[Warning: words. If you don't like reading, then save yourself the time...I brought this to the lounge because I'm serious about this]


I am turning 21 this coming weekend and will be leaving for Vegas on Saturday (16th) to return that next Thursday (21st). The problem is that I have a midterm on the 20th. All my other professors have allowed me to either take make ups or complete the work prior-to, and it hasn't been an issue. However one professor, let's call him Dr. Doe, will not budge.

We've had this trip planned for months, which includes 5 other people besides myself. All tickets and names are non-transferrable and non-refundable. I informed all my professors of the trip during the first week of class, and had no issues with any of the others. I've been going back and forth via email and in-person discussion with Dr. Doe since then and he keeps refusing to let me make it up.

I spoke with him today again as it was the last class before I leave. He is obsessed with not cheating and his reasoning is that if he lets me do this (allowing a make up for an absence that is not officially excused by the university) that he will have to allow everyone to do it. I realize that he is in the "legal" right and that he doesnt have to do anything, but I honestly don't see the problem.

I got frustrated today and said "Basically you're telling me that you're giving me a zero on this exam." His reply was "well, if you keep up with the bonus work and blah blah, and this exam is only worth X%, you might still do alright."

What should I do? I don't want to pull a bitch move and involve any outside sources (his higher-ups/associates, my folks, etc), and I'd like to not ruin my name in his eyes (because after all, he grades most of the work).

help?



[Edited on September 13, 2006 at 3:12 PM. Reason : doh]

9/13/2006 3:10:55 PM

he is right, you are wrong.

drop the class.

9/13/2006 3:12:21 PM

Quote :

"he is right, you are wrong."

i know this, hence why i mentioned it. that's why i need help...

and the class is only offered once a year and is required for my major. not trying to extend my graduation because of one test

[Edited on September 13, 2006 at 3:14 PM. Reason : ,]

9/13/2006 3:12:49 PM

This may seem like a cop out, but can you just drop the class and take it another semester?
nevermind, you answered that.

[Edited on September 13, 2006 at 3:13 PM. Reason : :p]

9/13/2006 3:13:06 PM

should have known better to schedule a big trip during the school year. If nothing else you should have at least looked the syllabis (sp?) to see if there was a mid-term. If there was and the professor wouldn't let you make it up, drop the class.

9/13/2006 3:13:21 PM

what could you possibly accomplish by involving higher-ups - you are trying to do something against school policy - the higher-ups will backup the professor's decision

you should have been smarter and contacted the professors before making arrangements - instead you should pay the price

9/13/2006 3:13:23 PM

you should definately get your parents involved. thats going to make everything work out.

9/13/2006 3:14:12 PM

why did it take u this long to realize that he was gonna say no? you should have gone to a higher up immediately upon hearing no and see what they said and then drop/keep the class... I have no idea what to tell you to do now, but in the event u do have to go to a higher up, they will probably ask you that ? too...

9/13/2006 3:14:35 PM

You could buy him a present like Tony Soprano, and give him a firm handshake with three shadowy figures in suits behind you.

9/13/2006 3:16:00 PM

1) the arrangements were made months ago, way before school started and probably before I'd even registered for this semester

2)my family scheduled the trip, it's my birthday present...i had no say in it

3)i am fully aware of why/how i'm in this predicament. the point is, i would like suggestions as to how to resolve the current problem, not critique its presence


^^ because i don't have a legal leg to stand on. the only point of going to higher-ups would be as sort of a mediary. this professor is young and is obviously a by-the-book kinda guy...maybe someone with experience could be of help

^ haha, wanna be one of them?

[Edited on September 13, 2006 at 3:17 PM. Reason : .]

9/13/2006 3:16:05 PM

Quote :

"he is right, you are wrong."

9/13/2006 3:16:05 PM

n/m too slow

[Edited on September 13, 2006 at 3:18 PM. Reason : lj]

9/13/2006 3:17:23 PM

Clearly the only option left is a bomb threat.

9/13/2006 3:17:39 PM

a) suck it up and take the bad grade.
b) dont go on the trip.


its your life, you make the decision.

9/13/2006 3:17:43 PM

Quote :

"you should have been smarter and contacted the professors before making arrangements - instead you should pay the price"

That's why you are in school.. to learn.. not get drunk and gamble

I'm sure this is a shock to many.

Should have mad the trip for another time. Is there not a Fall break or something?

9/13/2006 3:18:14 PM

i don't believe you will find sympathy here

summary

Quote :

"i want to go to vegas to get drunk/have a good time/gamble - my trip is scheduled in the middle of the school semester and a few tests were scheduled during my trip - a professor won't change things to accomodate me - i'm sad/mad - who can make the professor change his mind"

9/13/2006 3:18:44 PM

but i want to have my cake and eat it to


i just think it's BS, because i had 2 other exams that week and neither of the other professors (of higher-level classes) had an issue with it. it's a personal conflict, not really a technical one. that's why i need help...

