Need to Vent - Has this happened to anyone else?

[Z-Qualizer]

So I'm doing some DIY GPA repair...

and the grading scale for this particular course is: 93 - 100% A, 90 - <93% A-, etc.

I ended up with... a 92.99%. And guess what grade the professor is giving me? Yup, an A minus!!

I sent her a friendly, professional email, asking her to reconsider... yet she won't budge on the grade.

Does this seem a little ridiculous to anyone else? Or am I just being a petty, entitled, brat?

Thanks for letting me vent.

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[darknecrosforte]

A little late on building relationships with your professors. Additionally, when you consider that grades are very likely already submitted to the department or college, having her change it probably involves crazy paperwork and may pose a risk to losing reputation as an impartial grader. If you were a professor, wouldn't such an email come across as anything but friendly or professional?

On a positive note, A- equals 3.7, which does little harm to a consistently good GPA.

I sent her a friendly, professional email, asking her to reconsider... yet she won't budge on the grade.

 

[Mad Jack]

Your professor doesn't owe you anything. If they give you the A, it's nice, but if they don't, that's totally fair and fine. Getting butthurt about it is, as you say, being a "petty, entitled brat."

 

[BluMist]

agree with what @darknecrosforte posted. if this is your first contact with the professor, then it definitely come across as entitled. you had the entire quarter/semester to get to 93%, and assuming you had the syllabus since day one.

In the grand scheme of things, a 3.7 won't matter too much. With that said, it definitely can be frustrating to lose out on the .3 when you're that close.

 

[Dullhead]

Be thankful you have +/- grading. I took two courses this semester and the cutoff was 90 on both. An 89.99 would have been a B on both. 3.0 vs 4.0 for 0.01% as compared to 3.67 vs 4.0 as in your case.

 

[Z-Qualizer]

A little late on building relationships with your professors. Additionally, when you consider that grades are very likely already submitted to the department or college, having her change it probably involves crazy paperwork and may pose a risk to losing reputation as an impartial grader. If you were a professor, wouldn't such an email come across as anything but friendly or professional?

On a positive note, A- equals 3.7, which does little harm to a consistently good GPA.

Yes, that's true, but I actually thought I had a good rapport with her throughout the semester. I also didn't wait until the final grades were posted - I emailed her when the grades were in the "interim" phase. The grades stay here for 3-4 days before the professors submit them into the "final" queue. The purpose of this, is it gives students an opportunity to dispute grades with their professors, which is exactly what I did. However, she ignored my email and made the grade final.

What's done is done, my main point in posting was to vent... and see if others had experienced anything similar.

 

[Z-Qualizer]

Be thankful you have +/- grading. I took two courses this semester and the cutoff was 90 on both. An 89.99 would have been a B on both. 3.0 vs 4.0 for 0.01% as compared to 3.67 vs 4.0 as in your case.

Tough break, man... but it sounds like on your scale, a 92.99 would have given me a solid A.

 

[Dullhead]

Tough break, man... but it sounds like on your scale, a 92.99 would have given me a solid A.

To clarify, those were not my grades, but my point was that with the +/- grading, at least you lost only 0.34 GPA points. At my college, you'd lose 1.0 on the GPA even though you were so close.

 

[Z-Qualizer]

To clarify, those were not my grades, but my point was that with the +/- grading, at least you lost only 0.34 GPA points. At my college, you'd lose 1.0 on the GPA even though you were so close.

Ah gotcha, thanks for clarifying.

 

[Mad Jack]

Yes, that's true, but I actually thought I had a good rapport with her throughout the semester. I also didn't wait until the final grades were posted - I emailed her when the grades were in the "interim" phase. The grades stay here for 3-4 days before the professors submit them into the "final" queue. The purpose of this, is it gives students an opportunity to dispute grades with their professors, which is exactly what I did. However, she ignored my email and made the grade final.

What's done is done, my main point in posting was to vent... and see if others had experienced anything similar.

The only B- I ever got (which actually substantially changed the course of my life by limiting my ability to get into certain programs due to their B prerequisite requirement) was by such a slim margin (I think I had an 82.9%).

 

[Meeehai]

So I'm doing some DIY GPA repair...

and the grading scale for this particular course is: 93 - 100% A, 90 - <93% A-, etc.

I ended up with... a 92.99%. And guess what grade the professor is giving me? Yup, an A minus!!

I sent her a friendly, professional email, asking her to reconsider... yet she won't budge on the grade.

Does this seem a little ridiculous to anyone else? Or am I just being a petty, entitled, brat?

