A /= B
January 9, 2010 3:51 PM Subscribe
I am a 2nd year PhD student in the sciences and believe I was given an unfair grade in a course. Please share any advice on how to proceed.
I want to preface this by saying that this is my 21st year of taking classes and anytime I have ever received a (relatively) low grade I have understood and agreed with the decision. I am not one to go around crying because I didn't get an A.
______________________________________________
Part of the requirements of my program are to take a 2-semester long seminar course in which the main percentage of your grade is based on a 45-minute long presentation about a current research paper. If you receive an A during the first semester, you can high pass out of taking the second semester. The grade is also based on a weekly homework assignment and class participation. Directly following the presentation you meet with the two professors of the class (+ the TA) for a critique, and a few days later the rest of the students fill out anonymous critiques on your performance. Historically, only 1-2 students (~5-10%) are given A's in this class.
I received a B as my grade. Not being one of the 1-2 students to get an A does not bother me at all; however, I found out yesterday that they gave 60% of the students A's this year.
The reason I am utterly confused by this decision is because the professors told me during my critique that I did an outstanding job during my talk and that some aspects of my talk were the best in the class and that they wish they could use me as an example to the class for how to present but don't want to single me out in that way. Furthermore, all the student evaluations of my talk lauded me for doing a good job.
I'm not trying to sound arrogant here, but I did put 60 hours of work into the talk and it was a good talk. Especially compared to many other talks that were given throughout the semester. Additionally, all of my homework assignments had "excellent!" written on them and were handed in on time. I participated in class discussions, never missed a class, and had a good rapport with my professors.
Prior to giving the talk I met with the professors on four separate occasions to have them go through my slides and I exhaustively addressed all criticisms they made. In fact, during my critique they told me they had no criticisms at all about my presentation. Both professors and the TA were in agreement.
The other students that received B's had glaring problems with their presentations, including: numerous spelling errors, not including all of the requirements that were laid out for us, overall poor job (not just in my opinion - class agreed), going WAY overtime (like 20 minutes), etc. I feel like if there was any sort of glaring problem with what I did, they would not have told me I did so well.
To ensure that I'm not just biased on myself, I spoke with some of my classmates and they were equally shocked by my grade. You have to understand: I am so shocked by this grade that I feel like my entire perception of my own reality is somehow fucked up. It is completely irreconcilable to me. This is furthered by the fact that some people that received As did obviously shittier jobs than I did.
Obviously, I would like some sort of justification or any explanation at all for my grade. It makes zero sense - why would I consistently be told throughout a semester that I'm doing a great job, then be graded in the lower 40% of the class? One of my classmates was so outraged by my grade that she suggested I talk to the director of our graduate program.
I am also not an idiot, and do not want to fuck up my position in the department politically because I have to retake a class, especially at this critical time in my career (my qualifying exam is in 3 months).
How should I proceed here?
I want to preface this by saying that this is my 21st year of taking classes and anytime I have ever received a (relatively) low grade I have understood and agreed with the decision. I am not one to go around crying because I didn't get an A.
______________________________________________
Part of the requirements of my program are to take a 2-semester long seminar course in which the main percentage of your grade is based on a 45-minute long presentation about a current research paper. If you receive an A during the first semester, you can high pass out of taking the second semester. The grade is also based on a weekly homework assignment and class participation. Directly following the presentation you meet with the two professors of the class (+ the TA) for a critique, and a few days later the rest of the students fill out anonymous critiques on your performance. Historically, only 1-2 students (~5-10%) are given A's in this class.
I received a B as my grade. Not being one of the 1-2 students to get an A does not bother me at all; however, I found out yesterday that they gave 60% of the students A's this year.
The reason I am utterly confused by this decision is because the professors told me during my critique that I did an outstanding job during my talk and that some aspects of my talk were the best in the class and that they wish they could use me as an example to the class for how to present but don't want to single me out in that way. Furthermore, all the student evaluations of my talk lauded me for doing a good job.
I'm not trying to sound arrogant here, but I did put 60 hours of work into the talk and it was a good talk. Especially compared to many other talks that were given throughout the semester. Additionally, all of my homework assignments had "excellent!" written on them and were handed in on time. I participated in class discussions, never missed a class, and had a good rapport with my professors.
