Surprised about a grade... what should I say to the prof?

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buttahz

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I'm a junior, and I've never even asked a professor for a grade breakdown after it was submitted, so I'm a bit nervous and unsure about handling this.

It's a 4 credit humanities/social science class. I had an A/A- in more than 55% of the class: the midterm and presentations. I ended up with a B in the course, meaning I must have gotten Cs in the final and participation, which I really don't think is the case. The participation, possibly, because even though I spoke in class quite a lot, I occasionally came in late. HOwever, I'd be really upset if I got a C on the final, because that would mean I have reallllly inaccurate self-assessment of my own writing quality. I followed instructions to a T, and I answered every part of the question... so that just suggests I am unaware of my ****ty writing skills 🙁

So... how can I frame this email to the two professors who ran the class? They may be on campus, in which case I prefer to speak to them in person. So far, I have:

"Dear Professors _____ and ______,
I would like to know my final and participation grade for this class. I performed within the A/A- range for the midterm and final, and a plurality of check pluses on the weekly papers. I want to know what dropped my grade down to a B, and how I could improve my performance for the future. I'm also curious to hear your feedback on my final paper, and would like to know what mistakes I made in writing it.

Thank you,

"

Should I email them both individually, or in the same message?

I'm really tempted to ask if this might be some sort of mistake, but I don't think that would go over well. I've never even asked for an extension before, so please help. I don't want to push my role as a student by being too entitled. I feel awkward and upset about this...
 
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Profs make mistakes entering grades all the time. Try being a little more courteous in your email if possible. I'd email them both the same message.

Edit: if they are on campus, go to their office
 
If i was in your situation, I would just be very upfront about it.

Hello ______,
I was just wondering what was my grade breakdown for your class, and if you are able to give me my grade for the final and participation. I would very much appreciate it.

Thank you,
_______

It would probably be better if you just find the professor on campus and talk to them directly if possible. You would get your answer much faster.
 
And yes, it is true that professors do make mistakes, especially if the class size is relatively large. I knew a guy who got his grade bumped up 13 points because the professor mis-graded. That can possibly be the case with you. Stay optimistic until you know absolutely why you got that B.
 
OP, I think that the response you have is a little too accusatory. While some profs do make mistakes, some are also very deliberate about grading. I'd go with something more along the lines of what Economics wrote. Good luck!
 
Could be a bit more sneaky/humble....

Dear Prof,

I was disappointed in the grade I received in your course this past semester, and hoped to achieve a higher grade. If time permits, I would be very open to any feedback you are able to provide so I may improve my performance in future classes. I would also very much like to see my final, if possible, so I can see what mistakes I made and which information I should have studied harder.

Thank you for your time,

GoldenBoy
 
I had pretty much the same thing happen to me my junior year. Had a Latin American Studies class i'd been acing all quarter end up with a B. I emailed my teacher saying I was disappointed with what must have been a really lousy final paper and asked if he had some feedback he could send me about why I did so poorly. Turned out he had straight up forgotten to enter my final paper. Be civil about it and I'm sure they'll be happy to help.
 
Thank you for your time,

GoldenBoy

Lmao wth, I'm not a goldenboy -_- I just don't want to **** up and piss them off. I have terrible people skills as it is.
 
I would probably go with the below quoted. Professors are busy, keep it short, polite, and to the point. You could maybe add "My grade seems to have dropped quite a bit from my initial performance so I'd just like to get an idea of what happened. Thank you" In person might be better too, but using the same basic wording.

I actually had a class where I was discussing some difficult quiz questions with the TA. I'd been a bit worried after the first one and was told I was doing quite a bit better than everyone else. Final grade showed up as a B-, needless to say I was confused since I was getting high grades on all my work. Went and talked to the instructor and his response was "Oops, yeah, that must be a typo. You had the highest grade in the class. I'll get that fixed for you right away." Real final grade, A.

If i was in your situation, I would just be very upfront about it.

Hello ______,
I was just wondering what was my grade breakdown for your class, and if you are able to give me my grade for the final and participation. I would very much appreciate it.

Thank you,
_______

It would probably be better if you just find the professor on campus and talk to them directly if possible. You would get your answer much faster.
 
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