For one of my history classes (which is my major), I was given an A- for the midterm, a B+ for the second midterm, and a B for my research paper. My grade is contingent on those three things and my final (which I hope I got an A- on) but to what extent we are not told, because it changes by semester. Because of that, I might get an A, but I might not because of my research paper. We just got them back today and my TA wrote that I basically didn’t provide enough background information (I have a feeling he didn’t read the book?) and that I “relied too heavily on quotes” for a prompt that explicitly asked to analyze two books. He also called me out for saying “It was noted that…” - because I didn’t specify what “it” was, unaware that I was using it as a transition sentence! I think I should’ve gotten a B+, and I really want an A overall.
If I don’t get an A in the class, my world won’t end, but I already got a B+ in one of my classes and I don’t want another one. Classes have also ended, and I think there’s a week until all exams end. Should I respectfully email him and ask him if he is around to discuss my paper, because I don’t understand some of his warrants and I am also interesting in becoming a doctorate student for history so this is important to me? Or wait until the final grades are out before I make a fuss? Or just not make a fuss at all?
If you “succesfully challenge” a B+ on the research paper, an A- on the midterm, a B+ on the second midterm, and a A- on the final, how is that an A? Or does your final grading system not preserve +/- in the A range?
Also, with research papers, it’s hard to challenge because you have no experience with standards? TAs and professors “know” what a B vs. a B+ paper looks like, and you run the risk of your professor grading it and marking it more harshly. Without seeing your paper, it’s heard to say what you earned on your paper, but really, with what background/judgement are you saying you should have gotten a B+ instead of a B?
If something is glaringly wrong, I would challenge… otherwise, you’re burning more goodwill than you’d earn.
This is college… wanting an A doesn’t get you an A. And paper grading is subjective. You aren’t likely to have much success appealing. You can ask to meet for feedback, but in my opinion that is what you really should be seeking. My guess is that he saw better papers than yours, and they got the As. It would serve you better to really understand what he thinks you can improve on, and incorporate it going forward.
@purpleacorn - my school doesn’t use A+ or A-'s on the final transcript, so a 90 is an A. Again the balance of what counts in the class is subjective - if I get two A-'s and two B+'s, and the A-'s make up more than 50% of my grade, I’ll get the A. The judgement that I’m basing it off of is that the only flaw he stated was that I didn’t provide enough background, apparently, and I feel like I’ve written enough papers to know what is good and what isn’t. I feel like failing to provide background info on a paper that has solid analysis and extensive knowledge is something to get a B+ and not a B. I think that you’re right though - I’ll have to reassess if it’s really, glaringly wrong.
@intparent I feel that I’ve earned an A, especially because I’ve worked extremely hard and demonstrated an understanding of everything we’ve been taught, but I understand what you mean and I’ll follow that advice.
So college is not just about working hard and understanding what you have been taught. It isn’t rote memorization. If you can produce a paper that makes your TA or professor think – then you are likely to get the A.
Also, it’s pretty standard practice to assume that your reader hasn’t read the book-- the writing should be done and framed with that in mind. So it’s possible that you assumed a lot of knowledge that made the paper difficult to read and unclear otherwise.
The comment about using too many quotes may be that there were too many direct quotes that didn’t accomplish any analysis. This is a common thing that students (including myself) struggle with. Finding ways to do close readings and analyses from a few quotes (each of which ought to be a phrase or two at most, a handful of words) is not possible with lots of quotes, even if it is a book analysis.
intparent is right that papers are often graded against each other, relatively-- so in the context of the course, it’s a B paper. Unlike an exam, there’s really nothing to challenge.
Gaming to get A’s is one of the things I think is destructive but something students are doing more regularly. The grade is an indication of the student’s level of mastery. Focus on mastery and not the grade. These days students are confronting instructors and pressuring them to give them A’s (probably because A’s were given out to everyone in high school or parents would complaint). It is almost extortion and it is certainly an example of incivility. So, I would suggest that you focus on learning to write A papers instead of trying to convince the instructor you deserve an A when you did not write a paper that was deserving of an A without pressure.
Do you really think you deserve an A in a class you got “a A- for the midterm, a B+ for the second midterm, and a B for my research paper”. Do those grades seem like they are consistent with A quality work?
I came here to say this. Many students feel like an analysis means they should quote liberally from the source material, but actually, a good analysis should use quotes very sparingly - only when they are specifically analyzing some literary element or when the quote itself is so elegantly stated that paraphrasing it loses a lot of its meaning. In my 132-page dissertation (excluding references and appendices), I used a quote exactly once.
Still, most reasonable TAs will be willing to explain how they evaluate papers IF you approach in a respectful way that is genuinely motivated by wanting to learn more about how to write a good paper and understand the grading rubric. Approaching from a standpoint of trying to understand how grading was done, with an eye towards becoming a better writer = good. Approaching like a grade grubber who’s only interested in getting an A and arguing with the TA = irritating, and unlikely to get you what you want. (Do you really want to haggle over a B to a B+, especially if it doesn’t ultimately make a difference?)
I also wouldn’t come at it assuming that the TA hasn’t read the book or was unaware of what you were doing in the paper. I was a TA myself when I was getting my PhD. By the time a TA is in front of the class in a field - especially if she’s an advanced doctoral student - she’s read many articles and/or books, written many papers, had conversations with many professors and knows the material pretty well.
Asking your TA about doctoral study in history, though, is an excellent idea. I’m sure he’d be willing to talk to you about that.
"My grade is contingent on those three things and my final (which I hope I got an A- on) but to what extent we are not told, because it changes by semester. "
The syllabus for each course should tell you the % of the grad that each paper/test/quiz is of the final grade. Yes it changes by semester…that is why you have a syllabus.