<p>I’m not afraid to challenge my professors. I just know when to accept that I have produced subpar work and find ways to improve myself, instead of believing that I’m always right and attacking anyone who disagrees with me.</p>
<p>Defend him all you want, I’m going to appeal the hell out of this grade and if it doesn’t get overturned I’ll be sure to send him one last parting e-mail detailing how I really feel about him.</p>
<p>I love these tags.</p>
<p>Has it ever occurred to you that maybe you’re not always right? Maybe instead of attacking the professor and people siding with him you should realize that you did make a mistake, and deal with it. You cannot put the bare minimum in and expect an A.</p>
<p>OK, I will admit that I happened upon this thread inadvertently, know absolutely NOTHING about computer programming, but couldn’t stop reading–it was like the fascination one has while driving past a car wreck. My desire to post arises out of the OP’s expressed desire to attend law school (and the apparent devastating effect this A- will have on his GPA and his ability to get into law school). </p>
<p>As a lawyer in practice for almost 30 years and as someone who has taught as an adjunct professor at a local law school, I would counsel the OP to work on his persuasive argument skills if he hopes to succeed in law school (and especially in a real-life legal practice). To be a good lawyer, you need to understand and acknowledge the merits of your opponent’s case and adjust your argument accordingly. A number of the other posters have made concrete, cogent points about the quality of your final project, but you have failed to respond convincingly to any of them other than by continually harping on the grading rubric. </p>
<p>Your apparent inability to see beyond the “letter of the law” (the rubric) to the “spirit of the law” (the ability to write efficient code) makes your absolute defense of your final product ("Yeah, I could have done it better and more efficiently, but the rubric didn’t say I had to!) quite laughable (and not a little juvenile). If you don’t fashion a better argument against your A-, I can’t imagine you prevailing in your appeal. Nor should you.</p>
<p>^ 
Well done, sir.</p>
<p>Whoa hold on a second. Now you’re just being a little ridiculous.</p>
<p>I am saying that he deducted twenty points for a “Functionality” element which would have only counted as ten points on a fifty point scale. It’s clear that this presents a grading inconsistency.</p>
<p>He did this to ensure that I wouldn’t get an A in the course mathematically. That’s all there is to it. There’s a grading rubric that was used to assess everyone’s final exam project and he deducted twenty points when it wasn’t possible given that he said he only deducted points for one element which could only account for ten points on a fifty point scale.</p>
<p>I don’t have to explain anything else. It’s that simple. I could not have earned a 30/50 on the final exam project with him taking twenty points off a section which only constitutes ten points. This is a severe grading injustice and it needs to be fixed. </p>
<p>That’s all I’m gonna say about that.
What don’t you understand?</p>
<p>It’s actually “ma’am”, but thank you! :-)</p>
<p>The problem with your argument is you are assuming he only took off points from that one section.
EDIT: Sorry about that, mamalin. I was actually referencing a Cheetos commercial, and many other quotes like that. XD</p>
<p>I’m not assuming, he e-mailed me back saying that that is the section where I lost my points. I explained this a couple of pages back but you guys happen to be very selective readers.</p>
<p>Like I said, even if the appeal doesn’t work it’s no skin off my back. He’s the fat guy in his mid-40’s stuck in his adjunct position making chump change and I’m the young, good looking guy in his early 20’s with a lot of opportunities and a high GPA.</p>
<p>I win either way. :)</p>
<p>A young guy with a personality so abrasive and a narcissism unparalleled. It’s possible that could help in corporate law, or to be one of the celebrity lawyers who makes big bucks without any regard for ethics. Why are you taking a basic class in senior year?
Also, and I’m not near this at all, wouldn’t you have already applied to law school if you’re nearly at the end of your term?</p>
<p>Funny that you mention that because I’m actually interested in corporate law. I’m not a senior, I’m a rising junior.</p>
<p>Delusions of grandeur.</p>
<p>If you’re a “rising” junior, why are you leaving school in a week? It’s quite odd to transfer for senior year.</p>
<p>The rubric contains two sections that appear to assess “functionality”–and even a half-assed lawyer could make a convincing argument that points were taken off of both sections for your apparently inelegant code. </p>
<p>@Stevenf–no problem :-)</p>
<p>
“Rising” means “will be next year.”</p>
<p>This is my third year in school, but I’m transferring as a junior to my next school.
I used this year as a year to boost my UGPA higher because I tend to dominate in my classes around here so I’m more than a bit furious that I have a 3.93 this semester at the moment because of this incompetent programming professor.</p>
<p>I stand corrected. But does that mean you’re transferring? You have some large plot holes. Bad English major, I may say.
Good luck maintaining a 3.93 for two extra years. Especially since if you’re transferring, this is probably a lower school.</p>
<p>I hope you can learn from what you write:
And that’s why you’re transfering and repeating your junior year?</p>
<p>mamalin, you need to understand who’s in control here. I’m the one who has all the e-mail conversations between me and the professor, not you, so don’t presume to understand his line of thinking (It’s not possible anyway). The fact is, in his e-mail he clearly states that all points were lost on Functionality, Execution, Error Prevention, and Debugging and if this is true than my project should have received a 40/50 which would make it a 50/50 with the extra credit added and a 93/100 when you add it to the essay component of the final exam. </p>
<p>93<em>0.3= 27.9
98</em>0.3= 29.4
88.75<em>0.3= 26.625
100</em>0.1= 10</p>
<p>27.9+29.4+26.625+10= 93.925</p>
<p>93.925= A</p>