<p>So I feel really sick right now, I have a headache, runny nose, sore throat. I'm definitely going to the health center to get looked at in a bit. I have a chemistry exam tonight from 7-9 PM that's worth 20% of my final grade that I definitely don't feel like taking at the moment.</p>
<p>So a few questions:</p>
<ol>
<li>What can I do to make myself feel slightly better to take the exam? Is it a good idea to skip classes today?</li>
<li>What can I do in general to make myself get better? Also, if I'm still sick tomorrow, should I skip a 2nd day in a row of classes? since that could be a lot of work to catch up on.</li>
<li>What can I do to not get my 3 room/suite mates sick as well?</li>
</ol>
<p>Sorry you feel bad Pierre. Can you gargle with some salt water? Also if you could take some Tylenol that would be good. See whether you can get some chicken soup from the cafeteria. Also - this will sound gross but it works - see whether you can get some garlic in the cafeteria.</p>
<p>Could you talk to the prof giving the exam before tonight? Maybe he/she has some ideas on what you could do.</p>
<p>You’re kind to be thinking about your roommates. Try to wash your hands every time you blow your nose, and cough into your sleeve.</p>
<p>In general I think you’re better to try to rest and get better than go to class if you’re still having symptoms.</p>
<p>Take care of yourself and hope you feel better soon.</p>
<p>Contact your professor to make up the exam. I don’t think you should go into a roomful of students tonight to take the exam, you could give your virus to everyone. I am sure your professor wouldn’t want to touch your paper either. I would be very surprised if your professor would say no. You may need a note from a doctor, but I don’t think it would be that difficult. This is a no brainer.</p>
<p>There is nothing out there that’s going to make you feel better super fast, like tonight. My kids drink a lot of lemon with hot water (it helps with fever too), other than that just aspirin, fluid, sleep. Chicken noodle soup is good. Feel better.</p>
<p>I think most people would take some Tylenol and tough it out. </p>
<p>(Unless you want to use this as an excuse for a little extra study time. . .if you want to do that, you should probably visit the health center. And take some Tylenol anyway. Drink lots of water/juice.)</p>
<p>If you go to the health center, I’m sure they will tell you to stay away from your classes until your fever has gone away and I’m sure that will be something you can send your professor. My D had this happen, and only one professor was uncooperative, but it still worked out all right. Take care of yourself and get well. That’s the main thing.</p>
<p>I agree with mom2collegekids. Go to the health center pronto and take care of your health. Make arrangements with the prof to make up the test in a few days when you’re feeling better. As we all know, there are bad flu viruses going around. My son, a HS senior, just missed a week and a half of school and lost two weeks + in preparing to retake SATs and working on college apps. It stinks, but these things happen! People get sick and all you can do is try to take care of your health. Rest and drink plenty of fluids and deal with catching up when you’re better. You could also have strep, in which case antibiotics will fix you up fast. Hope you feel better soon!</p>
<p>Contact your professor and find out if you can make up the exam. (I have a professor who will absolutely not let students make up tests, no matter why they missed them . . . If your teacher is like that too, then you have my sympathy.)</p>
<p>Yes, absolutely skip your morning classes (especially since you’re feeling sick anyway.)</p>
<p>Call your professor and tell them you are very sick, going to the health center, and want to know if there is any way you can make up the exam. Especially with the h1n1 flu going around, most professors are being very accommodating to sick students because they don’t want them coming to class and infecting everybody else. </p>
<p>I got really sick on Thursday, I woke up vomiting and I had two midterms that day. I had no choice but to call one professor and ask to reschedule, and then by that evening I was feeling better so I went and took my last midterm. It sucks, especially when you study really hard to be prepared for THAT day, but it happens. We are not the first people to get sick on an exam day.</p>
<p>I just got a email back from the professor saying that if I don’t go to the exam tonight, it will count as a 0 (there are no make up exams) but that the final exam will replace the lowest of the other exam grades if it helps me.</p>