Prior to giving the talk I met with the professors on four separate occasions to have them go through my slides and I exhaustively addressed all criticisms they made. In fact, during my critique they told me they had no criticisms at all about my presentation. Both professors and the TA were in agreement.
The other students that received B's had glaring problems with their presentations, including: numerous spelling errors, not including all of the requirements that were laid out for us, overall poor job (not just in my opinion - class agreed), going WAY overtime (like 20 minutes), etc. I feel like if there was any sort of glaring problem with what I did, they would not have told me I did so well.
To ensure that I'm not just biased on myself, I spoke with some of my classmates and they were equally shocked by my grade. You have to understand: I am so shocked by this grade that I feel like my entire perception of my own reality is somehow fucked up. It is completely irreconcilable to me. This is furthered by the fact that some people that received As did obviously shittier jobs than I did.
Obviously, I would like some sort of justification or any explanation at all for my grade. It makes zero sense - why would I consistently be told throughout a semester that I'm doing a great job, then be graded in the lower 40% of the class? One of my classmates was so outraged by my grade that she suggested I talk to the director of our graduate program.
I am also not an idiot, and do not want to fuck up my position in the department politically because I have to retake a class, especially at this critical time in my career (my qualifying exam is in 3 months).
How should I proceed here?
It might just be a computer error or something equally stupid. I would say talking to the professor or one of the TAs about it couldn't hurt. But try to give them the benefit of the doubt, don't be confrontational about it.
posted by spaghettification at 3:55 PM on January 9, 2010
posted by spaghettification at 3:55 PM on January 9, 2010
Given what you've described, it's quite possible that there was an accidental error when actually recording the grades. So I think the first thing to do would be to chat with the professors.
posted by grouse at 3:55 PM on January 9, 2010
posted by grouse at 3:55 PM on January 9, 2010
Just ask the person who gave you the grade? As long as you're not an entitled jerk about it, the only chance you have of pissing somebody off will be if they're a total psycho anyway, in which case it's better to know that now than later.
I won't pretend I've never just mis-entered a student's grade.
posted by Dr.Enormous at 3:58 PM on January 9, 2010
I won't pretend I've never just mis-entered a student's grade.
posted by Dr.Enormous at 3:58 PM on January 9, 2010
Go talk to the professor. Not so much 'give me an A' but ask them why you got the grade you did given the good feedback and what can you do next time to get a better one. I bet there was a mistake somewhere, a grade wasn't added in correctly or something (this has happened to me), this gives them the opportunity to find it. And if not then you can have a conversation bringing up all the points you mentioned here, all of which are totally reasonable, and I'd be very surprised if your grade isn't raised.
People question grades with the teacher all the time, you won't be coming across as weird or pushy or anything and it's an entirely appropriate discussion to have.
posted by shelleycat at 4:00 PM on January 9, 2010
People question grades with the teacher all the time, you won't be coming across as weird or pushy or anything and it's an entirely appropriate discussion to have.
posted by shelleycat at 4:00 PM on January 9, 2010
Go to your professor, and say: "In light of my B, I'd like to know how I can improve to improve my performance and bring up my grade next semester." This gives him or her a chance to say, "Oh, God, I actually meant to give you an A!" or, alternatively, gives you an opportunity to improve next semester, if there is one.
As a TA, I had a student approach me this way and it brought to my attention that I'd switched his grade with another student's.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 4:10 PM on January 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
As a TA, I had a student approach me this way and it brought to my attention that I'd switched his grade with another student's.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 4:10 PM on January 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
It never hurts to approach a prof and ask to see the scores for the different graded assignments you got. It could be a simple math error in the grading. Just because your course is in science doesn't meen the instructor doesn't make arithmetic errors! Don't be confrontational but it's fair to ask to see where you went wrong.
Against that in most US sci programs grades don't matter until your average falls below a certain value. Frustrating I'm sure to be misjudged but try to put it behind you and focus on your research
posted by Fiery Jack at 4:11 PM on January 9, 2010
Against that in most US sci programs grades don't matter until your average falls below a certain value. Frustrating I'm sure to be misjudged but try to put it behind you and focus on your research
posted by Fiery Jack at 4:11 PM on January 9, 2010
I'd ask, but only in a spirit of inquiry, with no hint that it is unfair.
