<p>Hello everyone. I was hoping you guys could help me out on this problem. This post might be a little long.</p>
<p>So I attend University of Houston and am in Math 1431 (Calculus I). I absolutely HATE that class with a passion. So I just took the 1st midterm and found out I failed it. Turns out I wasn't alone so I don't feel all that bad. So we have several professors teaching this course and each of them have their own webpage. </p>
<p>I went to the webpage of another professor, and he said that his policy was to drop the lowest exam grade. I also emailed another professor, who is also the head of the math department, and he said that in Math 1431, they typically follow this policy, but the final decision is left up to the instructor. I also went to the webpage of yet another professor, who used to teach at UH Math 1431 back in 1998 and he said he would drop the lowest exam grade. I also went to the math department of LSU and there they said they would also drop the lowest exam grade in Calculus.</p>
<p>My professor says that he doesn't follow this policy. I was shocked and very dissapointed by this. He says for me to go talk to him in his office and not email him my questions. What should I do? Should I talk to him and maybe he'll change his mind?</p>
<p>Thanks for your time you guys, I hope you can help me out in whatever way you can. :)</p>
<p>All professors have different policies. Looks like you're out of luck with this professor. Hopefully you'll be able to raise your course grade through the rest of the course. Do you think you'll be able to pass at the end? There's tons of people who have trouble with math. You're not the only one.</p>
<p>I agree with kc_lady. Every professor determines how they'll teach their course. Trying to get a prof to change their rules just ticks them off. You need to figure out what YOU (not the prof) need to do to get a better grade. That could mean getting tutoring, getting help from the professor, using an additional math book, etc. Don't expect the prof to change his rules to suit you. That's not how things work in college.</p>
<p>I have to agree with everybody else... I think it's a good idea for you to go in and talk to him so you can do some damage control, but I would not try to get him to change his policies.</p>
<p>Oh, I guess you guys are right. Its just weird that the head of the math department follows the policy of dropping the lowest exam grade yet my professor does not. I'm still really disappointed in his decision....really disappointed. Sigh..... :( :( :( :(</p>
<p>So you guys think I should go and talk to the professor but not about him changing his policies eh? What should I talk to him about then? What kind of "damage control" are you talking about?</p>
<p>Tell him that you were very disapointed in your grade for the midterm, and that you'd really like to do well. Ask how you can improve your grade, how to study for the next exam... let him know (even though you hate the class) that you are an invested student.</p>
<p>It is possible that the professor may offer up some form of extra credit, and attending office hours and making yourself known to a prof can sometimes help you out if your grade is borderline (like you might get a B- instead of a C+)</p>
<p>A professors policy is a professors policy. This is college, not high school. They aren't going to bend over backwards to give you a grade you did not earn. If anything hoped for a curve.</p>
<p>Trying to get a professor to change his/her grading strategy is like trying to teach a pig to dance- it's a waste of time and it upsets the pig.</p>
<p>Reviewthe grading rubric for this class, if your midterm makes up a large percentage of the overall course grade (as it is not unsual for the midterm to be worth 50%) look at it this way: IF the midetem is 50% of your grade you would have to get an A on the final to walk away with a C. DO the calculations in your head, factor in the "F" and to see what is the best possible grade you can walk away with.</p>
<p>Do you think that you can pull an A on the final (or the rest of the tests)?
Would you be happy with a grade of C?
Can you opt for a pass/fail option?
Can you drop the class?</p>
<p>I wouldn't look for extra credit because many professors believe that this is college, not high school and you need to fish or cut bait. Sometimes you may just have to cut your losses and drop the course because (especially if you can drop with out penalty) the grade on your transcript is forever. It is better to have a "W" than to have a D or an F.</p>
<p>Don't let yourself get into the habit of looking for a way out of a poor class grade in any way other than to do better on the next exam. It will never work, you'll never learn what you need to learn and you'll end up not knowing how to handle yourself once you're out of college and can't ask people to forget that day last week when you botched a presentation. Don't look for changes to a policy you were aware of from the beginning, special treatment or extra credit.</p>
<p>But yes, definitely do go to his office. I don't think he's trying to be harsh on you when he says not to email him--people simply have different communication preferences. Some like to think things over for awhile and then type out a well-written email and some prefer candid conversation. Perhaps he'll work something out for you. At the very least, you should be able to show him that you're aware there is a problem, you're concerned about it and want to fix it. Ask how the curve usually works out and what the class average was. Discuss what you've been doing and find out what you can do from now on.</p>
<p>You should definately go in and talk to him but you won't get him to change his policies. Maybe you can figure out a plan to get the best grade possible... I recently got a D on a paper and talked to my professor about and although he won't change the grade, we figured out that I can still get an A. You may have to settle for pass/fail or a withdraw.. but still, the grade is only a C-, not an F.</p>