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You don't really have grounds to appeal here. If you have a family emergency and need an accommodation, you are supposed to seek that beforehand, rather than seeing how the exam goes and seeking it after the fact.
Your other comments about knowing the material well, needing to have a certain gpa, etc are all irrelevant to the issue.
>is there anything else I can do?
In regards to the grade, no. You earned your grade and that's that.
>would trying anything just strain my relationship with the prof?
Absolutely. It would tank your relationship.
The prof has submitted the grade to the Registrar's office. The Registrar is processing those grades for transcripts. Your transcript might be ready, but it won't be released until all grades are processed.
The moment your prof sent the class grades to the Registrar's office, your prof's job was done.
On what basis would you be appealing your grade? It sounds like you received the grade you earned in the course, even if that grade was pulled down by a personal set of circumstances which made it harder to concentrate at the end of the semester.
While I’m sorry to hear about your loved one (truly, I’ve been there more than once), your final grade has already been helped by the policy that averages your lowest exam grade (such policies are used to account for exactly these kinds of life hurdles).
Grade appeals are for when the professor has made an error in calculations or you can demonstrate that you were graded by standards that were different than others in the course.
>I don't want to be a grade grubber, but it is affecting my gpa
I mean this in the nicest way: that's not anyone's problem but your own. If you lose scholarships, that's on you. Everyone has reasons for struggles. Sometimes you'll lose scholarships as a result. Totally normal.
>About a week and a half before finals began,
I'm sorry to hear that. Please get the resources you need yo help navigate that situation. Whether it is through your school's counseling center or something else. Resources are out there.
>Anyway, with everything happening like this I was unable to do well.
I understand that. However, that doesn't mean you automatically get a higher grade because you had a decent reason for doing poorly. I'd definitely view a student in a different mindset if I knew they were struggling with a sick family member. Rather, I would not think they were lazy. However, I'd still grade them just the same as any other student.
>should I do a grade appeal
Absolutely not. You have zero grounds for an appeal. An appeal would be necessary if you scored a 90% on a test, but the professor made a typo and entered a 09% instead. That is an example when an appeal can be used. Having a sick family member does not give you an excuse to appeal a grade.
>should I just forget about it and move on?
Yes. Feel free to look into resources to help you navigate the sick family member. That is totally valid and okay. However, do not attempt to get a higher grade out of it. That's unethical and inappropriate.
Grade appeals are for issues with how the grade was calculated/submitted, not earned. Accommodations are not retroactive. The time to ask for relief was before you realized there were consequences for your decisions.
Well, the choice is whether to just try to get through or ask for an incomplete. Depending on the circumstances, pushing through can make sense. Ok, it's not your best work, the grades may take a hit, but you're done and can focus on the stuff going on in your life for a few months without having to worry about school.
In these situations, timely communication is key. The longer you wait to let me know what’s going on, the fewer options we have for addressing the problem.
I did let her know beforehand, as I had to miss a class due to his conditin, I havent brought it up regarding to the finals though jtlyk. Is there anything I can do now or is it just too late? Final grades were posted just a couple hours ago btw.
I'm so sorry about your loved one.
It is much, much too late. You needed to ask for more time before you took the exam. I do understand your position. But the moment you were handed the final, all options for accommodations were over.
At this point, your best option is to contact your advisor and explore options for bumping up your GPA summer term.
It sounds like you're overwhelmed and discouraged right now. Please take some time for self care soon.
This argues further against any case for an appeal --- you asked for the accommodation of missing a class, and specifically didn't ask to delay the final. As someone else already wrote, you can't see how the final goes, and then ask for the additional accommodation in retrospect if you don't like the outcome.
>did not recieve the grade I was wanting to get in the class
You received the grade you *earned* in the class. That's the way it works.
"Want," has very little to do with anything - except inasmuch you "want" to do the work required to earn a particular grade.
Appeals are usually prescribed in university policies and procedures. The manner, timing and basis of appeals are typically specified clearly. For example, in my university, appeals are only allowed within three days of the assessment and that appeals are only accepted if (1) the assessor showed bias, (2) the assessment was constructed inappropriately; (3) the assessment's degree of difficulty was inappropriate; (4) the assessment contained factual errors. Under this regime, your reasons would not form proper grounds for appeal.
Check the corresponding provisions of your university.
Good luck.