"anytime I have ever received a (relatively) low grade I have understood and agreed with the decision."
If this is true the law of averages implies you've got some unexplained and/or unjustified low grades coming your way. It's the way of the of things for this to happen from time, luckily, as Fiery Jack says, your phd grades don't really matter.
posted by pseudonick at 4:14 PM on January 9, 2010
"anytime I have ever received a (relatively) low grade I have understood and agreed with the decision."
If this is true the law of averages implies you've got some unexplained and/or unjustified low grades coming your way. It's the way of the of things for this to happen from time, luckily, as Fiery Jack says, your phd grades don't really matter.
posted by pseudonick at 4:14 PM on January 9, 2010
Absolutely---your first course of action should be to talk to the professor (in a non-confrontational way!) about your grade and how it was calculated.
As a professor, I am responsible for entering grades. I try really, really hard to not mis-enter a grade, but I'm faced with a screen with a lot of student names and a toggle where I have to select the grade. it's not too hard to imagine either selecting the wrong grade, or giving the right grade to the wrong student.
Also, it's possible for something to have been mis-entered/not entered into the professor's grade-generating spreadsheet, so that your grade is lower than you expected because some assignment was missing.
Or, maybe you forgot to turn something in, or there was something else that gave you the lower grade. And that would be worth knowing too.
Good luck on your qualifying exams, and remember, as long as you pass them, no one will ever care what grade you get (i.e., pass vs. low pass or whatever). Same goes for your course grades, really, as long as they're good enough to let you stay in the program.
posted by leahwrenn at 4:19 PM on January 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
As a professor, I am responsible for entering grades. I try really, really hard to not mis-enter a grade, but I'm faced with a screen with a lot of student names and a toggle where I have to select the grade. it's not too hard to imagine either selecting the wrong grade, or giving the right grade to the wrong student.
Also, it's possible for something to have been mis-entered/not entered into the professor's grade-generating spreadsheet, so that your grade is lower than you expected because some assignment was missing.
Or, maybe you forgot to turn something in, or there was something else that gave you the lower grade. And that would be worth knowing too.
Good luck on your qualifying exams, and remember, as long as you pass them, no one will ever care what grade you get (i.e., pass vs. low pass or whatever). Same goes for your course grades, really, as long as they're good enough to let you stay in the program.
posted by leahwrenn at 4:19 PM on January 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Ask your professor why you received the B, and while you don't want to state you expected an A as such, you could say that, "In light of the positive feedback I received throughout the course, I was rather surprised when I received a B. Can you please explain what I should have done differently to earn an A?" Tone is crucial here. Make sure you don't have an angry or defensive note in or edge to your voice, and merely a tone of bewilderment and curiosity.
It is quite possible, and I am thinking highly likely, it was a clerical error (on the professor, TA, or registrar's parts). The reason why I mention reminding your prof that you received consistently positive feedback is so you can jog his/her memory. While it sounds like you distinguished yourself with excellent performance, it also sounds like this is a course in which specifics of student performance can be lost as memories blend. Good luck!
posted by katemcd at 4:25 PM on January 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
It is quite possible, and I am thinking highly likely, it was a clerical error (on the professor, TA, or registrar's parts). The reason why I mention reminding your prof that you received consistently positive feedback is so you can jog his/her memory. While it sounds like you distinguished yourself with excellent performance, it also sounds like this is a course in which specifics of student performance can be lost as memories blend. Good luck!
posted by katemcd at 4:25 PM on January 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
I also think that this was most likely a clerical error. Do as PhoBWanKenobi recommends.
However, one thing you said stood out that suggests, to me, that it might, perhaps not have been an error:
Prior to giving the talk I met with the professors on four separate occasions to have them go through my slides and I exhaustively addressed all criticisms they made.
By working so intensively with the faculty prior to giving your talk, they may very well have felt that they did all of the heavy lifting for you. After all, of course your talk was great -- they told you exactly what to do with it on FOUR separate occasions! Given that you are in a PhD program, they might have expected you to work far, far more independently. Perhaps your grade is a reflection of a problem with your ability to work autonomously?
posted by amelioration at 4:26 PM on January 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
However, one thing you said stood out that suggests, to me, that it might, perhaps not have been an error:
Prior to giving the talk I met with the professors on four separate occasions to have them go through my slides and I exhaustively addressed all criticisms they made.
