<p>Soooo....I was doing bad in a course (a major course) and I had yet to receive back a lot of my work, but considering how I was doing already I decided to just take the class as pass/no pass and I changed my grading option on Friday. However, with my luck, of course, I received my papers back today and I got A's!! So now I want to change my grading option back to a letter grade despite the deadline being passed. I know I have to petition but when I called and explained my reasoning they said that it was a lame excuse and that it wouldn't fly with the petition committee since they only make the exception of late grading option changes for "extenuating circumstances". So, in your opinion what would be a good "extenuating circumstance"? Do you know anyone that has successfully done this? What was their reasoning? Any help would be greatly appreciated! thank you! ( :</p>
<p>Usually extenuating circumstances would pertain to the other way around (forgetting to change to P/NP from letter grade due to extenuating circumstances)…at least I would think so. So you’re likely not gonna get it changed just because you want a better grade. And don’t lie about extenuating circumstances. No extenuating circumstance would really relate to getting a better grade…what are you gonna say? You got into an extreme accident that happened to improve your writing abilities?</p>
<p>having a grade as a pass/no pass does not necessarily mean that I thought the grade was bad in the first place…I dont see how it would be any different of a situation. What ever would have normally halted someone from changing a grade from letter to p/np could be the same thing vice versa. Nobody has to know that I thought I was doing bad and thats why I had it as p/np for a short while…maybe I had an “extenuating circumstance” in my life that was preventing me from being able to dedicate a lot of time to my studies so I tried to cover my ass by changing it to p/np but now that “extenuating circumstance” is no longer an issue and I feel I can dedicate enough time to the class to get a final grade. I just have no idea what the circumstance could be…</p>
<p>Well the truth is that there were no extenuating circumstances in your case. I P/NP an A and a A- before. College isn’t all about what grades you attain in your classes, it is also a lesson on life. Trying to cheat the system is only going to hurt yourself as you’d think such loopholes exist in the real world as well. Unfortunately, it doesn’t…</p>
<p>enough with the life lessons polygon, jeez.</p>
<p>um…polygon…half of life is showing up and the other half is working the system. I’m sorry but I’m not here to listen to your rambling life lessons. I know my situation is not an extenuating circumstance. In fact, I think I explicitly stated that in a prior response. That was my question—what WOULD be an example of an extenuating circumstance? I’ve lived in the real world for a good amount of time, and I can tell you right now that the best lesson I ever could have learned was that it is okay to work the system (any system) to your advantage as long as no one gets hurt and you end up on top.</p>
<p>Well, you shouldn’t be surprised that nobody wants to help you.</p>
<p>paniikd, unfortunately I’m not a current Berkeley student but I do agree working the system is a skill definitely worth acquiring. The only people that really end up complaining about people “working the system” are individuals who are behind and at the bottom because they either don’t know how, can’t, or they feel like it’s “immoral.”</p>
<p>Anyway, I’ve done a class drop and similar at my high school after the deadline and whatnot to convenience my schedule by falsifying some medical issues. They always are inarguable proof. One thing you might want to try to prove to them is that you had a medical issue that was greatly affecting your abilities but now it has been cleared. Not really sure exactly how to approach that situation at Berkeley though since I am not studying there yet. My dad’s friend is a doctor from Harvard Med and all he has to do is sign a medical waiver that I am indeed in this “extenuating medical circumstance” with the Harvard header at the top and it is more than believable for an appeal. </p>
<p>Good luck on your process. Hope that gives you some ideas.</p>
<p>thank you indiscreetmath. Sure working the system is a skill and a part of life. But no one is gonna help you do it, especially with no gain for themselves.</p>
<p>Actually, what I mean to say is that your guys’ so called “maturity” is not very well thought out. Really, I can barely comprehend how you can rationalize so much dignity into lying about having something terrible happen to yourself to use a rule that was created out of sympathy for people who had traumatic or disastrous or whatever experiences in their lives. I can understand that people become very selfish because life allows them to, but really there’s no reason to be so smug about it. I mean yeah I guess you can take food out of donation bins if you don’t care about other people, but how does that make you worthy of praise?</p>