Thanks for letting me vent.

View attachment 198745

View attachment 198746

Unlucky. Time to move on though.

 

[esob]

Bah, personally I hate the +/- system and purposely chose to attend schools that don't employ it. Making a 90+ is not so hard but making a 94 is often much more difficult. In my case, I have 87 hrs at a cGPA of 3.93 and if I would have been on a plus minus system I'm betting it would be closer to a 3.7

 

[BluMist]

While I understand the "hate" and frustration, I feel like it is more skewed on SDN as everyone's gunning for As.
It is a different story when someone is sitting at 88 looking at a 3.0 instead of a 3.3 in a +/- system. Too bad you cannot pick and choose

Bah, personally I hate the +/- system and purposely chose to attend schools that don't employ it. Making a 90+ is not so hard but making a 94 is often much more difficult. In my case, I have 87 hrs at a cGPA of 3.93 and if I would have been on a plus minus system I'm betting it would be closer to a 3.7

 

[lilyzoo]

Hi OP, I'm on the same boat. I took a undergrad level "intro to stats" the past semester. Since I already have a master's degree in stats (degree from another country, med schools don't count), I thought this course would be a breeze. I skipped classes (I have a full time job as a statistician and taking 4 courses at the same time), did the homeworks and only attended the midterm and final. In the end, I got a 93.77%. And the cutoff for A is 94%. So frustrated, and, embarrassed!!

 

[jl lin]

It happened once to me, and the professor was a doctor of podiatry, and a really cool person. I think it was getting near closing things down, and when he started wrapping things up, there you go.. . freaking A-. I think he put it into his program and it came up as it came up, minimal or not, the cut-off was set. Dude was cool enough that if I had asked, he might have cut me a break. I really don't know, cuz I didn't ask, and it was getting near the holidays. I calculated all my numbers, and though it was as small as yours, I actually had a weird acceptance about it, b/c I knew if I had cut some stuff out, the solid A would have been there--even in spite of some stressful crap. Overall, there was no reason it shouldn't have been more solid. I only hurt myself. Course I was doing and taking a lot, and, again, but had I let something go and focused just a teeny, tiny bit more, it would have been a solid A. After that class, I learned a good lesson, and I thank the good doctor for teaching it to me. (Of course b/c he is just a nice, cool sort of guy, there was no way I could have been bitter with him. He had tons of students and had to wrap things up and get on with his stuff in life too. )

Bottom line is this. If you want a solid A, you can't half-azz it at any point in certain courses. Sure stressful things happen, and things don't go so perfectly well. That's a lesson too, b/c often enough that is how life works. Sure as hell worked that way for a number of patients over the years--the best laid plans by the brightest and the best in the team go to hell b/c the patient is just too damn sick and things are too far out of control for anyone but God. It happens. It's frustrating as hell. It's life.

It's OK you need to vent. I can be perfectionistic too. But then put it in it's proper place and move on. You will be alright.

 

[NonTrad16]

I remember a lab course where we worked in pairs, and grades were combined so the lab grade should have been 100% the same between partners. (We maintained the same pairs through the course, were supposed to divide work, etc.) My partner got an A, I got an A-. The professor never responded to my e-mail asking if it was a mistake, and thus I moved on because it didn't matter. I was in a graduate program, so research was all that mattered. It was annoying to type that into my application...

 

[Eccesignum]

Bled for an A in Physics II, by the numbers. Professor congratulated me for job well done...then accidentally entered a B as my grade, and left the country for the summer. I couldn't get in touch with him before AMCAS submission.

Spent all summer freaking out.

In the end, nobody cared.

 

[jl lin]

Bled for an A in Physics II, by the numbers. Professor congratulated me for job well done...then accidentally entered a B as my grade, and left the country for the summer. I couldn't get in touch with him before AMCAS submission.

Spent all summer freaking out.

In the end, nobody cared.

OK. That one sucks too.

 

[futuremdforme]

I'd be really frustrated too. I'm surprised that she didn't round up.

I'll share my frustrating grading story too. Where I went to school, we didn't get a separate grade for lab and the class portion, and you had to pass the final to pass everything. So I know people who solidly passed the course, failed the final, and failed the course despite their mark being 6% more than the criteria to pass.

 

[Goro]

Quit your whining.

So I'm doing some DIY GPA repair...

and the grading scale for this particular course is: 93 - 100% A, 90 - <93% A-, etc.

I ended up with... a 92.99%. And guess what grade the professor is giving me? Yup, an A minus!!