9/13/2006 3:19:32 PM

chalk it up as a life lesson. you aren't going to get your way everytime.

you don't have a valid excuse for missing the class, so don't expect people to change their rules for you.

9/13/2006 3:21:08 PM

go to him right now.

say you're ready to take the test now.

9/13/2006 3:22:04 PM

Just tell your professor that he's hurting the family business, and use foreign mannerisms to emphasize all of your points. Then simply end the discussion abruptly, and walk out of the room with excessive gusto.

This is sure to work.

9/13/2006 3:23:02 PM

^^i did that today, but he wouldnt allow it. i'm sure he hasnt made the exam yet and didnt feel like going out of his way to make it early for me. i completely understand, i just don't see why it's such a big deal. I can come back and take it on that Friday, 2 days afterward, no harm done.

^ haha...i wish.

[Edited on September 13, 2006 at 3:24 PM. Reason : wow, quick thread ]

9/13/2006 3:23:30 PM

the rest of the class will give you answers to inflate your grade and make them look worse - it's bound to happen

9/13/2006 3:24:30 PM

REGARDLESS, I would seriously consider dropping the class...sometimes they will still let you walk in May if you only have one class left but I'm not sure what the specifics are about that. Also, how badly will a 0 affect the grade? If you can still pass the course with a C or higher, I'd let it slide.

[Edited on September 13, 2006 at 3:25 PM. Reason : too fast]

9/13/2006 3:24:54 PM

a birthday trip is definitely more important than a stupid grade that you will soon forget about

birthday memories are forever

haha

9/13/2006 3:26:24 PM

the thing about this class is that it's not a hard one, especially not compared to the rest of my classes. I need an A in it to help out my GPA, which isn't perfect by a long shot.

^ yeah i know...i'm not missing this trip, so if i have to take the zero i will. It's just a pain in the ass that he's being so hard-nosed about it. I realize that is his right, he calls the shots...but from one human being to another, how about a little leniency???

[Edited on September 13, 2006 at 3:28 PM. Reason : fg]

9/13/2006 3:26:43 PM

i got a zero once on a major project and still eaked out an A-.

just work your ass off for the rest of the semester...he already said you would do alright if kept up with the bonus work.

9/13/2006 3:27:53 PM

Will this one test, this one class, make or break you and your educational/career endeavors? You are in NE, people expect you to not make straight A's, (as if that matters, but anyhoo). Go on the trip, screw the test, and enjoy being alive. It's just a damn test, one minor blemish that will soon be forgotten, as long as you can still pass the class, which i will assume you can. This is how the world works, you have to decide what is important to you, go with it, and take the bad with the good.

I would send a final note to the professor letting him know you will not be able to take the test that day, that you DO take your education and his class very seriously, but that your family is taking a special vacation, that while the timing may not be the best, you are choosing to participate in. Thank him for his time. Nothing smart ass, just polite and assertive.

Listen, the test makes your professor feel important. And he is too lazy to make another one JUST FOR YOU, 'cause you aren't that important to him.

Do what you can, a C is not going to kill you, and have fun on your trip with your family.

9/13/2006 3:28:02 PM

Another thing, you are in NE! You should have no problem finding a job---as long as your grades aren't completely rotten.

9/13/2006 3:29:32 PM

^^ Pretty much my thoughts and how I've been handling it to a tee. I've never once been short/sarcastic or anything less than respectful to him. He seems to be a nice guy, which is why I can't understand what he's doing. I'm not worried about one test, one class, in the long run, but I also feel like I need to do everything I can to do well because I DO take it seriously.

Oh well, this was more to vent than anything...I've thought it through pretty thoroughly in the past few weeks and I really don't see a way around it other than an appeal towards his human side.

[Edited on September 13, 2006 at 3:32 PM. Reason : ^ haha let's hope so]

9/13/2006 3:31:44 PM

dude, that sucks man

the prof's being a dick

9/13/2006 3:32:27 PM

got any friends taht look like you? give them ur id and have them to go to the health center with some condition day of test... go on ur trip, get ur note when u get back...

9/13/2006 3:33:11 PM

Seriously though, just beg or flatter him. Try appealing to his emotions, or something. If he stands his ground, then you just might have to arrange a meeting near the... docks... if you will.

