Should I talk to my professor about my grade?
When should I talk to my professor about my grade?
You should talk to your professor about your grade if you are concerned about your standing in their course, worried you are going to fail, or have questions about how your grade is calculated. It is also wise to talk to your professor about your grade if you have any questions that can’t be answered from the syllabus like if they offer extra credit or curve grades.
Look, I get it. As a former professor, I know that grade calculations can be confusing in college. This can be especially true if your professor has a complicated formula for determining grades in their course. It can leave students wondering where they stand in the course.
And it can be even more confusing if your professor doesn’t publish their grades online. And don’t even get me started on professors who take forever to grade and leave students in the dark about their final grade in the class.
But honestly, the reason why most of you clicked on this article is because you don’t know if it’s in your best interest, worth it, or even appropriate to talk to your professor about your grade. You might think it won’t even matter if you talk your professor about your worries or if they’ll even care.
All these things can make it difficult for students to assess their progress in the course. So, I am going to tell you exactly when you should talk to your professor about your grade, and give you some tips on how to discuss your grade with your professor.
Let me talk about my experiences as a professor first. This will give you an idea of the most common conversations professors have with their students about their grades.
When I was a professor, students would most often reach out to me about their grade when they were failing my class. I think this is too late. You should be regularly watching your grades, and talk to your professor as soon as you start seeing low grades in their course. This was, by far, the most common concern I had from students about their grade.
Another common discussion I had with students were with those who were aiming to make an A in my class for various reasons, and they wanted to make sure they were on track to make their desired grade.
Finally, I would have some students email me about the grades they needed on remaining assignments to make a certain grade in the course. They just needed to know if it was possible to make a certain grade in my class.
It was very unusual to have students reach out to me for any other reason. But it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t talk to your professor anyway. Here are some reasons why I think students should talk to their professor about their grades.
Please understand that this isn’t an exclusive list and you shouldn’t shy away from meeting with your professor for any other reason.
Failing a course - If you are failing their class, you need to talk to your professor ASAP. Do not wait until the last week of the semester because there is little your professor can do to help you.
Missing an assignment - If you missed an assignment, you need to talk to your professor to make sure you can’t make up the assignment to improve your grade.
Concerned about future courses - You might be worried that this major isn’t the right choice for you because of your bad grades in the course. If you are worried that you won’t pass other classes in this field, you should talk to them.
Mistakes with your grade - Any errors you notice, you need to speak up. I recommend that you always politely discuss any potential mathematical or human errors with your professor.
Opportunities to improve your grade - If you are falling behind, or don’t have the desired grade you want, feel free to talk to your professor. They may be able to give you some pointers.
Verify attendance grade - If your professor counts attendance as a grade, and you’ve missed any classes, you might need to confirm how many absences they have counted for you.
Confirming if they curve grades - Professors who curves grades can dramatically change students’ overall grades in the course. This question might be answered in their syllabus though.
As you can see, there are many reasons why students could contact their professor about their grade. When in doubt, reach out.
PRO TIP : Before you reach out to your professor, you need to check their syllabus first. Most of your questions can be answered in their syllabus. You don’t want to make them respond to your email with an answer you could have located in their course policies yourself.
How do you talk to your professor about your grade?
When you talk to your professor about your grade, make sure you are polite and professional. Do plenty of research before you start the conversation so that you are prepared and can answer any of their follow-up questions. Finally, avoid becoming angry and confrontational.
Whatever your particular question is, do all your research beforehand. Check their syllabus, do any mathematical equations yourself, and write down your talking points. This will help you come prepared.
You can send an email or communicate in person. I really recommend email because you will have documentation. You could possibly need it for later if they forgot your discussion or go back on their word.
When you communicate with your professor, it is best to ask questions rather than argue or make statements like “you’ve made a huge mistake or I think I deserve a better grade.” It is best to ask probing questions to have them look into it for you.
This is more professional and will get you the best outcome.
Don’t worry. If you still think your professor is wrong, your university will typically have an opportunity for a grade appeal or you could talk to their supervisor first. But this is reserved for some really rare circumstances and isn’t typically warranted.
When you start the conversation or email, have everything ready to go. Share with them as much details as possible. And be as open as possible about your circumstances. Most importantly, if you are struggling in their class, you need to let them know that. Be very specific about the questions that you want answered.
Most professors can provide information on tutoring at the college and it’s often FREE. Other times, they may give you additional support. All of these things can help boost your overall grade.
And I have to tell you a secret. A lot of grading in college is subjective. Sure, sometimes there is a right or wrong answer, but oftentimes, professors have a lot of discretion in how they grade assignments.
Should you email your professor about your grade?
I recommend that you email your professor about your grade when you want a response quickly and prefer to have all communication documented. When you email your professor, you need to make sure you email them from your college email address and be professional.
Some students might prefer to visit their professor during office hours to talk about their grade, and that’s okay too. I liked meeting with my students in person because we could have a longer discussion, and we could get everything solved relatively quickly.
When you communicate through email, there is often additional questions you or your professor might have, and it just really prolongs the conversation. But I can see the advantages of email too.
I would email your professor about your grade if your concern can be solved relatively easily. If you have questions about your standing in their course and need to sit down and go over your grades, it’s best to meet in person.
This can be a long process, and your professor may not like to communicate about such personal details through email.
How do you ask your professor to review your grades?
If you want to ask your professor to review your grade, you need to explain why you want them to look over your grades in their course, and avoid being vague about your request. Your professor has lots of students and you need to help them understand what specific questions you have about your grades.
Don’t email them and say things like “can you tell me how I am doing in the course” or “do you think I am going to pass.” Questions like these really make it difficult for professors to answer, and it doesn’t necessarily seem like you care much either.
When you email your professor to review your grades, include specific questions you have. You should think about some of the answers to the questions I have listed below.
Why do you want them to review your grades?
What are you prepared to do about your grades if you are unhappy?
Provide documentation, if applicable, like grading errors.
I find that most students want their grades reviewed if they think I have made an error, they don’t understand how their grades were calculated, or if they need to know if they will pass the class.
You may want to reach out for other reasons, and that’s entirely okay. Your professor’s job duties include supporting and advising students so feel free to reach out and ask them to look over your grades if you need any advice or additional explanation.
How do you ask your professor what your grade is?
If you need to ask your professor what your grade is in their class, you should email them from your college email and ask them your specific question like “can you tell me what my average is in the class right now.” But first, you want to make sure that you cannot find your grade in the class posted online somewhere.
A lot of colleges are using online learning systems to record and post grades. Does your professor post your grades online somewhere?
Maybe you could look there first, or check their syllabus for their grading policies. They might explain how you can calculate your grade, or where you can find this information.
Otherwise, you are going to need to reach out to them and email them to ask them about your grade in their class. It is a pretty easy task to do, but you don’t want to bother them if you can find the answer yourself.
So there you have it. I answered every question I could think of about talking to your professor about your grade. I know this will help you get answers to your questions.
FEATURED POSTS YOU’LL LOVE