<p>@gold3n: Hmm, might I suggest to you a career in business instead of CS? It’s laughable you think you know how achievement works. I don’t know about whether they would cheat if pressed, but the top people in engineering don’t need to use cheap tricks to get where they are. If you had to cheat in high school I really don’t know how well you will do in CS here.</p>
<p>indiscreetmath: I never said I cheated. If you read I said “to convenience my schedule” which literally means so I can move my daily routine around as I see fit. Of course it was past the deadline and if that is considered “cheating” to you then I am sorry if my actions offended you.</p>
<p>Haha your actions have nothing to do with me. I’m just curious. How is lying and getting your dad’s friend to lie for personal convenience something to be proud of?</p>
<p>I asked the same thing here last summer. I was failing horribly in a summer class but it turns out that everyone was failing even harder and I was actually a baller so proff did a mega-curve on the class and I came out with an A. I came here asking if I could do anything to get my grade back and everyone laughed at me.</p>
<p>I was not saying I’m proud of it; I was simply trying to help paniikd by giving him ideas through a personal anecdote since no one else was being helpful.</p>
<p>goddammit. i just found out i’m getting an A- in a spanish class i’m taking for P/NP. i don’t do crap in there either, srsly. lol. haven’t gotten a single A on a test in there so i dunno how this is possible.</p>
<p>Okay Indiscreetmath, what you are saying makes no sense. my getting a grade change approved does not affect anyone but me. Its not like they only allow a certain number a semester! I might be beating out the kid that really did get hit by a car. I mean to compare it to stealing for a donation bin? LOL really? Okay…you obviously glazed over my previous response when I said that working the system was a great idea so long as “no one gets hurt”. Also, by hurt I don’t mean you getting butt hurt by people doing smart and innovative things to get ahead that you will one day realize you should have done.</p>
<p>Also, I dont remember who said that “no one would help me because it wouldnt help them.” But all I have to say is screw you then! Either don’t comment or get over yourselves (preferably both). I mean, how would someone help me fix this problem HURT you???</p>
<p>ok. well you go try to change your grade option with your bogus extenuating circumstance.</p>
<p>You’re criticizing me for saying that people are selfish in that they won’t help you unless they get something in return. But usually, when someone helps another, they expect/get something in return. Even if its just the satisfaction of helping someone else better their life. But, if I help you come up with an extenuating circumstance to cheat the system, I don’t feel like I’m bettering your life and since I won’t get anything else, there is no motivation to help you. Especially when you openly admit to cheating the system or whatever you want to call it. </p>
<p>All in all, you’re criticizing me for being selfish for not helping you be selfish.</p>
<p>Wow, an incompetent person with a horrible attitude. Thought you might have learned something when you almost got your admission rescinded. Clearly that is not the case here.</p>
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<p>You got into Cal with a 3.0 GPA from community college and instead of treasuring this opportunity, you seem content to just wait and see how far your luck will take you in life. Well, all I want to say is…good luck bro, you’d need it.</p>
<p>I’m not getting butthurt lol. I just want you to answer my question:
“How is lying for personal benefit something to be proud of?”
which you must be since you consider it smart and innovative even though you can’t figure out a BS excuse to actually do it. Again, what’s with the superior attitude? Am I a prude because my ambitions include knowing that I got where I was playing clean?</p>
<p>Everything that happens affects other people. If you get a better grade then the average GPA raises that little bit and so everyone’s GPA looks a little bit worse. It’s a trifling example but there’s no doubt in my mind that in the future you will rationalize other situations because all the focus in your post was on ending up on top.</p>
<p>Since butthurt doesn’t count it looks like I’m justified in saying whatever I want here, anyways.</p>
<p>This is the last I’ll say on this, because honestly none of you are listening, and I just dont care anymore. I have no problem with people that always try to put a moral spin on everything, but generally I like them to be surrounded by cartoon animals and singing a pleasant song under a disney logo. </p>
<p>Also, I dont see how my previous situation with the possible rescinding of my acceptance has anything to do with any of this. I did not lie to get my way out of anything in that situation…and I ESPECIALLY dont see how my community college record or my transfer gpa has anything to do with any of this. That was just a condescending jab. I mean if you were trying to say that I don’t deserve my admission and I got in on pure luck (and am riding currently on pure luck) then you obviously didn’t understand my original post. I am actually pulling straight A’s right now, yeah at UC Berkeley…so maybe get over yourselves and either dont post on this thread at all or help me out.</p>