9/13/2006 3:33:34 PM

Quote :

"a) suck it up and take the bad grade. b) dont go on the trip. its your life, you make the decision. "

Quote :

"I realize that he is in the "legal" right and that he doesnt have to do anything, but I honestly don't see the problem. "

Apparently he sees a problem, that's all that counts

9/13/2006 3:34:01 PM

i think this may be his first class he's taught...he graduated from his doctorate a year or two ago, spent some time in research, then came here to teach. He's MAYBE 27-28, and pretty green. I think he's just trying too hard to stick to the handbook...I've never had an older professor that didn't understand that sometimes shit happens and it's okay to let some things slide.


^^^ haha unfortunately not

^^ i tried a little of that, without going overboard...nope


[Edited on September 13, 2006 at 3:36 PM. Reason : yes, i know, SHIT HAPPENS]

9/13/2006 3:34:34 PM

#1-- Happy soon to be 21st DC..

#2-- this situation really sucks for you... but at this point I don't think there is much you can do. Could you end your trip early? That way you still get to go to Vegas, but you're back in time for your exam. In the end, the professor has made his decision and is obviously is going to stand by it, which is a decision you have to respect because it is his to make.

but like the saying goes-- if there is a will, there is a way. I think coming back in time for your exam on the 20th is the best that you're going to get of both worlds. If that is ABSOLUTELY NOT POSSIBLE AT ALL IN THE LEAST NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT (this includes begging, bribing of airline attendants, etc etc etc) then you should either drop the course or live by the seat of your pants and see how grades turn out in the end.

sorry i couldn't come up with some miraculous idea... but have fun in vegas (although I know you will )

9/13/2006 3:36:53 PM

overboard, lol, pun intended?

Well, you are, in the words of Julius Caesar, Proper Fucked.

[Edited on September 13, 2006 at 3:41 PM. Reason : -]

9/13/2006 3:36:57 PM

The prof would have to be a real asshole if he didn't factor this in to your final grade. You already know him and he knows you. It is hard for a professor to fail a student they know is doing well and putting forth the effort. The personal contact is important here, particularly if he said you would do ok if you kept up. You might not get an A, but you will not fail.

Won't most airlines adjust your leaving times for like 100 bucks?

[Edited on September 13, 2006 at 3:38 PM. Reason : x]

9/13/2006 3:37:05 PM

Quote :

"shit happens and it's okay to let some things slide. "

than let your vacation slide.

9/13/2006 3:37:21 PM

You shouldn't've told your professor you were going on a trip. Get a doctor's note saying you have pneumonia or that someone close to you died from, I don't know, nuclear cancer.

9/13/2006 3:41:11 PM

^^ knew that was coming. not an option. yes, i know the consequences, that was never the point of this thread. you're a bright guy, bring less of the obvious and more of the thought

^^^ that's what i'm banking on if he doesnt slide. I'll just bust my ass harder than ever, make great grades on the rest, then maybe he'll help me out a little. UNLESS HE WONT BECAUSE THEN HE'D HAVE TO HELP EVERYONE OUT

^^^^ i appreciate your zeal, however

^^^^^ thanks Unfortunately everything about the trip is set in stone, I've already tried to move things around and nothing has come of it. Also, 5 other people's schedules had to be manipulated (including my gf who also goes to state and didnt have too many issues with the time off)


^ i thought about that, but i really thought honesty was the best way to go here...and a couple of my teachers told me they appreciated that I didn't make up some wacked excuse, which helped I believe.



[Edited on September 13, 2006 at 3:43 PM. Reason : dsadf]

9/13/2006 3:41:12 PM

Will you get a 0 or an F for not taking the exam? A 60's easier to average in than a blank. :q

9/13/2006 3:42:55 PM

zero

9/13/2006 3:44:03 PM

I doubt he'll buy into it, but you could ask for additional bonus work.

9/13/2006 3:44:24 PM

^ true, i doubt it, but that's something i'll try...

9/13/2006 3:44:47 PM

How dare your teacher want you to learn isntead of party.

9/13/2006 3:48:17 PM

i think that's the first time i've ever used that face on here

9/13/2006 3:52:38 PM

Quote :

" What should I do? I don't want to pull a bitch move and involve any outside sources (his higher-ups/associates, my folks,"

No you go tell your DADDY to fuck him up a little and teach him how to teach.

9/13/2006 3:59:28 PM

this really shows how much people are pricks on this website

because honestly, EVERYONE sypathizes with you dude

i guess they are or feel like they need to be total dickholes

9/13/2006 3:59:44 PM

^^that was my original advice.



[Edited on September 13, 2006 at 4:00 PM. Reason : g]

9/13/2006 4:00:12 PM

Maybe we all dont take week long vacations during semesters and dont think other people should get that break unless they have a legit reason.

9/13/2006 4:00:34 PM