Ok, so I’ve had a bunch of things happen this term both personal and family issues. So of course this happened during midterm week and it really proved to negatively effect my grade. If this test would have been any later or earilier than that day my grade would have been significantly higher. I came into the test unstable and not wanting to be there. I had so much stuff on my mind and was tired from not sleeping at all. I knew that I did bad but didn’t think it was that bad. I retook the test because before the scores were released he puts up the questions on canvas. I got an 86% on the test on canvas when I checked my answers but a 52% on the actual test. Friends that I helped understand , and study got a better grade than me. I have since received help from my counselor and have documentation of going to one. I want to possibly ask for my test grade to be dropped and the weight of the midterm be added to my final grade. That is his policy on missing the exam.I usually wouldn’t be so selfish to ask for this but the exam was 30%of my final grade. I still have two exams weighing at 30%, and 40% so I’m not totally screwed. I emailed and left him a voice-mail on the issue and I’m sort of just hoping for the best. I wanted to ask you guys what I should do in the future to avoid situations like this.I can’t dodge my depression or family problems but how do I effectively keep it from effecting my academics? Thank you so much and have a great day!
You did the right thing to write to the instructor. What he may do is to drop that exam IF your later exams, and the final exam, show that you have mastered the material. That’s what I would do if I were he. If it’s a large class, and you have never met the professor one-on-one, it wouldn’t hurt for you to meet him if he would be amenable to that.
I’ve dealt with some difficult situations that my students encountered over the years. The worst case is one in which I was unaware of the student’s problems. Her performance in my class was superb. I wish I had connected more with her outside of class b/c this might have avoided what came next. I’m not trying to overly dramatize this but just to let you know that there are probably mechanisms by which your personal situation can be conveyed confidentially and effectively. You refer to a counselor, but is this someone connected to the college? That would be good if you have that service available.
You have done the right thing in talking to the instructor and getting counseling. Sometimes there is absolutely nothing you can do when you are dealing with family or mental health problems. Your grades will be affected. That’s life, but it won’t cause permanent harm to fail a test or two.
Knowing that you are prone to depression might help you to set up a support network before you need it. Have counseling and meds in place. If you start to feel bad, let your profs know before your grades slip. (My daughter has trouble concentrating or sleeping when she is anxious, and literally can’t study, so she lets her professors know when this is starting to happen.) Enlist friends to take good notes for you so that if you have to miss class, you’ll know what went on.
Above all, communicate. Don’t just blow off a class without letting the prof know why. And when you’re feeling well, work your butt off and get good grades to show how serious you are about academics.
I’m going to take a tougher line. My kids have had plenty of reasons to get a bad midterm grades – sick with a bad cold, breakups with significant others, overwhelmed with work from other classes – and they usually take their midterms and accept the grades they earn. Sometimes those grades are not very good. I tell 'en to do the best they can on homework, any quizzes, extra credit, and tests – then you have a little cushion if something goes wrong. I also tell my kids that if they really can’t complete something – a test, paper, etc due to these types of issues, tell the prof BEFORE the test or paper due date, and ask for a delay or extension, instead of coming back later with excuses.