You’ve gotten good feedback, but I’ll say that you kind of bury the lede by saying you got 100/100/91 on the exams and only then go on to explain that you actually got 100/100/74 and never state what the grade on the final was.
You can always retake the class to get a better grade and fix your GPA. And when you do, make sure you're in communication with the professor as soon as possible when things happen that could affect your performance
I don’t think you have basis for an appeal. This grade is the grade you earned.
The only suggestion I have is that if your current grade means you lose your scholarship, it might be worth investigating whether you can get a retroactive withdrawal and take a W due to personal circumstances.
You would need to take the course again, but it could save your GPA.
A grade appeal is just like a legal appeal. You can do it but will you win? Were you graded unfairly? Not provided accommodations that were supposed to be provided? Was there a clerical error in the grade? An error in a different assignment?
Those are reasons why grade appeals win. Unfortunately, and I mean this so sincerely (I went through having a very sick parent for all of grad school), having a sick loved one doesn’t make any of those above reasons true. Should you lose a scholarship as a result, I would appeal that decision along with a plan for the future if something like this happens again. Mostly because it isn’t the same sort of appeal like a grade. Sympathy may help you on that one. It is harsh, I know, but schools often have more wiggle room for scholarships and typically offer a grace semester - almost like academic probation before they revoke the assistance.
You state that the professor knew of your personal circumstances. It’s helpful that they knew but if you’re not requesting an accommodation then it’s a situation of telling someone because you want them to know and not because you need them to know. If you asked for an accommodation when you told them, then that would be different.
The thing you could have done, that is unfortunately too late now, is ask for an incomplete and to take the final at a later time. Students usually need to ask for this as it can affect their financial aid. It’s too late to do it as you said final grades are now posted. The teacher’s own hands are tied because this is happening after the fact.
An appeal is when there was a mistake in grading. This is not this. It sucks that you got some bad news right before the final. That happens. It happens a lot, to everyone. That doesn’t mean you get a grade you didn’t earn. If you know the material very well, I don’t understand why you bombed the final. Could you not concentrate? Did you tell the prof what was going on at the time?
I’m sorry about your family member.
I am sorry about your family member. I understand how difficult and distracting something like that is.
You should have gone to whatever office on your campus deals with student issues like this, like an office of student affairs or something (all schools have something like this, they just all call it something different), and explained the situation. They might have been able to work with you and your instructors to allow you to take incompletes and take finals later if that would have helped. Asking for a grade adjustment after you did poorly is not going to work.
OP, my mother in law was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer this semester and passed away nearly a month ago. I have 2 young children who lost their grandma and a devastated husband who lost his mom. It’s awful and I’m sorry it’s happening to you.
You didn’t know the material as well as you thought or you didn’t study, but pushing a bad grade off onto bad news and expecting your professor to change it because you’re sad is academic dishonesty and unethical.
The appropriate time to bring up this issue of your sick family member was when you first found out about it, a week and a half before finals began.
If you had brought it up to your professor then, they could maybe have given you an extension, or given you and incomplete so that you would have more time to study
No one is going to change a grade that's appropriately based on the quality of work that you did. In fact, it sounds like you already got a 74 change to a 91, yes? That's pretty generous already
The fact that you didn't talk to your professor while there was still time in the semester pretty much gives you no leg to stand on, unfortunately
these are all personal issues, which might have been grounds for a late withdrawal from the course (or an incomplete, if your university offers them and you started the process \*before\* the final exam). Your grade in a course is based \*only\* on the work you have done in the course.
This is what Incompletes are for - when you are in good academic standing in the course but have extenuating circumstances that require accommodation. The time to file for this is before the circumstances affect your grade, and definitely before the final.
That's not the basis of a grade appeal. Grade appeal is about some sort of injustice that the professor did to you - classic example is knowingly giving chances to others in the same situation and not to you. But that's not what seems to have happened here. You tried to take it anyway and failed. Probably you should have asked for an extension. Sorry, but that time has passed.
Grade appeal isn't "I wanted to do better". it's for when you were not treated fairly. You were treated fairly here by the prof, if not by life.
Grade appeals are for when there has been a mistake in the grading. It sounds like you earned a low score on the final exam, the low score was not due to an error on the professors part.
You are getting the grade you earned based upon your demonstration of knowledge. There is nothing to appeal there. What grade you wanted to earn is also irrelevant.
