatively mentioning a scholarship is just troubling! If you actually earned an A- and that is so shocking to you, you should genuinely want to get some advice from the professor about what happened.

Act in such a way that you know you can be proud of yourself personally, not just for your grades.

 

[Medikit]

OP, my point was that if your teacher thinks you are a good student and gave you an A- then #1 you probably deserved an A-, and #2 like a normal person she probably considers an A- a very good grade.

 

[nick661806]

This is the reason why people hate pre-meds.

 

[Jezzielin]

has anyone asked for a prof to look at past grades, say classes from a semester ago? I have 2 classes that I got a 2.5 in - and both I missed the next grade up by 2 questions! Out of the entire semester! A 2.5 equals out to a B-/C+, but the thing that bugs me is that I KNOW got a B- because I was so close to a 3.0

Of course, the schools I apply to won't know that and might assume it is a C+ (I hate the way my school grades)... anyway, is it still okay to go back and talk to them about it? Is it too late? If not, how do I do that? I don't have any of the exams with me (they emailed us our exam scores, so mine are all erased off my computer)...

any help? 😱 getting a grade up on either would be A-MAZING for my gpa

 

[Haybrant]

I disagree... I'm more likely to stammer or make myself look stupid(er). So, email lets me carefully compose something that isn't too emotional and that clearly conveys what I want to say. And it lets your prof respond in an unemotional way too, so that they don't feel as pressured by you;... But that's just me and my dislike of confrontation. 😳

wow, you can be the first doctor to never see a patient and interact solely by email!

 

[scrappysurfer]

This is the reason why people hate pre-meds.

😍

life is about balance

 

[stoic]

ya, to the OP let this one go. it's not going to make a lick of difference in the long run and it WILL annoy your professor. i TA entery level bio classes and it is INFURITATING when people come and beg me for meaningless points.

just get an "A" in a harder, more important class instead. trust someone who is older and who has seen both sides of the issue, let it go.

 

[Code Brown]

I would go and talk to the professor about it and see if you can get a bump to the higher grade. It's not like the professor is going to drop your grade if they don't agree with you. It could also be the case that they misunderstood something in one of your final papers or final exams (even professors are slow sometimes) that could swing your score in the positive direction. Also, some professors don't want to deal with the hassle and will cave in and give you a higher grade just to get rid of you. Don't worry about what they think of you, just make sure this professor isn't a letter writer for you or someone you will have to deal with in the future. It's all a game anyway, so play along with it. There is nothing wrong with protecting your grades.

That said, I think this only works if you do it right away. You said this was for the fall semester right? Why would you wait until May to talk to them about it? Even the "cavers" won't likely budge this far out. That's like breaking up with someone, and six months later, trying to work things out. Too late.

 

[jimkat]

I have been out of school 10 years and I can tell you that in a few years your grades will be nothing more than a letter on a transcript. All that matters is the grade - the higher the better. I have talked 2 or 3 professors into changing my grade. It is definately worth a shot. You have to go in person - forget the email approach (you might want to set up the meeting by email). Don't be too agressive but just let them find a way to up your grade. Sometimes they will talk themselves into it. Some professors will be uncomfortable with the "confrontation" and might give in because they don't know how to say no. You might be right on the borderline and they will change it because you took the time to come in. Practice what you are going to say before you go in. Come up with a "sales pitch". As soon as they agree then say "thank you" and get out of there. Don't give them time to re-think it. The worst thing that can happen is that they can say no. Grade-***** or not, who cares! Having that A is worth the shot. You may have to do it again in the future so use it as practice.

 

[stoic]

*slams head into desk several times*

why is this A- such a big deal NOW as opposed to when you got it LAST SEMESTER? you'd better have a good freakin' answer b/c i promise your prof is going to ask you the same question.

it's an entry level english course. it does not matter. go get A's in upper level courses. that looks a lot better than A's in easy classes anyway.

 

[TigerLilies]

I have been out of school 10 years and I can tell you that in a few years your grades will be nothing more than a letter on a transcript. All that matters is the grade - the higher the better. I have talked 2 or 3 professors into changing my grade. It is definately worth a shot. You have to go in person - forget the email approach (you might want to set up the meeting by email). Don't be too agressive but just let them find a way to up your grade. Sometimes they will talk themselves into it. Some professors will be uncomfortable with the "confrontation" and might give in because they don't know how to say no. You might be right on the borderline and they will change it because you took the time to come in. Practice what you are going to say before you go in. Come up with a "sales pitch". As soon as they agree then say "thank you" and get out of there. Don't give them time to re-think it. The worst thing that can happen is that they can say no. Grade-***** or not, who cares! Having that A is worth the shot. You may have to do it again in the future so use it as practice.

Thanks, but what should I say? I am kind of nervous and unfortunately not that well with words. 🙁

 

[jimkat]

Thanks, but what should I say? I am kind of nervous and unfortunately not that well with words. 🙁

Thanks a tough one because only you know your situation. I doubt the prof made a mistake with the grade. You need to know your grades on all the exams, etc... if you don't know already. I would go with something like "I just wanted to see what happened on my final....." and then take it from there. Let the prof talk and don't interrupt. Don't try to make up a BS story, they will see right through it. Your best shot is if you are on the border between 2 grades, then try and point out to the prof an area where maybe she graded something a little too tough or didn't get your point, etc... If she is in a good mood then maybe she will kick you a few extra points and bump you up. You should have gone to her as soon as the grade was issued but I would still go in anyway. If you are never going to see this prof again then who cares if they get a little annoyed. They will forget about it as soon as you walk out the door. Believe me, other students work their professors for grades all the time. As long as you are not rude and are not wasting their time with a stupid argument, they will respect you for trying. I just did in on a physics exam. The prof basically kicked me out of his office (in a friendly way) and said "no" when I questioned his grading on a few questions. Then he changed my grade online a few days later. All you can do is ask. Then forget about it and move on.

 

[TigerLilies]

Thanks a tough one because only you know your situation. I doubt the prof made a mistake with the grade. You need to know your grades on all the exams, etc... if you don't know already. I would go with something like "I just wanted to see what happened on my final....." and then take it from there. Let the prof talk and don't interrupt. Don't try to make up a BS story, they will see right through it. Your best shot is if you are on the border between 2 grades, then try and point out to the prof an area where maybe she graded something a little too tough or didn't get your point, etc... If she is in a good mood then maybe she will kick you a few extra points and bump you up. You should have gone to her as soon as the grade was issued but I would still go in anyway. If you are never going to see this prof again then who cares if they get a little annoyed. They will forget about it as soon as you walk out the door. Believe me, other students work their professors for grades all the time. As long as you are not rude and are not wasting their time with a stupid argument, they will respect you for trying. I just did in on a physics exam. The prof basically kicked me out of his office (in a friendly way) and said "no" when I questioned his grading on a few questions. Then he changed my grade online a few days later. All you can do is ask. Then forget about it and move on.

Thank you and everyone for your responses, I greatly appreciate it!! 🙂