If your professor gives you the wrong grade…

After my last round of exams, I logged on to my school’s online portal to check my grades. There, buried among the other grades, was an F. I stared at the screen in stunned disbelief for a good 30 seconds. Sure, I’ve failed smaller quizzes/tests/exams and assignments before, but not a full course. AND this course was a pre-req, so failing it would have set me back at least a year. This was also surprising because although I wasn’t doing spectacularly before the exam, I wasn’t close to failing either.

As these thoughts went through my head, I started panicking. After a few minutes in which my mood did one of these:

I calmed down a little and tried to calculate what I would have had to get on the final exam to get that F. That turned out to be 0%. The professor hadn’t counted my final exam grade at all.

At this point I had no idea what to do. Classes were over, so it wasn’t like I could just see prof after class. The mark was submitted to the university and posted on the online student portal, which meant it was official for the time being. After a few false starts, it got sorted out. This was, however, quite a stressful situation.

So if your professor messes up your grade (or something else), try these steps:

1. Take a deep breath. Trying to get a professor to listen to you while you’re panicking just doesn’t work that well.

2. Get in contact with the professor. Call if possible. Otherwise, e-mail. Always follow good e-mail etiquette (which is also good phone etiquette). Tell them who you are and what the problem is. Do not accuse them of anything or put them on the defensive. If this grade is for an assignment or a midterm, wait to hear back from them (do not proceed as that would be overkill). If this is a final exam grade or a final grade, wait at least a day before you do anything else.

3. If you haven’t heard back from your professor, call or e-mail them again. Don’t pester them repeatedly by calling every 10 minutes though!

4. If you still don’t hear back from your professor, get in touch with the department which administers the course. Call the department secretary (you can probably find this information online) and ask him or her for advice. Explain why it’s important that you get this sorted out quickly and ask them to advocate or follow up on your behalf. In my case, the department secretary was really helpful and probably gave the professor a nudge. He then got back to me and the new grade was up and online in about a week.

5. If the department secretary is not helpful or you still haven’t heard back from the prof after three days, try to get in touch with the department head. This is going over the professor’s head, so make sure you give the professor a reasonable amount of time (at least 3 days) to respond. Otherwise, the department head will likely tell you to wait.

6. If you still haven’t found a solution (which is unlikely), get in touch with your faculty’s advising office. Speak to an advisor. He or she will then likely then follow up on your behalf. This time is really busy for the advising office, so going to them first without consulting the department won’t get you anywhere.

7. After you receive confirmation that people are taking care of it, sit back and wait. Depending on the situation and the amount of paperwork, it could take a few weeks for the change to be reflected in your student portal online.

Remember to always be polite and patient or you risk alienating potential allies. Start with the prof and work your way up.

*Pssstttt* Don’t forget to subscribe to SotN in the sidebar!

 

End of Term Reminders

Ahhh! It’s almost April! It’s hard to believe with the crappy weather, but as year comes to a close, here are some things to keep in mind as you head into the (very stressful) exam period:

• Quadruple check your exam schedule. Be paranoid. A couple of years ago, I had a biology exam on a Tuesday. But for some strange reason, I thought it was on Wednesday. Luckily, I was being paranoid and checked the schedule on Monday night. If I hadn’t, I would have missed my exam. So yeah… check the schedule (multiple times), just in case.
• Don’t forget any last minute assignments. It’s easy to get caught up in the parties and the fun stuff right now, but don’t forget those last minute homework assignments, reports, or papers that are usually worth a good chunk of marks.
• You can do it! You can ace that exam/course, even if you didn’t do some well on the midterm. Have confidence in yourself, figure out why you weren’t doing right, change your approach, and keep on trying. You’ll be surprised at how successful you can be.
• De-stress or take a day off! It’s been a looooong year. So take some time off, relax, and de-stress. This is especially crucial if you feel ready to burn out!
• Save the major partying for later. Although you should take some time off, now is not the time to get drunk everyday for a week. Sure, go out for a drink or two if it helps you relax, but don’t kill all of your brain cells now, ‘k?
• Get (somewhat) organized. 
• Find some balance. Exams are stressful and it’s decidedly unhealthy to be solely focused on that one thing for the entire 1 – 2 weeks you’ll be studying for/writing exams. This doesn’t mean you have to keep doing everything or carry a full social calendar, but it does mean finding something that you can turn to to relax when you’re tired or stressed out. Whether it’s meditation or getting together with friends, find something that works.
• Remove distractions. Yes, it’s important to maintain some balance during the exam season. But remove any major distractions that are huge time sinks. Yes, that means you have to stop playing WoW, LoL, and Pokemon (or whatever your vices are).
• Get a life-line. During exams, your entire world revolves around whatever you’re studying. Sometimes it’s easy to lose perspective and get really stressed out. Find a family member or a friend who could calm you down or present a new perspective. This will keep you sane.
• Take care of yourself! You can’t ace an exam nearly as easily if you’re sick or if you’re desperately trying to stay awake. Eat well, get enough sleep (NOT at the library), and exercise a little. Your body and brain will thank you.
• If you’re feeling lost about how to study, check out the exam prep series. Also check out some things you should not be doing this exam season.