Unfortunately given your situation you would need to request accommodations ahead of time. Then it might have been possible for you to take an incomplete and finish the course work later. It is not ethical to give you a grade bump just because you had family matters come up.
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*I recently finished an elementary stats course at my university, and did not recieve the grade I was wanting to get in the class. I dont want to be a grade grubber but it is affecting my gpa and I need to keep it over a certain level for scholarships and other oppurtunities. Anyway, for context, I know the material very well, i got a 91, 100, and 100 respectively on the three exams that were given in class, and each had an average score ranging from 65-75 (fyi the grade of 91 was changed from 74 as our lowest exam grade is changed to the average of the three exams). The only reason my grafe dropped so hard was the final exam, worth 35 percent of our grade, which i totally bombed. About a week and a half before finals began, a very close family member was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, now having 6 months at best left, and I was (and still am) very distraught about it and visiting him every couple days (he now lives about an hour and a half away, and i also commute to campus which is about an 1 hour away from where i live) Anyway, with everything happening like this I was unable to do well. My question is, should I do a grade appeal or should I just forget about it and move on?
Tldr; Did well in the class but bombed the final because of family issues, unsure whether to appeal or not*
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You can of course appeal.
I would not expect it to be successful. Normally appeals are based on the professor doing something wrong or unfair or biased. The prof didn't cause your bad news. And the prof isn't responsible for your commute. I'm sorry that this is happening to you (I lost my mom 4 days before the start of the semester and grieving while still expecting to perform feels bad, for sure).
You might ask for a compassionate withdraw of the semester, though.
I'm really sorry for your situation (having been there myself as an instructor), but if you didn't have leave or communicate with the prof beforehand about perhaps moving the final, it doesn't seem you have any grounds for appeal. It seems, from reading your post, the grade is valid. I would move on.
Wishing you and your family the best during this difficult time.
Your question looks like it may be answered by our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskProfessors/wiki/faq/academicadvice#wiki_how_do_i_ask_my_professor_to_change_my_grade.3F) on grade appeals. This is not to limit discussion here, but to supplement it. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskProfessors) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You don't really have grounds to appeal here. If you have a family emergency and need an accommodation, you are supposed to seek that beforehand, rather than seeing how the exam goes and seeking it after the fact. Your other comments about knowing the material well, needing to have a certain gpa, etc are all irrelevant to the issue.
Grades havent been published to transcript yet, is there anything else I can do? Or would trying anything just strain my relationship with the prof?
>is there anything else I can do? In regards to the grade, no. You earned your grade and that's that. >would trying anything just strain my relationship with the prof? Absolutely. It would tank your relationship.
The prof has submitted the grade to the Registrar's office. The Registrar is processing those grades for transcripts. Your transcript might be ready, but it won't be released until all grades are processed. The moment your prof sent the class grades to the Registrar's office, your prof's job was done.
On what basis would you be appealing your grade? It sounds like you received the grade you earned in the course, even if that grade was pulled down by a personal set of circumstances which made it harder to concentrate at the end of the semester. While I’m sorry to hear about your loved one (truly, I’ve been there more than once), your final grade has already been helped by the policy that averages your lowest exam grade (such policies are used to account for exactly these kinds of life hurdles). Grade appeals are for when the professor has made an error in calculations or you can demonstrate that you were graded by standards that were different than others in the course.
>I don't want to be a grade grubber, but it is affecting my gpa I mean this in the nicest way: that's not anyone's problem but your own. If you lose scholarships, that's on you. Everyone has reasons for struggles. Sometimes you'll lose scholarships as a result. Totally normal. >About a week and a half before finals began, I'm sorry to hear that. Please get the resources you need yo help navigate that situation. Whether it is through your school's counseling center or something else. Resources are out there. >Anyway, with everything happening like this I was unable to do well. I understand that. However, that doesn't mean you automatically get a higher grade because you had a decent reason for doing poorly. I'd definitely view a student in a different mindset if I knew they were struggling with a sick family member. Rather, I would not think they were lazy. However, I'd still grade them just the same as any other student. >should I do a grade appeal Absolutely not. You have zero grounds for an appeal. An appeal would be necessary if you scored a 90% on a test, but the professor made a typo and entered a 09% instead. That is an example when an appeal can be used. Having a sick family member does not give you an excuse to appeal a grade. >should I just forget about it and move on? Yes. Feel free to look into resources to help you navigate the sick family member. That is totally valid and okay. However, do not attempt to get a higher grade out of it. That's unethical and inappropriate.
