I totally sympathize with the OP - 3 hours is a long time. I must have a very small bladder because I drive everyone crazy on family road trips - I have to tinkle like every hour. That’s why I like to drive on our road trips - I can control when we stop. I have always been that way. If I had to sit for 3 hours straight I would have to make sure that I did not drink anything at all that day. Not sure that is good either.
If the prof made him leave his phone with him and checked to see he had no papers or anything else, why would it have been a big deal to give him 3 or 4 minutes to go to the bathroom?
Right, but see post #66 by a professor. I think I would do my best to make sure the student had no phone or papers, and given him 3 or 4 minutes to tinkle so he could finish the exam. I think some rules can be bent and this would be one of them for me.
I think some professors don’t care if students cheat or not. Some don’t care if you skip class while others take attendance. The rules allow the prof to proctor the test and set the rules, and this prof did. OP might be correct that this professor just didn’t like him so downgraded him when he could (participation) and enforced the rules.
I remember when I took the bar exam, which was in 3-4 hour blocks, people did take breaks to go to the bathroom and to smoke. No extra time was given, you had to leave everything at your seat, and had to do it quietly. I was so thrilled when the person beside me didn’t show for the exam and I was in the last row so no one behind me. Others were disturbed when neighbors were climbing over them to take a break.
If the OP really has an issue that requires trips to the bathroom, he needs to get this medically documented and work with the disabilities office at his college to get an accommodation which will allow him to use the bathroom during exams.
I had a classmate in undergrad school who needed a similar accommodation. Her exams were taken in a separate place with a teaching assistant. When my friend needed to use the facilities during exams, the TA was required to accompany her. They actually went to a faculty private bathroom. This was to avoid cheating. Apparently students would stash notes, books, and other materials in the bathrooms…and then try to access them during the exams, our school, therefore, initiated a no break policy as well.
I am surprised at the reactions on this thread. I don’t think needing to go to the bathroom in a 3 hour period is a medical condition or disability, nor do I think that being allowed to go once in 3 hours is worthy of the term “accommodation.” I think that universities should look at this issue, take cell phones before the exam, and have two proctors. For timed exams, a trip to the rest room is a further disadvantage, so there really should be a break mid-way. How hard is that?
You can feel singled out by your professor, but it does you no good. Similarly, some professors may find you particularly eloquent in class and nudge up those grades a bit to get you an A instead of a B+ or B. Grading is subjective, especially philosophy essays. Rather than think this guy is somehow picking on you, why don’t you reread his comments and see if he is actually trying to help you improve your thinking or your essay.
Getting into spats with professors is also just not a good idea. Difficult students are hard to help.
Summary - the world is not fair - get over it.
Given that you have an issue with 3 hour periods without a bathroom break and you now know that it is UT policy that you are not allowed to leave the break room, I think it behooves you to see a medical professional and document the severe anxiety and/or bladder or whatever issues that you have. You can then decide if a particular final or other test is likely to cause issues, and have the letter handy … but before the test … inform them days in advance so they can make arrangements or make the decision that you will be allowed a break at time X in the test. Honestly, that will make others feel like they should use the bathroom, so maybe there will be a break in the middle of the test, and test divided into sections (although this is somewhat more difficult for some students, since you now have to complete say the multiple choice in 75 minutes and the essays in 90 … and what if you only need an hour for the whole thing and what if you need 45 for multiple choice and 120 for essays or visa versa.
See, it isn’t that simple. If you let one student go to the bathroom, don’t you think 10 or more others will either have full bladders or want to walk around a bit or go smoke or look at their smartphones or text their friends or whatever.
But the point is that some profs will not bend the rules and as pointed out in #66 many others will. I am only saying that if it were up to me, I would take away the cell phone and check to make sure he had no paper on his person. Then I would give him 3 or 4 minutes to go to the bathroom. I have always believed that some rules were meant to be bent. This one rises to that level in my mind.
Actually, the best solution is the one posted in #87 - having a 5 minute break half way through the 3 hour exam.
For what it’s worth, the final exams in my high school are 3 hours long, plus 15 minutes for passing out and collecting papers. Kids are expected to be in their rooms from 8:35 until 11: 50 am.
If you need to go to the nurse, a teacher will take you. Beyond that, you do not leave the room.
My school has 2700 kids from age 11 to 18.
And I think the professor in this case might have bent the rules, had he been aware of the medical needs of the OP. The OP has a history of needing potty breaks. OK, fine-- but how was the professor to know the difference between such a history and a notebook hidden in a bathroom stall, or formulas written inside a sleeve?
The time to take care of this was before the test, not afterwards. I don’t think it’s valid to assume that you will be allowed to leave in the middle of a test.
For all those who say there should be a mid-test break: what about someone else who can’t make 90 minutes? Or who can’t make Those particular 90 minutes without a break?
Your professor did NOT put your health at risk. You were free to leave. If urinary urgency is a recurrent issue for u, then u could have asked for an accommodation or dealt w it in this common way:
I think the professor should be FIRED. Not allowing some one to go to the bathroom is childish and immature at best and malicious at worst. If they are really concerned they can have two proctors. The second proctor can follow you to the bathroom
See but UT has a policy that you can not leave the room and they have a policy that they will accommodate special needs. So unless you request this in advance, they don’t need to have a second proctor available for every dang test. Again, I think it is likely that OPs bathroom break would have caused 10 other people to decide it was a good thing to take a break and either empty their bladders, chill for a few, or … well cheat.
I think if there had been a genuine emergency rather than nervous bladder,the obvious thing that would have happened is that OP would have left the room anyway, returned, possibly have sent packing, but then have a good route to asking for a retake of the exam. Right now, the full or slightly full or probably not bladder thing is similar to 50% of the test takers and a lot of restless people and well. … cheaters who were dying to head out to the bathroom to use their cell or text Dr. Hawkings …
Best thing here is that OP a) knows that you cannot decide to go to the bathroom in the middle of the test at UT, b) probably will have to get a medical eval to pursue this beyond current state and c) has the address of a practical solution to this issue that is much better than the cup or bottle proposed earlier.
If you are so concerned about kidney damage, why have you never sought any medical attention ? What do you do if you are delayed on a plane or stuck in traffic ?
So the university should have raise tuition to pay for two proctors for every final, and of course, one of each sex/gender? Seriously?
(Hint: students are not employees. If Congress wanted students to be included, they would have added them to the language of the bills that they passed.)
“I suppose I could argue that the professors decision put my health at risk. Holding in urine can lead to urinary tract infections and extremely serious bladder conditions.” Where are you getting your information from? This is obviously interfering with your life and many of us are still wondering what you do when you aren’t able to use the rest room while traveling etc.
@tiger1307, you think so? Our high school expects students to get through their 1.5 hour classes without using the bathroom. There are rules limiting how many bathroom passes may be issued to each student and it’s something like one every three weeks. No, I’m not too happy that some students evidently abused their bathroom privileges and made the administration feel it was necessary to put such rules in place. I’m sure that students with a medical need for frequent bathroom access can get an exception with a doctor’s note. As the OP should have, considering his condition and the rules in place.
Other students would not take a bathroom break unless desperate, because they would lose time on the test.
Unless they all have accommodations of “'extra breaks” from the disabilities office, in which case, they would test alone with their own proctor (I happen to know because of my kid with type 1 diabetes)