New posts on SotN will probably be far and few in between in April. Hey, I’ve exams to not fail ace too! Good luck!

Quickie: The Toilet List

Shit happens. Ever bombed or missed an exam? Failed a course? Left your assignment at home? Got dumped? Got rejected for a job? Missed course registration? Waited five hours in the rain for your favourite band, only to have them cancel at the last minute?

Yeah.

And it’s not just the big stuff either. If the weather is terrible, you have a tiny cold, and you meet a nasty person at volunteering or on the job, the day can feel pretty crappy.

I was having a string of bad days, and after wallowing for a bit (though thankfully not as dramatically as these Adele fans on Saturday Night Live), I decided to create a Toilet List (TL).

What is the TL?

It’s like a bucket list, but instead of putting down things you want to do before you die, you put down all the shit that has happened in your life lately. The TL can be super simple, with just one column listing everything crappy in your life lately. However, if you’re a bit more optimistic, add an additional column and write down one thing that is going well for one thing that isn’t. If you’re a go-getter, add a column for things you could do to make things a little less shitty or to brainstorm alternatives.

If you’re a bit literal, you could always write your list on a paper towel or toilet paper and actually flush your TL down the toilet. There is something very cathartic about that!

The TL is a way of getting things off your chest. To stop letting things from weigh you down. It’s a place to put the shit that happened so that you could move on. (Of course, talk to a friend or a professional if you haven’t been feeling good for a while or have a history of depression.)

Shit happens, but that’s not the end of the world. You could always flush it down the toilet.

What to bring to an exam

Image "Exam Hall" courtesy of Flickr user non-partizan (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

 

It was my last exam. Another 2.5 hours and I would be free. FREE. The exam was multiple choice with a Scantron sheet. Sitting down at my desk, I whipped out my Ziplock bag pencil case, rifled through it, and had an “oh crap!” moment. I had forgotten to bring a pencil. *head desk* much? Luckily, someone sitting near me loaned me a pencil and it all worked out. However, this situation was especially ironic because I had written extensively about bringing the necessary tools to each exam! As well, I almost didn’t get in to this course because I wasn’t paying attention to the prereqs. Doh!

Although this situation was resolved in under a minute, it threw off my “game”. Although I didn’t feel like I did any worse because of the situation, not having to deal with it would have been beneficial. Thus, to avoid this particular head desk moment in the future, I made a master checklist of things I should bring to every exam. You might also find it helpful!

Must Have:

• Pens (2) – an extra one just in case someone else needs it!
• Pencil (2) – an extra one just in case someone else needs it!
• Eraser
• White out
• Coloured pen (to highlight answers in situations with lots of writing or to annotate graphs)
• Student ID
•  Water or other types of beverage
• Quiet Snack – granola or candy bars probably work the best

Also Include:

• Tissues – someone, maybe you, will be sick
• Few pieces of paper – can be used for many things, one of which is to prop up the short leg on a (often) shaky table!
• Backup ID
• Watch*
• Ear Plugs*
• Calculator*
• Cheat Sheet*
• Model kit*

* = may not always be allowed.

I recommend customizing this list for every exam before exam season and keep the lists somewhere noticeable. That way, you could simply double check to make sure you have everything before leaving for each exam.

As well, carry your material in a clear plastic reseal-able bag (like a Ziplock bag). These bags are great because they make finding stuff easier. As well, I’ve never had to put away my “pencil case” because its see-through. If you have too much stuff, use two bags. The things on the “Also include list” can go in a separate bag in your backpack for when you need it.

Bringing everything may seem like overkill, but it’s better to be over than under prepared! Good luck on your exams!

 

Exam Prep Toolkit

Wow! This term just flew right by. Final exams are again upon us. Here are some articles on SotN that would help with your exam preparation (or to avoid further disaster?).

For one, there are certain things that you should just not do around exam season. So… don’t do them!

If you’re still recovering from midterms, check out “what do I do if I failed an exam?“. Even if you did not do too poorly on the midterms, it may be worth it to do a “post-mortem” on your exams so that you’re better prepared for finals.

If you need a system for preparing for finals and have no idea where to start, check out the exam prep series. Yes, it is very, very detailed. No, good planning is not a one day process. However, planning to study is not the same thing as actually studying – do not procrastinate studying by planning to study!

If your prof allows you to bring a cheat sheet into the exam, use that opportunity wisely! Make the best cheat sheet you can to learn the material thoroughly.

If you suffer from exam anxiety or just get really nervous before an exam, you might want to consider pre-writing to boost your confidence and grades. As well, here are 5 ways to avoid panicking on a hard test.

If you, for whatever reason, missed an exam, there are some things that you could try (this is the most popular article on SotN around exam time).

Good luck on your exams! I apologize for not posting as much this term. I’ve written 13 lab reports/papers and was suffering from writing (typing?) fatigue. I promise to do better next term!