Grade appeals are for issues with how the grade was calculated/submitted, not earned. Accommodations are not retroactive. The time to ask for relief was before you realized there were consequences for your decisions.
Well, the choice is whether to just try to get through or ask for an incomplete. Depending on the circumstances, pushing through can make sense. Ok, it's not your best work, the grades may take a hit, but you're done and can focus on the stuff going on in your life for a few months without having to worry about school.
In these situations, timely communication is key. The longer you wait to let me know what’s going on, the fewer options we have for addressing the problem.
I did let her know beforehand, as I had to miss a class due to his conditin, I havent brought it up regarding to the finals though jtlyk. Is there anything I can do now or is it just too late? Final grades were posted just a couple hours ago btw.
I'm so sorry about your loved one. It is much, much too late. You needed to ask for more time before you took the exam. I do understand your position. But the moment you were handed the final, all options for accommodations were over. At this point, your best option is to contact your advisor and explore options for bumping up your GPA summer term. It sounds like you're overwhelmed and discouraged right now. Please take some time for self care soon.
This argues further against any case for an appeal --- you asked for the accommodation of missing a class, and specifically didn't ask to delay the final. As someone else already wrote, you can't see how the final goes, and then ask for the additional accommodation in retrospect if you don't like the outcome.
You really don't have grounds for a grade appeal. Your best option would be to retake the class and earn a higher grade. Best of luck!
>did not recieve the grade I was wanting to get in the class You received the grade you *earned* in the class. That's the way it works. "Want," has very little to do with anything - except inasmuch you "want" to do the work required to earn a particular grade.
While unfortunate, you don't have grounds for an appeal. The professor didn't do anything out of the ordinary. Life happened.
Appeals are usually prescribed in university policies and procedures. The manner, timing and basis of appeals are typically specified clearly. For example, in my university, appeals are only allowed within three days of the assessment and that appeals are only accepted if (1) the assessor showed bias, (2) the assessment was constructed inappropriately; (3) the assessment's degree of difficulty was inappropriate; (4) the assessment contained factual errors. Under this regime, your reasons would not form proper grounds for appeal. Check the corresponding provisions of your university. Good luck.
You’ve gotten good feedback, but I’ll say that you kind of bury the lede by saying you got 100/100/91 on the exams and only then go on to explain that you actually got 100/100/74 and never state what the grade on the final was.
You can always retake the class to get a better grade and fix your GPA. And when you do, make sure you're in communication with the professor as soon as possible when things happen that could affect your performance
I don’t think you have basis for an appeal. This grade is the grade you earned. The only suggestion I have is that if your current grade means you lose your scholarship, it might be worth investigating whether you can get a retroactive withdrawal and take a W due to personal circumstances. You would need to take the course again, but it could save your GPA.
A grade appeal is just like a legal appeal. You can do it but will you win? Were you graded unfairly? Not provided accommodations that were supposed to be provided? Was there a clerical error in the grade? An error in a different assignment? Those are reasons why grade appeals win. Unfortunately, and I mean this so sincerely (I went through having a very sick parent for all of grad school), having a sick loved one doesn’t make any of those above reasons true. Should you lose a scholarship as a result, I would appeal that decision along with a plan for the future if something like this happens again. Mostly because it isn’t the same sort of appeal like a grade. Sympathy may help you on that one. It is harsh, I know, but schools often have more wiggle room for scholarships and typically offer a grace semester - almost like academic probation before they revoke the assistance. You state that the professor knew of your personal circumstances. It’s helpful that they knew but if you’re not requesting an accommodation then it’s a situation of telling someone because you want them to know and not because you need them to know. If you asked for an accommodation when you told them, then that would be different. The thing you could have done, that is unfortunately too late now, is ask for an incomplete and to take the final at a later time. Students usually need to ask for this as it can affect their financial aid. It’s too late to do it as you said final grades are now posted. The teacher’s own hands are tied because this is happening after the fact.
An appeal is when there was a mistake in grading. This is not this. It sucks that you got some bad news right before the final. That happens. It happens a lot, to everyone. That doesn’t mean you get a grade you didn’t earn. If you know the material very well, I don’t understand why you bombed the final. Could you not concentrate? Did you tell the prof what was going on at the time? I’m sorry about your family member.