I sent her a friendly, professional email, asking her to reconsider... yet she won't budge on the grade.

Does this seem a little ridiculous to anyone else? Or am I just being a petty, entitled, brat?

Thanks for letting me vent.

View attachment 198745

View attachment 198746

 

[GreenDuck12]

While a round up would be nice, it isn't ethical. Grading policies are stated in the syllabus and should be followed dispassionately. Either you make it or you don't, simple as that. I say this both as a teacher and as a student who has had a 0.01% separate me from a higher and lower grade. I get the frustration but it is misplaced.

 

[619959]

This bothers me so much also, it happened to me (unfortunately this semester) for one my classes :'(
How is it possible that B+, A, and A- = A- as the final grade and A-, A, and A- is also= A-?
Feel you bro... *virtual hug*

 

[DrMikeP]

Ultimately, it's your fault. Not because you made the .99 but because you didn't establish a close relationship with your professor. People are more likely to help those they know who volunteer to help with class stuff, pick up crap left by fellow lab students, stop by the office to ask questions and get to know them, actually are sincerely interested in their research, ask the prof about what got them interested in chemistry, etc, but just don't come across as a suck-up that really doesn't care.

I was able to get an A- bumped to an A for a class because I got to know the professor. That goes for the professor AND at some schools even more so for you getting to know the TA. Many schools have the TA do everything but submit the final grades, which are electronically provided to the professor. You will also need rec letters so use caution in whining about an A- at school, because we professors love to talk to each other about annoying/whiny students!

If making the "-" keeps you out of med school then you have much bigger problems so step away and worry about more important things.

 

[619959]

I was able to get an A- bumped to an A for a class because I got to know the professor. That goes for the professor AND at some schools even more so for you getting to know the TA. Many schools have the TA do everything but submit the final grades, which are electronically provided to the professor. You will also need rec letters so use caution in whining about an A- at school, because we professors love to talk to each other about annoying/whiny students!

I am going to email my professor now; I believe it's worth a try

 

[jl lin]

I was able to get an A- bumped to an A for a class because I got to know the professor. That goes for the professor AND at some schools even more so for you getting to know the TA. Many schools have the TA do everything but submit the final grades, which are electronically provided to the professor. You will also need rec letters so use caution in whining about an A- at school, because we professors love to talk to each other about annoying/whiny students!

Yes, and you can believe that happens here not just perhaps among adcoms and such, but between students and professor/adcoms. You can tell by the polarities and other dynamics. Not too hard to figure out; but eh. Whatever.
My profs liked me, and I graduated w/ high honors from my university. The A- didn't kill me.

 

[LaughingGas]

In retrospect, would you be ok calling someone a doctor who did pass their courses at 69.99% b/c the professors bumped their grades? I know tests are not the best tool to measure someone's intelligence.But these standards are there for a reason; accept it and move on.

 

[atomi]

They have to drawn the line in the sand somewhere. If the prof gave you an A for a 92.99%, what about the student with the 92.98%? Ok, he gets an A too, what about the student with the 92.97%? Ok... see my point?

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Your professor doesn't owe you anything. If they give you the A, it's nice, but if they don't, that's totally fair and fine. Getting butthurt about it is, as you say, being a "petty, entitled brat."

Things that the OP never said include "professor owes me something, "it isn't fair" and "it isn't fine." Can you honestly say you wouldn't feel frustrated you missed a grade by .01%? I sure as **** would, and I think it's normal. Pretending everything must roll off you and never affect you is ludicrous.

 

[Z-Qualizer]

Things that the OP never said include "professor owes me something, "it isn't fair" and "it isn't fine." Can you honestly say you wouldn't feel frustrated you missed a grade by .01%? I sure as **** would, and I think it's normal. Pretending everything must roll off you and never affect you is ludicrous.

Thanks, AlbinoHawk!

 

[deleted731525]

Im going to say be grateful you had defined cutoffs in the syllabus. At my school(a state school with a med school), almost all of the pre-reqs were on a true curve, and the students were ranked with between 5-15% of the class getting an A depending on the class. True survival of the fittest, and it was even worse because they didnt tell you what % gets an A but I remember for some classes like physics I had an A at like an 87 overall and there were people with B's(not a B+, a B) at 85. So I was always grateful for the few classes where grade cutoffs were predetermined even if they were strict about them.

 

[jl lin]

Things that the OP never said include "professor owes me something, "it isn't fair" and "it isn't fine." Can you honestly say you wouldn't feel frustrated you missed a grade by .01%? I sure as **** would, and I think it's normal. Pretending everything must roll off you and never affect you is ludicrous.