By working so intensively with the faculty prior to giving your talk, they may very well have felt that they did all of the heavy lifting for you. After all, of course your talk was great -- they told you exactly what to do with it on FOUR separate occasions! Given that you are in a PhD program, they might have expected you to work far, far more independently. Perhaps your grade is a reflection of a problem with your ability to work autonomously?
posted by amelioration at 4:26 PM on January 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
I think amelioration's scenario is incredibly unlikely. I've never heard of an instructor reducing a grade because a student asked for extra help. It just doesn't fit with the psyche of most instructors, who are often complaining that the students who could probably use extra help don't ask for it. And the ones who are annoyed by requests for help just don't make themselves available for it.
Don't tie yourself in knots trying to guess what you did wrong. Just ask the instructors.
posted by grouse at 4:38 PM on January 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Don't tie yourself in knots trying to guess what you did wrong. Just ask the instructors.
posted by grouse at 4:38 PM on January 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
I'll disagree with grouse and agree with amelioration. Four separate meetings with your professors could contribute to a lower grade. If you came into those meetings with a very poor presentation and managed to get the faculty to fix things then they might be justified in giving you a lower grade. Did others go in for help that many times?
I can't remember going for help on a presentation more than twice - and those two times were required by the professor. That said, we are most likely talking about different programs at different schools. Programs and faculty are variable. extremely variable.
Definitely go in and ask if there was a clerical error made with your grade. You have nothing to lose and you have everything to win: getting out of taking a seminar course gives you more time in lab to get your research done.
posted by sciencegeek at 4:45 PM on January 9, 2010
I can't remember going for help on a presentation more than twice - and those two times were required by the professor. That said, we are most likely talking about different programs at different schools. Programs and faculty are variable. extremely variable.
Definitely go in and ask if there was a clerical error made with your grade. You have nothing to lose and you have everything to win: getting out of taking a seminar course gives you more time in lab to get your research done.
posted by sciencegeek at 4:45 PM on January 9, 2010
I am a professor who automatically recoils when students come in to ask why they didn't get the grade they wanted, and even I think it sounds like there's a reasonable chance your grade was an error, and that you should go ahead and ask about it forthrightly. Do it exactly as PhoBWanKenobi suggests, in the spirit of "help me get an A next time."
posted by escabeche at 6:07 PM on January 9, 2010
posted by escabeche at 6:07 PM on January 9, 2010
Agreeing with the others that this is likely a clerical error if everything was going as well as you state during the semester.
she suggested I talk to the director of our graduate program
I suggest you NOT do this before talking to your professor. And if the professor does not change your grade to an A, I still strongly suggest you do NOT go to your professor's superior(s). You will be making waves over a B and having to take the second part of a 2-semester course, which will look very bad. Plus, the administration will probably be unwilling to question your professor's judgment and I doubt they will force him to give you an A. Life's not fair, but seriously, it's just a B. (It's not like your professor slept with your spouse and then your spouse left you to be with the professor. Yes, that happened at my university.)
As for your multiple help sessions with the professor possibly affecting your grade -- I don't think the trips directly affected your grade, but you state that you spent 60 hours preparing for a 45-minute talk. That raises some red flags because no one should spend that inordinate amount of time on anything. If you know the material very well, you should need to spend the minimum amount of time on a talk of that length. On the other hand, if you're struggling with the material or are crippled by perfectionism or whatever, then that may signal there are other things that are affecting your grade.
posted by puritycontrol at 6:26 PM on January 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
she suggested I talk to the director of our graduate program
I suggest you NOT do this before talking to your professor. And if the professor does not change your grade to an A, I still strongly suggest you do NOT go to your professor's superior(s). You will be making waves over a B and having to take the second part of a 2-semester course, which will look very bad. Plus, the administration will probably be unwilling to question your professor's judgment and I doubt they will force him to give you an A. Life's not fair, but seriously, it's just a B. (It's not like your professor slept with your spouse and then your spouse left you to be with the professor. Yes, that happened at my university.)
