Whats the best way to discuss a grade change?
(Orangutan, 279
Points)
on 12/30/12 at 12:41pm
I got a grade I didnt like in a class that is purely subjective. A lot of it is written analysis, applying your own ideas and solutions to problems, etc. Therefore, one person may like my work and another person may not. I'm trying to go up to a + grade and I believe I barely missed it. How should I approach it? I talked to the professor at the end of the semester and he said "I'd be fine." I checked my grade and saw otherwise.
One strategy that I've used
One strategy that I've used successfully in the past is to email them and politely ask to come into their office when you get back go school (this is important because it's a lot harder to say no to someone to their face than on email). Then tell them you were disappointed with your grade outcome and that you believe it doesn't reflect your understanding of the course material. And then ask what you can do to prove that to them/if there is anything you can do to raise your grade since you are right on the border. Obviously don't act like you expect them to just bump up your grade, but be polite and show that you are willing to do extra work
any others. I will
any others. I will incorporate some of that into my email
You can't really do extra
You can't really do extra work afterwards or just request a random bump. That's unfair for everyone else and all the professors go thru this on the cusp multiple times a year.
For the final paper, look at what you got. Ask for specific feedback on why you got less than perfect or lost points. Then write up something justifying your approach and request a regrade. You should try to defend most of your impacted position since you will only get like 1/4 of it back. But most times that's enough to bump you up if you are right on the cusp. If you are like good 3-4% off from the next grade, unlikely to see a change unless they counted something wrong.
I always hated the "you'll be
I always hated the "you'll be fine" answers from professors. Consider this a lesson-learned to take those with a grain of salt in the future. Nothing will lock in a good GPA like just working hard. I probably sound like your dad, but if the grade matters to you, then work until you're 100% sure you got it. Don't work 90% of the way and bank on the extra 10% to come from "you'll be fine."
Having taught more than my share of analyst classes, I can now sympathize with the professors who say shit like "you'll be fine" - they do it to blow you off. They may not work on the street, but they
1. Get excuses ("can I get out of this grade for free?") all the time
2. Waste more than their fair share of time in useless meetings with dumb students, who either don't have the intellectual capacity or determination - and thus will fail, and will earn that same grade again on the next assignment.
Hope the above doesn't come across as bitching at you - I mean only to share the opinion of someone who's been in your shoes and also taught our new hires/transfers/promotions. To get it changed you have to 1) convince grade isn't indicative of your work ethic, 2) you intended and will do better, 3) you want to do all the work and waste none of his time and in exchange he will give you a small bump. 4) you want him/her to feel magnanimous for helping you.
So, here goes:
1. Visit in person and discuss. If not possible (too large a school, zero office hours, etc) write a short, brief, perfectly spelled and cogent email that says:
a) Say what happend: This isn't indicative of the work you can do and,
b) Say what you want: You'd like to improve your grade.
c) Say how that will work: You've already re-worked the assignment and done something extra and would like to hand this in, in hopes he'll take the average of the old grade and this new grade. You'd do this knowing you risk turning in a shitty assignment and it could bring the new grade down. Or, if that sounds too ballsy, suggest that you'd like the next test to count for a higher percentage of your final grade, thus reducing the impact of this last (shitty) assignment.
d) Thank him for the opportunity to improve, you're learning a lot in the class and this situation won't arise again.
** I would stay away from saying "I need you to improve the grade otherwise I won't get ____ (job, into a higher level class, will fail your major, etc). This is a whiny response meant to engender sympathy. If he/she was your mom, it would; but he/she is not, and thus it won't.
Ultimately, he/she will give you a better grade if you provide you're not a prick, you're not asking for a handout, you're willing to do significantly more work than the original assignment just for the small bump, and it will require nothing more (like hopefully not grading another assignment) from the professor other than changing a letter on your final report.