True, but you do get over it. Hopefully. I take this thread for the reason it was posted--simply as a VENTING thread. So, cool, vent. Some of us can indeed relate, but we all seemed to have gotten over it. To me it is a bit ridiculous. But there are plenty of hardazzes in the world that would serve their students better by acts of encouragement.
It's really not the same thing as giving a kid .01% or > over the determined dose of medicine.

But I say, let the person vent and some of us will share, knowing there is are all sorts of ridiculousness in the world.
My other point is that is you are going to concentrate you efforts on doing solid A work, you have be on that and stay on that through the entire process. But life does happen, so all things considered, an A- isn't bad--in this situation, it's more on the annoying side, with the understanding that next one would have stay on that A all the way through.

And they wonder why pre-meds are neurotic. It's b/c of stuff like this. But Dr. Mike's point seems valid too.
I will have good interactions with my professors, but I am not one to pucker up and kiss anyone's bottom--not saying anyone is here (but we know all know how these people operate and call it "networking."), and I am not one to stalk, hound, or even play subtle games in order to garner favor--some people are experts at playing these games, and indeed it can help them go far. Others of us don't really have the personality for it. Given that I had checked my scores and what was weighted and how, and given it was right before the holidays, I said, "It is as it is." I wasn't gonna chase the poor man down on his ski trip. I accepted it and moved on.

Now @Eccesignum 's situation to me would have been a lot tougher to have rolling around in my mind, given that she sweated for an A, earned it, and the B was a typo or miswrite. But she had to wait to straighten it out, and she got accepted into MS, so, Hooray!

 

[Summerlax2016]

Bah, personally I hate the +/- system and purposely chose to attend schools that don't employ it. Making a 90+ is not so hard but making a 94 is often much more difficult. In my case, I have 87 hrs at a cGPA of 3.93 and if I would have been on a plus minus system I'm betting it would be closer to a 3.7

If it makes you feel any better I have a history class right now where the cut off for an A is 97, an A- is 93-96.99

 

[ChE04]

That sucks man. Happened to me 4 different times in med school. You'll be alright though.

 

[ChE04]

Quit your whining.

Why should he/her? This is a public forum for premeds and missing the cutoff by 0.01% sucks. You're an adcom and supposed to be looking for students with compassion to become future doctors, show a little yourself.

 

[Goro]

Complaining about an A- merits zero sympathy from me. And I'm not going to be a doctor, so I don't need to display compassion, especially for the entitled.

Why should he/her? This is a public forum for premeds and missing the cutoff by 0.01% sucks. You're an adcom and supposed to be looking for students with compassion to become future doctors, show a little yourself.

 

[Gandyy]

I mean it does suck when this happens, its happened to me before, and it does drop the gpa for that class from a 4.0 to a 3.7, but you still didnt earn it technically. Basically you'll get over it.

 

[DrMikeP]

But Dr. Mike's point seems valid too.
I will have good interactions with my professors, but I am not one to pucker up and kiss anyone's bottom--not saying anyone is here (but we know all know how these people operate and call it "networking."), and I am not one to stalk, hound, or even play subtle games in order to garner favor--some people are experts at playing these games, and indeed it can help them go far. Others of us don't really have the personality for it. Given that I had checked my scores and what was weighted and how, and given it was right before the holidays, I said, "It is as it is." I wasn't gonna chase the poor man down on his ski trip. I accepted it and moved on.

Just to add a bit, there is a huge difference in healthy networking and being a brown nose or fake suck up. Ultimately, we all need LORs and we should have a strong interest in science being we want to be in medicine, so getting to know/work with a prof is invaluable. I learned the value of getting to know the profs in undergrad the second time through, and it helped me greatly. So now I'm more than happy to go the extra bit to help a student who goes the extra mile vs. one who just shows and takes a test. Spotting a suck up or flirt is easy as they don't ask sincere questions or really try to learn, but will ask crap they already know the answer to. However, once the term is done, it's done, and if someone emailed me about an A- while I was on a ski trip I would laugh, show my wife, and we would both just laugh some more.

Not necessarily saying it about the OP, but it interesting though at the sense of entitlement that appears to be increasing in students these days. Parents will even call asking for favors to be done for their children who did nothing to earn it or even make threats if they feel you weren't sympathetic enough with their child. So, while I will help a student I have little tolerance for a student whining. There is a huge difference in being empathic with a patient and babying a whining student.