<p>Absolutely essential you check with your prof before the exam to see what his policy is. My daughter missed 2 major exams last week because they were on the same day as her Grandma’s funeral. She checked with her profs in advance (we would have had her miss the funeral if there was no way of making up the grade, though she would probably have done poorly). Turned out neither prof does make up exams but both do some sort of averaging of the student’s other exam grades (good deal for one of the classes, not as good for the other!) plus some sort of formula involving the class average for the exam. One prof took her word for why she was missing the exam. The other required a copy of the obituary. </p>
<p>Always check with individual profs in this sort of circumstance. And it is also important to, if at all possible, check before the event not after.</p>
<p>Go to the health center and see what they say - hopefully it is something mild and you are not infectious. We find Theraflu good for general achy sniffly symptoms. My daughter will even drink it, reluctantly, even though she dislikes the taste (the lemon is less unpleasant than the other flavors in our opinion). Make sure whatever you take is ‘non drowsy’ if you do get to the exam.</p>
<p>I don’t understand how the professor can refuse a make-up exam for a student that is sick and could give a verified doctor’s note for the illness. I always assumed that it was a requirement that they allow sick/injured/death the family students to make-up missed work as long as they have a note.</p>
<p>bluealien01, chemistry 101 exams at clemson are common exams which means that every student taking CH 101 takes the exam at the exact same time so I can understand why they would refuse me a make-up exam.</p>
<p>Go take the exam, anything would be better than a 0. If you should do badly then you would still have the backup (the final exam will replace the lowest…). Before the exam, take the Theraflu. It’ll take away the pain, fever and congestion. Maybe it’ll be enough to help you make it through the exam.</p>
<p>Go to student health and get yourself check out. You may have to give permission to release your information, but, student health center can contact your first year dean and the department chair to give them the diagnosis of your condition. I am quite sure that if you have the flu or H1N1, the last thing that student health or the school wants is for you to be in contact with other students.</p>
<p>A lot of profs at my daughter’s school have similar policies where the final will replace the lowest exam score. It is not an unreasonable policy - it’s not like the prof is saying he will just get a 0 with no way of compensating for it.</p>
<p>That said, you may just have a cold. Not everything is the flu, though everyone’s (including me) first thought at the first sniffle this year is that that is what they have. If that is the case (after talking to the health center) then just do the exam.</p>
<p>Yes, even with an H1N1 epidemic, a prof can refuse to let a student make up an exam. My D has a prof that has several section of Chem II but they all take 4 exams on Thurs evenings together as a group every so many weeks. There is one exam, no make ups. If you miss an exam and have a very valid reason (H1N1, emergency surgery, a hospital admission and death of an immediate family member) the lowest exam is dropped and the final is used twice. That is it. It can be used once. No exceptions. </p>
<p>So you will have to decide to go or count on doing really well on the final. If you are ready for the exam, and physically able to take it, I would go, sit in an area away from other students, and just take it. It is crazy that there are no allowances in a year like this. Otherwise, go to bed, and move on, and plan on using the final to double as this grade as well. I WOULD go to student health so that your illness is on record. Maybe, based on the number of sick kids, there might be allowances made as the semester progresses.</p>
<p>As a professor, I’m somewhat understanding of the professor’s policy. I teach at a 2 year school and I will allow make-ups for extreme circumstances, although I encourage the student to make up the exam prior to the next class meeting. At a residential school there tends to be much more sharing of information outside of class, particularly in large lecture sections of popular courses. However, the incidence of H1N1 is making things trickier this year. I’m surprised the professor doesn’t have a more lenient policy, particularly if the student gets a note from the health service. It’s really a tough situation and I guess letting the final grade replace that test allows the student some slack and yet maintains some academic integrity for the exam.</p>
<p>Email prof right away and say you’ll follow up as soon as you get bak from health center. Go to health center and get note to verify you are ill. Email your prof again right away to explain you have a note. </p>
<p>You absolutely can miss an exam due to verified illness. It is not up to the professor (however they may have different ways to handle missing a final). If for some strange reason (and I honestly can’t believe it could be a problem) go to administration to take it up with them.</p>