Well thanks for nada.
Last edited:
Professor won't give me a makeup exam?
- Thread starter afk94
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2015
- Messages
- 253
- Reaction score
- 153
If you didn't get his initial promise in writing/e-mail initially, there isn't much you can do, as it's your word against his (and any department chair or representative will take his word over yours, especially when you're bargaining for grades). Study hard for the final (a B in orgo will not keep you out of med school lol).
Always better to have documentation in these situations.
Always better to have documentation in these situations.
D
deleted480308
Yep...after the first conversation you should have sent an email "dr. So-and-so, to summarize out earlier discussion, I undertand that.......is how we will proceed"
If it's not in writing, it didn't happen
If it's not in writing, it didn't happen
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2015
- Messages
- 322
- Reaction score
- 308
Honestly, to me, you're lucky he even at first considered allowing you to take a makeup exam "if your grade is not where you want it to be after exam 3." Professors at my school would say "That sucks you're sick but that's going to be the test that will be dropped for you" and leave it at that. I don't mean to come off as harsh or rude, but honestly you should just suck it up. That's how life is - it's not fair. You performed at that level on the 3rd exam and should deserve that grade in my opinion but that's because that's how my school works! I hope I don't sound too harsh. Bottom-line, you're lucky you get an exam dropped in the first place. Just let it go. (And this is probably what the Chem department will tell you too!)
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2010
- Messages
- 74,425
- Reaction score
- 119,423
So you didn't do what you were supposed to so, and he's at fault? Start by living up to your responsibilities If you can'take a W for the course. Or, one C won't kill you. But be more responsible from now on.
I'm not saying everyone should do this, but OP's story reminded me that during a final for a summer Histology course, I got hit bad by food poisoning. I still managed to get an A in the course!
The syllabus even says "There will be no make-up examinations, unless a student has a documented, university-approved excuse. It is the studentʼs responsibility to make/reschedule the make-up exam(s)."
I don't know what to do. Grades are due in 2 days and I don't know who to talk to. I'll probably go to my advisor, but the head of the chemistry department is notorious for being a douche. Any advice
I'm not saying everyone should do this, but OP's story reminded me that during a final for a summer Histology course, I got hit bad by food poisoning. I still managed to get an A in the course!
The syllabus even says "There will be no make-up examinations, unless a student has a documented, university-approved excuse. It is the studentʼs responsibility to make/reschedule the make-up exam(s)."
I don't know what to do. Grades are due in 2 days and I don't know who to talk to. I'll probably go to my advisor, but the head of the chemistry department is notorious for being a douche. Any advice
I have a doctors note.
Is this a doctor's note saying you went to see the doctor or a doctor's note saying you were too sick to take the exam? If it's the former, I doubt you'll get a different response from the department whereas you might have a fighting chance if it's the latter. Also, you never said how you did on the final.
I guess it's not university approved....
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2014
- Messages
- 9,272
- Reaction score
- 11,010
OP, I also strongly suggest you don't say "the head of the chemistry department is notorious for being a douche" if/when you are asked by AdCom members about a C in ochem. Just... no.
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2013
- Messages
- 909
- Reaction score
- 419
Interesting. I actually missed a quiz for one of my classes this morning. Ask the professor for extra credit?
H
HCHopeful
Your professor drops 1 out of 3 exams?
The grade inflation is strong with this one.
The grade inflation is strong with this one.
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2013
- Messages
- 909
- Reaction score
- 419
My first thought. When I took Ochem, we had 4 exams and a final, not a single was dropped.
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2009
- Messages
- 1,988
- Reaction score
- 2,576
Noted
Noted again.
This is something that people (especially the multitude of people who come to the ED for a doctor's note) don't seem to understand.
A doctor's note is not an excuse. It serves 2 functions
1) to document that at time X, you were at the doctor's office
2) to document if you have medical limitations on your level of activity
Our note does not excuse you from anything. It does not obligate your employer to give you a day off work. It does not obligate your school to make concessions to you. It does not obligate your spouse to do all the dishes for you.
When you get one of these notes you then take it to whomever, and see what sort of concessions (if any) they make. Your employer may look at the doctor's note that says you shouldn't lift more than 10 lbs and say you can't work and so you don't get paid until that restriction is lifted. They might find you a desk job. They might authorize sick days and sick pay. Ultimately the decision as to what to do with the note is up to your employer (or your school, etc). There is no authority in the doctor's note.
I would rather not have any dropped. I know the exam 2 material extremely well and could definitely get an A.
Not necessarily. If the class is graded on a curve - i.e. where everybody is actually ranked and fitted to the curve - then dropping a test for everybody wouldn't inflate the grades. It might change where individuals are on the curve but it wouldn't change the overall grade distribution.
H
HCHopeful
I have a suspicion it's not graded on a curve. But yes, if it is, then you're correct.
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2014
- Messages
- 14,146
- Reaction score
- 22,788
That's how my Ochem was. 4-5 exams with averages in the 30s or low 40s, lowest was dropped, curve was generated using everyone's best 4. This system helps deal with cases of sickness, emergency absence etc as the syllabus can just say "missed exam becomes your drop" with the added bonus of removing low outliers such as from a normally stellar student having a bunch of other exams that week. Has nothing to do with inflation
H
HCHopeful
If there is no curve set, it absolutely has to do with inflation.
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2014
- Messages
- 14,146
- Reaction score
- 22,788
You can still pseudocurve using absolute/raw grading from prior year's experience. That's how my GenChem was done. 5 tests, drop lowest, raw total cutoffs for A/B/C. But every test had almost the exactly predicted C median (range 73-76 iirc) and the end distribution had a low B median because our student body could be perfectly predicted based on prior ones. If they'd wanted to they could've had five tests, drop one, raw scoring with a D median. It really has nothing to do with inflation.
H
HCHopeful
I've had a humanities class in which 1 out of 4 tests was dropped. I scored 2 A's, 1 B, and 1 low D on the tests. I would have received a B- in the class had all of the tests counted, but instead I received an A because that D was dropped.
Inflation.
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2014
- Messages
- 14,146
- Reaction score
- 22,788
/s? Inflation is a class having an A- median. It is independent of grading method. They could've just graded your class insanely easy to make your scores 3 A+'s and a low B, does keeping all four of those make it a deflated class?
H
HCHopeful
My school is notorious for grade inflation. So yes, inflation is exactly what's being done.
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2014
- Messages
- 14,146
- Reaction score
- 22,788
Now I'm really lost. You're saying it is inherently inflationary because it is one possible way to inflate? You can inflate on any grading system. Curved vs raw scores, with or without drops. Grading methods are not themselves inflationary or deflationary. You can give very few or very many A's on any system
H
HCHopeful
Dads will be dads.
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2014
- Messages
- 14,146
- Reaction score
- 22,788
Uhhh the green gecko howls at midnight?
It also helps relieve some of the immense stress that a lot of people are under. If you know that the lowest grade will be dropped, you can rest easy knowing that if you make a few mistakes, it won't hurt you. But the art is then to not use your dropped exam too early - then you're under stress again the rest of the semester.
One question: was there no curve in the class? That is, if everybody has 3 A's and a B, then everybody gets an A?
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2010
- Messages
- 74,425
- Reaction score
- 119,423
Have y'all noticed how OP changed his/her first post? Someone didn't hear what they wanted to hear.
The closest I ever did have WAS a built in curve....but our jaws dropped when we saw it! We said students do that bad?? He said, I'll be surprised if 2 of you get an A.
He was right mostly everyone hung on with a C.
He was right mostly everyone hung on with a C.
