<p>Hello,</p>
<p>I am not sure if this is the right place,but what does it mean when professors don't reply t your emails regarding your final grades?I got a B in class,and due to unfortunate problems I bumped down to A(needed only 4 points).I stated my case and reasons as to why that happened,but the professor isn't responding.Does it mean the grades are final or he is still thinking?</p>
<p>How long has it been since you sent the email? In my experience, when a professor does not answer your email it is for one of two reasons: 1) They are genuinely busy and have not gotten around to it, 2) It is their subtle way of telling you that you should talk with them face to face instead of through email. Given the fact that you are discussing final grades in the email, I am inclined to think that it is 2 rather than 1. If you really want to make a case for bumping up your final grade, I would speak to the professor in person rather than through email.</p>
<p>Barely a day.I replied to him a few hours ago(after he replied to my first email as to what happened),I can see him online but he isn’t responding.Could it be he still deciding what he will do?Maybe change the grades for everyone(not only me)?Mind you I am not questioning him,I just put out a statement and said that “it feels weird I got a B because of this and not an A.”</p>
<p>I will be surprised if he did stop replying,and you cannot do anything since he can do what he wants.</p>
<p>Give him some time. If it hasn’t even been a day yet, he likely just hasn’t gotten back to you yet. He probably has other classes that he’s sorting out currently too. I imagine you weren’t his only student. ;)</p>
<p>That said, it is usually best to discuss these things in person.</p>
<p>If it’s been barely a day, I would definitely give him some time to respond or try to discuss it in person with him. He’s probably inundated with questions about students’ grades, and he has his own duties and responsibilities to deal with (professors often wear many hats).</p>
<p>I’d give it at least 24-48 hours (since it’s a time-sensitive issue), unless that would put you past the deadline for him to change the grade if he chooses to do so. If you want a more immediate answer, I would go see him in person.</p>
<p>I know it’s better to discuss person to person,but currently I am not in campus…I will be back in a week before fall.Btw I felt I do better explaining things via email since my mind goes everywhere lol.</p>
<p>I am hoping if he wants to meet he can let me know and I will make a quick journey back to school.I am sure I am not the only one emailing him but I really hope he atleast replies with his decision.I know he does not have any obligation to respond but I will be extremely happy if he does,and even more if he decides to bump it.</p>
<p>Btw I even emailed his assistant and he said there really isn’t anything he can do right now even though he can see where I am coming from,but when I responded to his email he hasn’t responded to me yet.Maybe they are deciding if they should bump me or not?Hopefully I hear something tomorrow.</p>
<p>If he does decide to change then I think he also has to make changes to all the other grades.</p>
<p>Your professors are not your personal tutors and do not owe you instant gratification. A grade appeal is very low on the priority list of things that most professors on a semester schedule have to deal with right now. If you haven’t heard back by the end of the week, then send another polite email. Also, most faculty I know will not entertain a grade appeal–unless there is simply a computational error–without an extensive face-to-face meeting.</p>
<p>@slacfac</p>
<p>If grade is a low priority,I am willing to wait for 24-48 hours as the above posters have said.Who is talking about instant gratification?You seem to have a archaic perception that just because a student appeals he’s automatically wrong and a whiner.I didn’t come to senior year through things like that,and I already mentioned if I have a case then how long do professors take to respond…I don’t wish to waste anyone’s time and if the professor thinks I don’t have any argument a simple no would be enough.</p>
<p>Professors have a lot to take care of at the end of a semester. As others have mentioned, they are not going to drop everything they’re doing to look through a single students records and see if a grade adjustment is justified. I’d give it a few days. Odds are you’ll hear back. I’m sure it’s rough sitting there waiting to hear back, but if you start bugging them, it’s not going to help your situation out.</p>
<p>OP, the fact that you felt the need to make a post about this after, in your own words, “**arely a day,” that you noted that “I can see him online but he isn’t responding,” and that you think that a 24-48 hour response time is appropriate for a low priority matter (especially a complex one like a grade appeal) all indicate to me that you need to be much more patient.</p>
<p>I will respond re: a complex low priority matter in 48 hours if I’m lucky, but it can take me up to a week. Dealing with an email about grades takes time–as comfortablycurt said, you have to have all your records together, and your professor may not even be where those records are. Furthermore, these are almost never simple “yes” or “no” responses–most professors will try to respond about these matters in detail even if they won’t change the grade. Most of us will respond to even the most baseless request–and I am not saying your request is baseless; I make no judgment on the quality of your case–in great detail so that we can cover ourselves if the student then goes to our department chair or dean. </p>
<p>Let this be. If you don’t hear anything by Thursday evening, email your professor Thursday evening or Friday morning.</p>
<p>Well I have had professors take like 6 days to respond to my e-mails (and there was no holiday or anything like that). I’ve had another University official take almost 2 weeks (less urgent circumstance).</p>
<p>So not responding for a few hours is not really an issue.
I say just be patient and wait until next week.</p>
<p>An also remember that grades can always be changed…there isn’t a pressing deadline that you are really approaching. Sure the process of changing grades after grades have already been added to transcript is very long, but it is doable, just with a little red tape that professors have to maneuver. I’ve had grades changed almost a whole semester after the class ended so you should be fine.</p>
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<p>I would like to add that I only suggested at least 24-48 hours because I was under the impression that there was some sort of deadline (either set by the university or by the professor). I know the professors I’ve TA-ed for liked to have all grade changes dealt with before the university’s deadline to submit grades because changing grades after that was a huge hassle. Professors I’ve known also set hard deadlines for regrades or altering grades, unless there was some grievous mistake.</p>
<p>If there’s no deadline or pressing timeline, I’d say give him a week. I don’t think this is an extremely low priority for him (or at least, professors I’ve worked with didn’t make the classes they taught their lowest priority), and I do think he’d like to get this all worked out and put behind him. But professors get busy, emails get lost, things happen. Give him some time, and then check back in.</p>