What should I do about an undeserved grade?

[Shirafune]

I worked hard in a creative writing class and produced a lot of good work. I do not doubt this claim because the instructor has given good remarks on my pieces, but my whole family ended up with a crippling cold that had me in bed for a good week and crappy for a few weeks after. But of course I can't just miss all my classes for an entire week seeing as I am on the quarter system.

I decided that the best course of action was to email my instructor with my homework as evidence that I completed it and apologized for not being able to go to class. I intended to only miss one class, but my cold made it pretty much impossible for me to go. I emailed him on both occasions asking for a way to make up the missed class. He gave me an extra assignment for the first class, but, understandably, could not help me with the second class. I replied that I was worried about not being able to get an A, just because I was sick for a week. He replied with "Not going to happen. You're definitely on track for an A in my class." I ended up with a B+.

I want to make it clear that I did not slack off in the second half of the quarter and the quality of my work did not change. I also have a great track record for all my classes so my first B, in a creative writing course at that, was definitely unexpected. I asked for a grade review, but he told me that I had to contact him during Spring Quarter. I am currently on spring break so the quarter starts next week. I asked him if he had any time next week. I'm waiting on his reply.

How far should I take this? I am not sure how to approach this or how to talk about getting an A when I actually meet with him in person. What if things don't work out? Should I go to his supervisor? I am pretty stubborn when it comes to getting a grade I deserve. I just don't want this to drag on for weeks on end. I'm looking for advice from people that have been in a similar situation and have had success with their grades being changed.

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[Mornhavon]

.

 

[Shirafune]

Sounds like you should start looking into DO school. Maybe Carib.

ouch

 

[lnvictus]

even worse, DENTAL SCHOOL

 

[NorCalPremed]

Some profs just don't give a crap. Didn't read whole post, but I've only heard of ppl getting a grade changed because the final or some midterm was incorrectly or unfairly graded, and the points were enough to boost them. A B+ to an A seems like a jump though. good luck with that

 

[Mornhavon]

.

 

[Papa Doc]

I think you should lay out what you just said to the professor. And state that while a B+ is not a bad score (he will surely try to convince you that it is a great score and not a big deal) it can be bad for someone who strives to get all A's and wants to go to a top medical school (not to mention works very hard to get said grades). If he can't understand then I most definitely think you should take it to the department chair or someone of authority. It may not be a big deal to some but if it is to you it deserves the attention of the department. There is nothing worse than putting in the work and not getting the result. Best of luck!!

 

[Ace-Co-A]

ouch

It was a joke. You're fine.

 

[Shirafune]

It was a joke. You're fine.

haha i know i'm just playing along with it.

@Papa Doc thanks for the reply and i appreciate the advice

 

[Ace-Co-A]

I think you should lay out what you just said to the professor. And state that while a B+ is not a bad score (he will surely try to convince you that it is a great score and not a big deal) it can be bad for someone who strives to get all A's and wants to go to a top medical school (not to mention works very hard to get said grades). If he can't understand then I most definitely think you should take it to the department chair or someone of authority. It may not be a big deal to some but if it is to you it deserves the attention of the department. There is nothing worse than putting in the work and not getting the result. Best of luck!!

Is your handle a coincidence or a joke? If neither, it's a bit strange.

 

[Papa Doc]

Is your handle a coincidence or a joke? If neither, it's a bit strange.

It's actually just a joke between some close friends and I and stems from the antagonist in the move 8 Mile.

 

[lnvictus]

It's actually just a joke between some close friends and I and stems from the antagonist in the move 8 Mile.

This guy's a gangster??? HIS REAL NAME IS CLARENCE!!

 

[Theafoni]

Go talk to him after you return to school. Get a grade review, collect A.

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

This guy's a gangster??? HIS REAL NAME IS CLARENCE!!

He went to Cranbrook; that's a private school!

 

[Theafoni]

He went to Cranbrook; that's a private school!

Ain't know such thing as half-ways crooks, **** cranbrook

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

Take the B+ and move on with your life. This sense of entitlement (but...but...but...I deserve an A!) will not serve you well in life. You'll still get into medical school with one or a few B+ on your record.

 

[EngineerPreMD]

Take the B+ and move on with your life. This sense of entitlement (but...but...but...I deserve an A!) will not serve you well in life. You'll still get into medical school with one or a few B+ on your record.

I don't know. I mean I'm tempted to say, yeah just take it and chill out, but if you took this attitude every time it would add up. I once failed two consecutive lab reports because put lab 3 in the lab 4 box and vice-versa, the prof knew exactly what happened and didn't care. It gets to you. In an ideal world you'd say, "**** happens" and move on, but there's nothing wrong with taking actions towards improving your chances of living the kind of life you want. Yeah, talk it out with the prof. Maybe it'll work, maybe not. If not, "**** happens."

 

[Theafoni]

I don't know. I mean I'm tempted to say, yeah just take it and chill out, but if you took this attitude every time it would add up. I once failed two consecutive lab reports because put lab 3 in the lab 4 box and vice-versa, the prof knew exactly what happened and didn't care. It gets to you. In an ideal world you'd say, "**** happens" and move on, but there's nothing wrong with taking actions towards improving your chances of living the kind of life you want. Yeah, talk it out with the prof. Maybe it'll work, maybe not. If not, "**** happens."

Definitely. I mean it's your transcript after all, if you're aiming for that 4.0, you don't want to get a B+ in lib ed.

 

[LuciusVorenus]

Did he tell you you were on track for an A during the second half of the quarter? Your work might not have changed to YOU but maybe he decided you didn't deserve an A. Maybe he was looking for some improvement in your writing and he didn't see it so he gave you a B+.

