Asking your professor for a better grade?

<p>I was talking with some of friends about how I got my grades back and I found out I got a 89% in english, one point away from an A. So they told me to talk to the professor if there is any way to just get that one extra point to get the A. She knows that im planning to transfer and that 1 point would really help me out but it just seems wrong to me to ask for a higher grade. Is it normal to do this in college?</p>

<p>I don't know, but there's no harm in asking. Ask for extra work, though, don't just ask for a better grade.</p>

<p>I've certainly done it before...never seems to work, though. :)</p>

<p>Could I do extra work? I wont have her next semester so I dont really know how I could do any more work. Maybe I'll email her to see if I can do anything.</p>

<p>Ask her why you got an 89..maybe she made a mistake. I got an 87 in my Itaian class and every other teacher would treat that as a B+....I just got a B which really messed me up...Italian is worth 5 credits so you take 5 and times that by 3.0 and I get 15 points factored into my GPA....if she would have given me a B+ I would have gotten 3.5 factored into my gpa. I am kicking myself for not asking her about it and she is gone now so I am stuck with that grade. Oh...my school does diffrentiate b/w + and - so that can either help you (B+ = 3.5 vs B= 3.0) or hurt you (B- = 2.75 vs B=3.0)....I like it when it helps me! They don't distinguish b/w A and A+ though...</p>

<p>The same thing happened to me--I received an 89.6 in freshman english. My professor had stated in the syllabus he would not round grades up, but also said he would include a certain amount of points for "class participation." Turns out he decided to nix the participation points early in the semester, without telling the class. They would have brought my grade up to an A easily. I did e-mail him, nicely explaining that I had been a good student. (attended all classes, participated in discussions, all assignments handed in on-time when he easily excepted late work) But, he said that he had already re-considered my grade and would not change it. I guess that is how life goes.</p>

<p>So, it is always worth a shot. (especially when you won't have the professor again) But, don't get your hopes up.</p>

<p>I imagine it rarely happens. I mean, why would they? They can do their grades how they choose, and their is no obligation to help out a student, even one they like. However, asking never hurt anyone.</p>

<p>High school teachers do it, why not college professors? Are their souls so dark that they do not have the slightest compassion? Do they care more the time they would lose in having to change a grade than a student learning, or do they just not give a damn about any student in the class? No, I think you should ask. Don't expect anything, but make your case and tell her you'll work as hard as ever for that 1%. If she shakes her head and tells you not to bother her, just flip her off when she turns around and accept the B. Sometimes you have to deal with people like that in life.</p>

<p>Well switch positions. If you made your policy clear, would you bump up a grade? I wouldn't. That's what life is like, it isn't always favorable.</p>

<p>I would, if the student asked to do more work.</p>

<p>well oftentimes you don't know your grades until after the semester- how can extra work thus be factored in?</p>

<p>well just ask because like someone said up there
if she says no then u have a reason to hate her
if u never ask, u really don't have substantial reason to hate her except that she intimidated u into not asking</p>

<p>Ok but what do I say? Do I ask her that I saw I had an 89% and if theres anything like extra work I can do to get that extra 1% or do I just ask why she gave me the 89% and kept me one point away from an A?</p>

<p>Hold on, deferred and aim. Don't attack the teacher's character just because she recorded a grade that she obviously thought Virginia earned. Grading has nothing to do with whether or not a teacher "likes" you. She isn't cruel. Everyone gripes about grade inflation, but no one will let the teachers grade. And why would changing a grade necessarily "help anyone out"?</p>

<p>Virginia, did she have a stated policy--perhaps in the syllabus? I'd suggest going by that policy. But if you can, ask her about it. But don't go into her office with an attitude of "I'm going to fight this!" Just ask if there is anything you can do to raise that grade. Make her aware of the impact this has on your opportunies. But don't complain or whine. Tell her what you told us--You're not asking for an A just because you want one, or because you disagree with her. You're willing to work for that extra point. Ask her if you can do any extra credit work now. She's probably handled these kind of situations before, and will have an answer. Just don't make her say no because you rub her the wrong way. Honestly, I don't think you have much of a chance of getting it changed.</p>

