<p>So, I need a little bit of advice. I have a chronic illness that I ALWAYS let my professors know about at the beginning of each course. The illness causes me to have chronic fatigue in which I can sleep for 24 hours a day right through any number of alarms (I have alarms staggered all over my room) and I have to make frequent doctors and hospital visits. Most of my professors are really understanding as long as I get the work done and come speak to them about any absences and I've even had several professors tell me to leave class because I looked so sick. </p>
<p>I thought everything was good but I just got grades back from one of my classes and I only got a B when I was expecting at the VERY least an A- based on my previous work in the class. The professor had a system where every 3 absences you would lose a grade (so an A down to an A-), regardless of the reason. It took every ounce of effort to make it to his classes, even when I was dead, but one of my specialists is ONLY in the office accessible to me on the day of that professor's class. I made the arrangements over the summer and the doctor specializes in my health area at one of the best hospitals in the country so it was not something I could give up (though I only had to miss one class due to this). </p>
<p>I don't know if I should address the grade with him. Based on syllabus, the grade is as per the arrangements and he never explicitly said he would cut me any kind of a deal based on my health issues. However, if I'm in the hospital on an IV, I can't very well be expected to make to to class... I have a huge amount of respect for this professor and I don't want to make this into a bigger deal than it is, but my freshman year grades were not so great due to my illnesses being undiagnosed and really not surfacing until halfway through first semester. I'm barely above the GPA I need to keep my scholarship (3.2) and that's not going to get me into any grad schools any time soon. </p>
<p>Well, if you have issues with your grade you need to talk to the prof first. Explain the situation, and see if you can work something out. If you can't work something out to your satisfaction, see your dean. If you try talking to the dean (or anyone else) without talking to the prof first, they'll tell you to come back after you've negotiated with the professor.</p>
<p>I wouldn't try to use grad school or your scholarship as reasons for him to bump your grade up- after all, you still have the scholarship and grad school is a ways off.</p>
<p>You may not like my response, but I think that a B is not a bad grade and definitely not something to make a fuss about...</p>
<p>If the syllabus says that 3 absences is one grade off and you did not get special arrangements with the professor at the beginning of the course, what did you expect? And you only missed ONE class due to your treatment so it's not worth bringing that up in a conversation. (Btw, do you think that every kid who cannot motivate himself to go to class because of a depression should be excused from the attendance policy as well? I don't want to downplay your condition but keep in mind that you are not the only student dealing with a problem.)</p>
<p>Anyway, do you know every other grade you got in the course? May it be possible that the final went worse than you expected and pulled your grade down? If you are unsure why you got a B - talk to the professor. If you just think it's unfair - get over it.</p>
<p>I did specifically address it at the beginning of class. The professor said that it "wouldn't be a problem". I should have had him outline specifically what that meant, but at the time I thought that meant that the policy would not apply to me. While I only missed one class due to a doctor's appointment, I missed 4 due to being in the hospital and 2 more for being in so much pain that I could not physically leave bed. I got a B+ on the final, so my grade should have been an A- based on the midterm, quizzes, and paper all being As. </p>
<p>Depression has medication for treatment so there is no excuse to not be able to get out of bed because that is something that can be handled (and trust me, before I had my thyroid condition under control I had chronic depression as well). I have PCOS (which does have treatment but often the pain is so bad for me that I have to whip out the heavy duty stuff which puts me to sleep), celiac disease, chronic fatigue, and a yet undiagosed, Dr. House-eque autoimmune condition that we can't figure out what is wrong. The last 3 have no treatments but wildly different symptoms that if they all hit at once, can leave me covered from head to toe in hives, dizzy, pain in all my joints, throwing up, and then promptly sleeping for 32 hours straight. I cannot take time off of school for it because my parents cannot afford to take me back into the house and I'm on an almost full scholarship that pays for my housing and food.</p>
<p>Based upon this B (which I was not expecting), I have lost my scholarship which is why this is an issue. If it was just a B, it would not be a problem. However, because the grade SHOULD be an A- but is down to a B due to circumstances 100% out of my hands, it's a huge problem. I emailed the professor but he is really bad about getting back to emails so who knows when I will get it back, and he's on leave next semester so there's no way to do a face to face discussion.</p>
<p>It sounds like you should have communicated with him better, as you had nothing agreed upon.</p>
<p>My school has an "Emergency Dean" that you call if you are sick or have extreme conditions and if you can prove it to them then the professors have to excuse you...</p>
<p>For now, as you said, it may be out of your hands. You've emailed, so now wait it out a bit. Set up a face-to-face ASAP when you get back. If you still feel like there's a problem, you could talk to the Dean (might be easiest to have an "unofficial" meeting before making any waves).</p>
<p>Meanwhile, are you really 100% sure that absences were the cause of your "B"? You'll have to find that out before anything else. Don't just assume it.</p>
<p>I do hope you get this worked out. Good luck!</p>
<p>May I ask specifically how you explained your circumstances at the beginning fo the semester e.g. did you specify how often you were likely to be absent? Is it possible for you to give a general estimate? Did you inform the professor before hand of the doctor's appointment? Also, did you inform after each absence of what had happened to cause? If not, I would recommend it in the future. </p>
<p>If you miss a class for a silly reason that could have been avoided (oversleeping, missing a bus, etc.), then I wouldn't see a point in burdening the professor with those faults, but if it is legitimately out of your hands and may impact future academic performance, I do think you should explain after the fact.</p>
<p>I would also recommend initiating future discussions of how to deal with your health and attendance by email. It would be a lot easier to keep track of what concerns have/haven't been addressed and create a record of the final agreements and the steps you have taken to address your health issues in case there is ever dispute.</p>
<p>As for what to do now, is it possible the prof just forgot about the condition or assumed your absences were for other reasons because you didn't notify him? If the first, I think he would oblige you if reminded.<br>
If the second, I do think he would still be understanding if you have documentation (which you should from the hospital and your doctor), so offer to provide it. If he says he can't accept it, I would say go separately and explain the situation to your academic dean and ask if you have any sort of case for further discussion or appeal,and if so, if your dean would be willing to help you or mediate.</p>
<p>ETA: To clarify, do wait until you're certain that the absences are the cause of the grade decrease.</p>