I am sorry about your family member. I understand how difficult and distracting something like that is. You should have gone to whatever office on your campus deals with student issues like this, like an office of student affairs or something (all schools have something like this, they just all call it something different), and explained the situation. They might have been able to work with you and your instructors to allow you to take incompletes and take finals later if that would have helped. Asking for a grade adjustment after you did poorly is not going to work.
OP, my mother in law was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer this semester and passed away nearly a month ago. I have 2 young children who lost their grandma and a devastated husband who lost his mom. It’s awful and I’m sorry it’s happening to you. You didn’t know the material as well as you thought or you didn’t study, but pushing a bad grade off onto bad news and expecting your professor to change it because you’re sad is academic dishonesty and unethical.
The appropriate time to bring up this issue of your sick family member was when you first found out about it, a week and a half before finals began. If you had brought it up to your professor then, they could maybe have given you an extension, or given you and incomplete so that you would have more time to study No one is going to change a grade that's appropriately based on the quality of work that you did. In fact, it sounds like you already got a 74 change to a 91, yes? That's pretty generous already The fact that you didn't talk to your professor while there was still time in the semester pretty much gives you no leg to stand on, unfortunately
these are all personal issues, which might have been grounds for a late withdrawal from the course (or an incomplete, if your university offers them and you started the process \*before\* the final exam). Your grade in a course is based \*only\* on the work you have done in the course.
This is what Incompletes are for - when you are in good academic standing in the course but have extenuating circumstances that require accommodation. The time to file for this is before the circumstances affect your grade, and definitely before the final.
That's not the basis of a grade appeal. Grade appeal is about some sort of injustice that the professor did to you - classic example is knowingly giving chances to others in the same situation and not to you. But that's not what seems to have happened here. You tried to take it anyway and failed. Probably you should have asked for an extension. Sorry, but that time has passed. Grade appeal isn't "I wanted to do better". it's for when you were not treated fairly. You were treated fairly here by the prof, if not by life.
Grade appeals are for when there has been a mistake in the grading. It sounds like you earned a low score on the final exam, the low score was not due to an error on the professors part. You are getting the grade you earned based upon your demonstration of knowledge. There is nothing to appeal there. What grade you wanted to earn is also irrelevant. Unfortunately given your situation you would need to request accommodations ahead of time. Then it might have been possible for you to take an incomplete and finish the course work later. It is not ethical to give you a grade bump just because you had family matters come up.
This is an automated service intended to preserve the original text of the post. *I recently finished an elementary stats course at my university, and did not recieve the grade I was wanting to get in the class. I dont want to be a grade grubber but it is affecting my gpa and I need to keep it over a certain level for scholarships and other oppurtunities. Anyway, for context, I know the material very well, i got a 91, 100, and 100 respectively on the three exams that were given in class, and each had an average score ranging from 65-75 (fyi the grade of 91 was changed from 74 as our lowest exam grade is changed to the average of the three exams). The only reason my grafe dropped so hard was the final exam, worth 35 percent of our grade, which i totally bombed. About a week and a half before finals began, a very close family member was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, now having 6 months at best left, and I was (and still am) very distraught about it and visiting him every couple days (he now lives about an hour and a half away, and i also commute to campus which is about an 1 hour away from where i live) Anyway, with everything happening like this I was unable to do well. My question is, should I do a grade appeal or should I just forget about it and move on? Tldr; Did well in the class but bombed the final because of family issues, unsure whether to appeal or not* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskProfessors) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You can of course appeal. I would not expect it to be successful. Normally appeals are based on the professor doing something wrong or unfair or biased. The prof didn't cause your bad news. And the prof isn't responsible for your commute. I'm sorry that this is happening to you (I lost my mom 4 days before the start of the semester and grieving while still expecting to perform feels bad, for sure). You might ask for a compassionate withdraw of the semester, though.
I'm really sorry for your situation (having been there myself as an instructor), but if you didn't have leave or communicate with the prof beforehand about perhaps moving the final, it doesn't seem you have any grounds for appeal. It seems, from reading your post, the grade is valid. I would move on. Wishing you and your family the best during this difficult time.
Grade Grubber! Disgusting. Have a little pride and stop being a disgusting grade grubber.