Missed final exam, freaking out. Help?

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

<p>Hi everyone. I am in complete crisis mode right now... I have no idea what to do, so I figured I would turn to the collective experience of CC for help. </p>

<p>Recently I've been flooded with medical issues. Doctors found some troubling results in my routine bloodwork and I've been seeing specialist after specialist since then to sort out what it could be. Yet to receive a diagnosis, but the consensus seems to be it is probably some rare genetic hepatic disease. </p>

<p>This week is also the week of final exams at the college where I'm taking a course. I haven't been to class/on campus in a few weeks, due to the aforementioned problems, and have been bombarded with health worries and doctor visits in my spare time. I was under assumption the final was tomorrow. I just found out THE FINAL WAS YESTERDAY. Never got any emails about this or updates from my classmates. </p>

<p>In short: I MISSED MY FINAL EXAM. </p>

<p>I am absolutely heartbroken, mortified, crestfallen, shocked. I don't know how I allowed this to happen. I've just been so stressed out recently with medical stuff, it's become my exclusive focus. </p>

<p>I have an A so far in the class. Final exam counts for 40%... a zero would bring me down to an F, or at best a D. I have worked so hard, dedicated so much time, and been so positively enthralled in this course. It's an incredibly depressing realization. </p>

<p>I emailed my professor as soon as I could and filled him in on my health problems, as well as the fact that I'm a high school student and thus a bit more disconnected from the school's administration. No reply. He has already proctored all his exams; I called the school and they said he left his office early today. Final grades are due by Friday. I really fear he's not going to receive my email. And even if he does, what could he do about it? </p>

<p>There just aren't words to express the profound, all-consuming despair and horror I feel right now. What do I do? Is there anyway to rectify this? I apologize if it sounds hyperbolic, but I am finding it impossible not to succumb to the "my life is over" mentality right now :( </p>

2

<p>Stop your panic! Even if the prof had to submit grades already, it is very easy for prof’s to submit change of grade forms. Send the professor another email. Explain you have been sick, as is true, and as a result have had difficulty and confusion. If you don’t get an email back (some profs don’t check email regularly after the semester) send an email to the Dean of the college (academic dean if there is more than one). Explain that you have tried to reach the prof but haven’t been able to. You normally would wait but did not want too much time to go by. And explain the circumstance. Any humane person would allow a make up. The make up may not be administered until next semester but that is no big deal. Also, if in the oft chance that the prof says that it is too late or some such (which I doubt) send the letter to the Dean and explain what happened and what the prof said. I doubt it will come to that though. What happened to you happens to hundreds of students throughout the country for all different kinds of reasons, Stop being so heart-sick. It is unnecessary. Nobody is out to make a young student suffer. So they will do the right thing. Relax!!!</p>

3

<p>Also, you would be surprised at how many students end up not taking finals when they are scheduled. Even for college students, life events are not always timed well. People get sick, oversleep, get overwhelmed, have finals that conflict with each other, and on and on. If the prof did not hear from you before the grade is submitted, he or she may submit an “F” but that is very easy to change once you complete the final. He or she may have submitted an “I” though because it may have been obvious that something happened to keep you from the exam if you had an “A” going into it. I can understand that this seems like a huge deal to you but it is nothing but routine for the professor. Professors expect there to be some students who need make ups and some that even miss the make up. So, send those emails then stop obsessing. It may be January before you hear. Not because you will be denied but because the professor may be busy wrapping holiday gifts or conducting research to deal with emails about tests. So, it is best to send the emails mentioned in the message above and just forget it for a while. Have a good holiday and then revisit the issue if you have not heard anything by then. </p>

4

<p>Since you were most likely absent for an excusable reason, you will probably be given a grade of “I” (MIT uses “O” or “OX” for absent). If so, you should be given the opportunity to make up the final, or have some other make-up procedure.</p>

5

<p>Thanks to everyone who responded! You certainly did help assuage my nerves. And, thankfully, as you all predicted, everything turned out okay. My professor contacted me earlier this morning and arranged for me to take the final with a TA (finished it about an hour ago). My incomplete grade already went in, but he said he’ll be able to change it. Lesson learned; panic-mode is never worth it. Hopefully my collegiate sangfroid will increase with time :slight_smile: </p>