Honestly OP, right now your post sounds like "my professor said I was on track for an A during week 5 but then gave me a B+ after week 10. should I complain to the dean?!" Unless you have the grades to show you earned an A over all 10 weeks, he's not going to raise your grade for you. This is different from putting your lab report in the wrong box.

You don't really have anything to lose, but as others have said a sense of entitlement isn't necessarily a good thing.

 

[Shirafune]

Did he tell you you were on track for an A during the second half of the quarter? Your work might not have changed to YOU but maybe he decided you didn't deserve an A. Maybe he was looking for some improvement in your writing and he didn't see it so he gave you a B+.

Honestly OP, right now your post sounds like "my professor said I was on track for an A during week 5 but then gave me a B+ after week 10. should I complain to the dean?!" Unless you have the grades to show you earned an A over all 10 weeks, he's not going to raise your grade for you. This is different from putting your lab report in the wrong box.

You don't really have anything to lose, but as others have said a sense of entitlement isn't necessarily a good thing.

The grades I received in the second half of the quarter is similar to those I received in the first half. So no, it is not that my writing has not improved. He noted my skill on the very last assignment. And do not exaggerating my post, I said that I would talk to him first and then talk to his supervisor if he was stubborn about things. He is not a professor or even an instructor. He is a TA if anything. A senior lecturer oversees all sections for this particular course.

Every class I take I put 100% effort into it. Sometimes this doesn't end up in an A, but I am darn close every time I didn't hit this mark. I do not complain about these grades and to make things clear, people are entitled to the credit they deserve. Of course "**** happens" but if I can limit how much of it happens to me, then I'd be a fool for not trying.

 

[LuciusVorenus]

The grades I received in the second half of the quarter is similar to those I received in the first half. So no, it is not that my writing has not improved. He noted my skill on the very last assignment. And do not exaggerating my post, I said that I would talk to him first and then talk to his supervisor if he was stubborn about things. He is not a professor or even an instructor. He is a TA if anything. A senior lecturer oversees all sections for this particular course.

Every class I take I put 100% effort into it. Sometimes this doesn't end up in an A, but I am darn close every time I didn't hit this mark. I do not complain about these grades and to make things clear, people are entitled to the credit they deserve. Of course "**** happens" but if I can limit how much of it happens to me, then I'd be a fool for not trying.

Now your post is even more confusing. So going by the syllabus and your grades you got an A, but he gave you a B+? Unless there is a 15% participation component that he marked you down on something doesn't add up.

 

[Shirafune]

Now your post is even more confusing. So going by the syllabus and your grades you got an A, but he gave you a B+? Unless there is a 15% participation component that he marked you down on something doesn't add up.

Yes there is a high participation component (25%) and I do have all the grades for participation. I calculated my supposed grade based on the syllabus and should have gotten an A. This is why I am asking for a grade review. He did not upload grades for one component. This is where I think he supposedly docked me quite a few %s. When I asked him about what to do with these assignments, he said that I did not need to worry and that the only thing I should be concerned about was the next assignment. I assumed that everything was fine.

 

[LuciusVorenus]

Yes there is a high participation component (25%) and I do have all the grades for participation. I calculated my supposed grade based on the syllabus and should have gotten an A. This is why I am asking for a grade review. He did not upload grades for one component. This is where I think he supposedly docked me quite a few %s. When I asked him about what to do with these assignments, he said that I did not need to worry and that the only thing I should be concerned about was the next assignment. I assumed that everything was fine.

Ah ok makes more sense. I had a TA who gave me a lower grade because he forgot to upload one component and the class website automatically calculated my grade without that component. Hopefully that's it. Good luck.

 

[mrh125]

You're better off pushing a little bit and if it doesn't work just roll with it. Ive gotten a few grades worse than a B+ in college and a lot worse before college. Nothing in life is guaranteed, and just chilling out and rolling with a B+ will prepare you better for stuff like this in the future. nothing's ideal and **** happens.

 

[Shirafune]

I know stuff happens, but I really compulsive when it comes to these kinds of things. Honestly, this is going to sound bad, but it looks like a stain on my transcript.

 

[Admissions to Medicine]

As any former or current adcom will attest to, you are the type of person that has one B+ on their transcript and actually writes about it in their personal statement. This is type A personality and we HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE it. I know, we cannot get away from it as doctors are normally type A's, but it just gets under our skin. One B+ in creative writing will not kill you, in fact, once they see that the course is creative writing, it will not matter at all. Coming off as too obsessive is the number one reason why SOOOOOO many 4.0gpa and 30+MCAT applicants are rejected. -Admissions to Medicine

 

[NickNaylor]

I know stuff happens, but I really compulsive when it comes to these kinds of things. Honestly, this is going to sound bad, but it looks like a stain on my transcript.

When I applied, I applied with a single B+ in a 1 hour course thanks to not realizing that our final exam was a few days earlier than I thought it was. I was cruising with a solid A, but that test bumped me down to a B+. That ended up being the only non-A that I had on my transcript when I applied. Stuff happens. Move on. It doesn't matter.

 

[lalalaaaaaa]

When I applied, I applied with a single B+ in a 1 hour course thanks to not realizing that our final exam was a few days earlier than I thought it was. I was cruising with a solid A, but that test bumped me down to a B+. That ended up being the only non-A that I had on my transcript when I applied. Stuff happens. Move on. It doesn't matter.

...and you barely got into med school in the carib with that B+, right?

 

[NickNaylor]

...and you barely got into med school in the carib with that B+, right?

Ah, forgot to include that part. Of course.