<p>My husband and I have taught college classes, and I will tell you that it is way too common for students to request this type of bump up, and that's why professors will usually say no AND be at least a little bit annoyed with you if you do this. The only reason to ask is if you think there was a genuine mistake in the calculation of your grade. Usually college professors have high personal standards, and they often feel that they have ALREADY been generous in giving you whatever grade they gave you. For example, often when a student comes and complains that she got an A- but wanted an A, a look into the grade book shows that in fact the A- was generous to begin with. </p>

<p>So, no, I don't think you should ask for a higher grade. Everybody would like a higher grade, and whether or not you get it should be based on how well you did in the class, on the same work that was assigned to everybody else, rather than on whether you go to the professor's office to complain. Most students feel at one time or another that they would like a higher GPA or a higher grade in a particular class because they want to transfer/apply to graduate school/get on the honor roll/get a particular job/avoid losing their scholarship/fill in the blank. The fact that you want or even feel you need a higher grade is not the professor's concern, and you will surely annoy her if you present this as an argument for why you should get a higher grade.</p>

<p>"Do I ask her that I saw I had an 89% and if theres anything like extra work I can do to get that extra 1% or do I just ask why she gave me the 89% and kept me one point away from an A"?</p>

<p>Most Professors will give out a syllabus that states what you will be graded on and how you will be graded. I know in the courses that I taught, I gave students a rubric, told them the objective criteria that would be used to evaluate them and you got the grade that you earned. </p>

<p>You will find many professors don't bump up grades for class participation, because they understand that not everyone is talkative. It has been my experience when I gave a class participation gradee that those that did the most talking really did not have anything substantial to offer to the discussion and were just looking to chalk up points. </p>

<p>Many professors I know do not give extra credit because they beleive it was the equivalent of rewarding someone for not taking care of their business. If you were taking care of business, you would not need the extra credit.</p>

<p>Most grading is pretty straight forward you know what percentage of your grade the midterm, final and papers (and their policies on late papers) are so at any given time you will know how you stand in class.</p>

<p>If the totality of your work averaged out an 89 the professor gave you a B+, the professor was very much aware that you were one point off of doing "A" work. Most professors don't give out grades, they simply record the grade you earned. I don't think the professor is most likely going to nor should have to "give you an A-/A " because you are one point off. (I will admit if you got an 89.9 I would have still given you a B+).</p>

<p>Where do you draw the line? Is the person who is 2 point away form an A any less deserving? How about the person with 3 points? If you allow it the grades can easily take on a life of its own.</p>

<p>If the professor likes you, saw you in office hours (this can really help your grade!!), knows that you participated in class and did well on the coursework, he may bump you up to that A-. Also email him ahead of time with a coherent statement with examples of your performance why you felt you should have received an A- instead of a B+ before you visit him (if that is necessary). I've done this plenty of times, and I've been successful 75% of the time.</p>

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<p>I wouldn't recommend doing this. The professor is not an idiot, does not need obvious things pointed out, and has already taken into account Virginia's participation and everything else that was relevant, for Virginia just as for other students (this may well be why her score didn't turn out to be LOWER than 89%). Professors resent this kind of pressure and it's not right unless there was a genuine mistake in the calculation.</p>

<p>August, luckily our professors list on the computer our grades and how they calculuate them. I knew in my situations, it was class participation points that separated me from an B+ and A-. There is nothing wrong with contesting your grade, as long as you have a legitimate reason to do so (sickness, class participation, mistakes in grading, etc.). It's not about being a "whiner," it's about getting what you truly deserved and it can affect your GPA significantly. I rather do something about it than just sit back and accept what I got. That's how successful people get ahead.</p>

<p>It just happened to me. I emailed my writing teacher that the margin of my grade was really slim and I really worked hard on the paper. I also told her that my GPA would be severely affected. She changed it. There is no harm in asking. If I hadn't asked it wouldn't have happened.</p>