As for your multiple help sessions with the professor possibly affecting your grade -- I don't think the trips directly affected your grade, but you state that you spent 60 hours preparing for a 45-minute talk. That raises some red flags because no one should spend that inordinate amount of time on anything. If you know the material very well, you should need to spend the minimum amount of time on a talk of that length. On the other hand, if you're struggling with the material or are crippled by perfectionism or whatever, then that may signal there are other things that are affecting your grade.
posted by puritycontrol at 6:26 PM on January 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Yup, another instructor here, and I also think it sounds like clerical error. As others have said, make sure you approach this in an inquiring way, in the spirit of wanting to know how you could improve in future. This will give your prof the chance to think, "What the heck? That should have been an A!" or whatever, if that is the case.
As for the speculation that all of your help sessions with your prof may have contributed to a reduced mark...unlikely, I think. I tell students upfront when their requests for help go beyond what I'm willing to provide, and I would think most instructors would do the same, rather than helping you and then docking you marks for it later.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 6:32 PM on January 9, 2010
As for the speculation that all of your help sessions with your prof may have contributed to a reduced mark...unlikely, I think. I tell students upfront when their requests for help go beyond what I'm willing to provide, and I would think most instructors would do the same, rather than helping you and then docking you marks for it later.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 6:32 PM on January 9, 2010
As someone who has had to grade graduate classes, I have definitely screwed up. As others have said, the weakest link is often transcription. Do just ask, another way to phrase it is that you want to know what you need to do to get that A next semester.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 6:34 PM on January 9, 2010
posted by a robot made out of meat at 6:34 PM on January 9, 2010
I agree you should ask and be polite about it, but I'm a fan of well-intentioned honesty: your question is about assessment of your work in the class you took, after what you feel (and we agree!) were mixed messages. It's absolutely okay to ask about a grade. Personally, I dislike obsequiousness in the guise of a falsely chipper question about "next time." Let's face it, there isn't a next time in my course if it's over, and the views of one prof about technicalities won't be a sound indication of future returns in a specialized area of graduate study taught by someone else. As for speculation about overwork being to blame... nah. Surely they wouldn't have offered constructive feedback and encouragement if that were the case. I enjoy seeing people succeed when they've earned it.
posted by woodway at 7:31 PM on January 9, 2010
posted by woodway at 7:31 PM on January 9, 2010
Well, woodway, the "next time" is valid because now the OP has to take the second half of this course?
It seems totally plausible that the prof could have made a mistake; it may not have been, and if there is a reason you didn't get an A when so many classmates did, it's definitely something you want to know, right?
posted by SoftRain at 7:58 PM on January 9, 2010
It seems totally plausible that the prof could have made a mistake; it may not have been, and if there is a reason you didn't get an A when so many classmates did, it's definitely something you want to know, right?
posted by SoftRain at 7:58 PM on January 9, 2010
I agree with everyone upthread who believes that the grade is most likely just a mistake. It isn't worth overthinking. For the philosophical fun of it, though, I'd reply that the second semester isn't going to be a replica of the one just completed. People in my department teach different sections of the same course in ways that draw on their own research strengths and interests, even when it is a foundation course. And yes, I can see how feedback would be useful if the same people were involved, but asking for feedback doesn't seem to be a weakness for the OP! The question posted here is about a grade received. Students of mine have tried to sidle up to it as some have suggested, and I am more likely to respect a person with a valid query who is honest about it, particularly if we'll be working together again in the future. It shows a degree of professionalism. The flip side of course is that you can't throw a temper tantrum if it isn't the answer you want, but I don't think that's relevant in this case. It really is okay to ask a straightforward question about a grade.
posted by woodway at 8:29 PM on January 9, 2010
posted by woodway at 8:29 PM on January 9, 2010
I agree that the four meetings could have contributed to a lower grade. In our graduate program, we make it very clear that the student is graded on version #_ (usually 1 or 2). Naturally, they are welcome to meet with the instructors as many times as they wish in order to perfect their work and learn from the process; however, additional drafts will not be graded.
posted by onepot at 10:04 PM on January 9, 2010
posted by onepot at 10:04 PM on January 9, 2010
Just take the B. If you show up to second semester and somebody asks why you're there, well, then you'll know it was a mistake.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 12:33 AM on January 10, 2010
posted by obiwanwasabi at 12:33 AM on January 10, 2010
I have had this conversation with staff that find out what other people's salaries are. You thought it was a fair grade before you heard what other people received. Hearing that others received As shouldn't magically make it unfair. The fact of the matter is the instructor has information you don't on this situation, and your justifications for why you should have received an A could be completely off the mark.
