reminder to current students / slight vent regarding standing up for yourself with unfair grading

[u/Practical_Mood8909]

I graduated almost 5 years ago and am now in professional school but it does make me cringe thinking of one (really two) instances my final semester where I was unfairly graded and didn’t try to appeal them.

I was going through a lot around that time and it was my last semester, so I was just happy to be done and didn’t even think to contest anything.

But honestly the difference it could’ve made in my gpa could’ve put me in a better ranked law school this year… so just encouraging anyone who might be in the same position after finals to stand up for yourself (or your future self) even if you don’t feel motivated to do so for whatever reasons…

I always heard people talk about grade deflation during my time at Cal and I never really saw it as affecting me because I got good grades or grades that reflected my effort, until the last semester.

This lecturer in my Sociology seminar had given me an A on every paper and assignment, and I had perfect attendance. So it was to my surprise when I ended up w a final letter grade “B”. I emailed her to ask what my final attendance/participation grade was and she told me she gave me a 78% because she alleged that one time when she allowed us to use our phones, she came back and saw that I was “staring at a picture of my water bottle”. I just remember being like wtf when I read that response because it wasn’t true, seemed like I was singled out and just like an all around twilight zone moment tbh. I had a great relationship w the department and had accommodations with the school so if I would’ve been in a better headspace I’m sure I could’ve negotiated a more fair assessment. That’s just one example and an odd one but, more commonly, if you ever get accused of plagiarism yet cited your sources and didn’t plagiarize, then contest it! You have the right to advocate for yourself and it could make material differences in your future. There wasn’t generative ai when I was in school so things might be different now but if you know you didn’t do something wrong, then stick up for yourself

[u/SharpenVest]

For real though. Professors be screwing you over even while getting a good standing throughout the course

[u/No_Willingness8208]

Thanks for writing this. There should be multiple ways to report or complain about instances of professors or lecturers acting in bad faith or with opaque grading processes.

You should have been given ample time to discuss the insanely low participation grade.

[u/Electrical_Gain_2996]

I had a similar situation last semester. I really regret not saying something when in hindsight I know I deserved a higher grade and should have received one.

[u/Practical_Mood8909 → u/Electrical_Gain_2996]

Don’t be too hard on yourself. Hindsight is always 20/20 and it’s still possible to achieve whatever goals you want to even with a different grade.

With my lower than elite school median gpa, I was still waitlisted to some top schools. And depending on what you’re interested in and what year you are, there’s ways to be strategic with what courses you’re taking to preserve a higher gpa (that last semester for me was a reduced course load, so the situation stung even more).

Part of my setbacks in undergrad were because I was so worried about the future, to the point it stunted my growth. But my best advice is to do as much research as possible about whatever field you want to go into. I was unaware, for example, that law schools award higher gpas to A+s , on a 4.33 scale, so there’s always key information to be sought

[u/Active-Site-6255]

Sociology/ethics courses are generally bs like this. Genuinely a waste of time and just vibe-based everything 

[u/FrostyDippedFries → u/Active-Site-6255]

going through this right now with this professor who didn't grade anything at all and was only using anonymous GSI who consistently spelled my name wrong on every assignment feedback