However, if this really bothers you, I'd go in with:
"I think I should have received an A in the course. Let's discuss why I think this is the case and your feedback on my work during the class, and you can then decide if my grade merits an increase."
Be ready to present your case in two minutes, have a 1 page summary in hand for the prof to keep, and attach copies from your notes on their feedback or any written feedback they gave you. Once they make a decision, accept it.
Basically, you have the power, I'm not whining, I'd just like to have an adult conversation about this.
posted by bfranklin at 7:18 AM on January 10, 2010
However, if this really bothers you, I'd go in with:
"I think I should have received an A in the course. Let's discuss why I think this is the case and your feedback on my work during the class, and you can then decide if my grade merits an increase."
Be ready to present your case in two minutes, have a 1 page summary in hand for the prof to keep, and attach copies from your notes on their feedback or any written feedback they gave you. Once they make a decision, accept it.
Basically, you have the power, I'm not whining, I'd just like to have an adult conversation about this.
posted by bfranklin at 7:18 AM on January 10, 2010
If this is true the law of averages implies you've got some unexplained and/or unjustified low grades coming your way.
You honestly believe this bullshit, don't you? You think that if someone in undergrad had entered a grade wrong it would magically impact the probability that this grade was entered wrong? And you expect someone in graduate program to take anything you say seriously?
posted by dagnyscott at 7:31 AM on January 10, 2010
You honestly believe this bullshit, don't you? You think that if someone in undergrad had entered a grade wrong it would magically impact the probability that this grade was entered wrong? And you expect someone in graduate program to take anything you say seriously?
posted by dagnyscott at 7:31 AM on January 10, 2010
Just wanted to chime in as another instructor who thinks this is probably a clerical error, and that you should do what PhoBWanKenobi recommends.
Do not just take the B. This really does seem like an odd situation, and it would help you quite a bit if it turned out that you really didn't need to take the second semester.
Do not go in with written talking points.
It's unlikely that the instructor would have lowered your grade because you sought help from them, especially without warning you about it in advance (note that in onepot's example, they're crystal clear up front what's graded and what isn't).
posted by sesquipedalian at 10:22 AM on January 10, 2010
Do not just take the B. This really does seem like an odd situation, and it would help you quite a bit if it turned out that you really didn't need to take the second semester.
Do not go in with written talking points.
It's unlikely that the instructor would have lowered your grade because you sought help from them, especially without warning you about it in advance (note that in onepot's example, they're crystal clear up front what's graded and what isn't).
posted by sesquipedalian at 10:22 AM on January 10, 2010
I had a calculus course return a grade of a D while in undergrad; I knew there was no way that was my mark --- coursework and a 50% exam alone would have earned me a C+. So I emailed the prof; upon arriving at his office he pulled out the optical scan sheet and traced down it to find my mark: it was the rather higher mark I had expected at the time. Apparently the optical scanner was known to incorrectly read about 1 in 10000 marks wrong. The prof sent a correction off and all was good.
So, nthing the suggestion that you go talk with your professor.
posted by joeycoleman at 11:35 AM on January 10, 2010
So, nthing the suggestion that you go talk with your professor.
posted by joeycoleman at 11:35 AM on January 10, 2010
However, if this really bothers you, I'd go in with:
"I think I should have received an A in the course. Let's discuss why I think this is the case and your feedback on my work during the class, and you can then decide if my grade merits an increase."
What? No. This is almost guaranteed to put the prof's hackles up even if it later turns out to be a case of mis-entered grade. I do not recommend this approach.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:11 AM on January 11, 2010 [2 favorites]
"I think I should have received an A in the course. Let's discuss why I think this is the case and your feedback on my work during the class, and you can then decide if my grade merits an increase."
What? No. This is almost guaranteed to put the prof's hackles up even if it later turns out to be a case of mis-entered grade. I do not recommend this approach.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:11 AM on January 11, 2010 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by ishotjr at 3:55 PM on January 9, 2010 [6 favorites]