Crushed... need legit advice Forum

[stuckinparadise]

Has anyone ever transferred with a C on their record?

Ok, here is the deal. I attend a tier 3 and I want out of this tier TTToilet. My school is ranked b/w 100-115 (varies year to year) and the median LSAT is a 154. My school grades on a B- curve (2.7). I seek a transfer to a tier 2 (to be eligible for a transfer I must be in the top 30%)

My first semester grades: A+, B+, B+, B-. GPA (3.42) which puts me in the 22 percentile.
My second semester grades: A, A, and then C (I'm still waiting on two other grades). The two A's are in four credit courses and the C is in a 3 credit course. The C came from a course that had an exam with all multiple choice. F' that. I am just crushed. It brought my CUM GPA down from a 3.67 to a 3.45.

I know a successful transfer will hinge on my two remaining grades, however if I can't transfer I just feel as though I should drop out... but in the meantime I am just looking for some thoughts on this C and how F'd I am

[blurbz]

That sucks, I'm sorry. It's exactly what I'm afraid of because all of my exams had a lot of multiple choice....Incredibly scary.

To where would you like to transfer? What type of grades do they normally want? The C won't look good, obviously, but if your overall body of work is within the bounds of what transfers to your target school typically achieve, I don't think it will hurt you too much.

[Wholigan]

I think overall rank is more important than one 'C'. With a 2.7 curve, a 'C' is only one notch below median for the class, as opposed to being one of the worst grades in the section at a school that grades on a B+ curve. It doesn't look nice, but if you get an 'A' in the remaining classes and finish in the top 10% I don't think it will be significantly worse than any other route to top 10%.

[Zazelmaf]

How do you know the percentile? My school doesnt even hint at where we stand until after mid june, which sucks. However I am also looking to transfer and have very similar grades.

[stuckinparadise]

Should I email the professor and ask if there was a mistake in the grade? I know it's a long shot, but what do I have to lose?

[saintsfan200]

however if I can't transfer I just feel as though I should drop out... but in the meantime I am just looking for some thoughts on this C and how F'd I am

With this statement, I’m assuming you’re at TTT in an oversaturated market. You could try for a lateral transfer to a New Mexico or Montana –ish Law School.

[lovelaw27]

Should I email the professor and ask if there was a mistake in the grade? I know it's a long shot, but what do I have to lose?

At my school once you talking to Professor about your exam, than you can no longer appeal your grade. You should first check to see what your school policy is.

Also, your cumulative GPA has gone up from last semester so your class rank for T2 should be ok. Although I am sure you wanted to transfer to a school higher than T2 before you received that C. Good luck.

[stuckinparadise]

however if I can't transfer I just feel as though I should drop out... but in the meantime I am just looking for some thoughts on this C and how F'd I am

With this statement, I’m assuming you’re at TTT in an oversaturated market. You could try for a lateral transfer to a New Mexico or Montana –ish Law School.

Nah... I am at a TTT that is a strong regional school with a lock on their market. I just do not want to live/practice in this area...

[stuckinparadise]

Should I email the professor and ask if there was a mistake in the grade? I know it's a long shot, but what do I have to lose?

At my school once you talking to Professor about your exam, than you can no longer appeal your grade. You should first check to see what your school policy is.

Also, your cumulative GPA has gone up from last semester so your class rank for T2 should be ok. Although I am sure you wanted to transfer to a school higher than T2 before you received that C. Good luck.

I am not going to appeal the grade. I just want to ask the professor to double check to ensure there was not a mistake (I'm sure it's happened in the past).

[lovelaw27]

Reviewing your exam to see if a professor made a mistake and trying to get it changed actually is appealing your grade at my school.

[stuckinparadise]

Reviewing your exam to see if a professor made a mistake and trying to get it changed actually is appealing your grade at my school.

there is nothing to review... it's multiple choice. I just want to ask him to look at the raw score and ensure that he didn't give me someone else's grade. I am wondering if that's cool to ask him, or a big no-no?

[lovelaw27]

Reviewing your exam to see if a professor made a mistake and trying to get it changed actually is appealing your grade at my school.

there is nothing to review... it's multiple choice. I just want to ask him to look at the raw score and ensure that he didn't give me someone else's grade. I am wondering if that's cool to ask him, or a big no-no?

Like I said before, once you talk to your professor about your grade the grade cannot be changed at my school. If I were you I would ask someone in administration at your school as to what the proper procedure is.

[stuckinparadise]

Here the email i am going to send to him:

Professor: X
My name is Y and I was in your criminal law class: [insert days and time]. I have a question in regards to my criminal law grade. Thus far, I received two A's in my four credit classes and one C in criminal law. I am perplexed with my outlier grade in criminal law. At your convenience, could you check to make sure there was not a mistake when my criminal law grade was entered into my transcript (I know that it's highly unlikely, but I feel it's better to ask than to wonder). Nonetheless, I sincerely enjoyed the class and I apologize for any inconvenience. My exam number is XXXX.

All the best,

Y

[stuckinparadise]

Reviewing your exam to see if a professor made a mistake and trying to get it changed actually is appealing your grade at my school.

there is nothing to review... it's multiple choice. I just want to ask him to look at the raw score and ensure that he didn't give me someone else's grade. I am wondering if that's cool to ask him, or a big no-no?

Like I said before, once you talk to your professor about your grade the grade cannot be changed at my school. If I were you I would ask someone in administration at your school as to what the proper procedure is.

I did, they said talk to him...

[keg411]

Reviewing your exam to see if a professor made a mistake and trying to get it changed actually is appealing your grade at my school.

there is nothing to review... it's multiple choice. I just want to ask him to look at the raw score and ensure that he didn't give me someone else's grade. I am wondering if that's cool to ask him, or a big no-no?

Like I said before, once you talk to your professor about your grade the grade cannot be changed at my school. If I were you I would ask someone in administration at your school as to what the proper procedure is.

I agree with this. Also, OP, if it makes you feel better, this actually happened to someone I knew at a TTT last year (though definitely not yours based on the description). Turned out she got a A-, not a C and her grade was changed. However, this is the only time I've heard of something like this happening and I don't know if the exam in question was MC or not.

[stuckinparadise]

Reviewing your exam to see if a professor made a mistake and trying to get it changed actually is appealing your grade at my school.

there is nothing to review... it's multiple choice. I just want to ask him to look at the raw score and ensure that he didn't give me someone else's grade. I am wondering if that's cool to ask him, or a big no-no?

Like I said before, once you talk to your professor about your grade the grade cannot be changed at my school. If I were you I would ask someone in administration at your school as to what the proper procedure is.

I agree with this. Also, OP, if it makes you feel better, this actually happened to someone I knew at a TTT last year (though definitely not yours based on the description). Turned out she got a A-, not a C and her grade was changed. However, this is the only time I've heard of something like this happening and I don't know if the exam in question was MC or not.

Keg, I emailed the dean. She said talk to him... I just want him to check and ensure that he did not enter/give me the wrong grade (i.e. may have entered in someone else's raw score in place of mine). A few post up is the email I am about to send... tell me what you think.

[lovelaw27]

Reviewing your exam to see if a professor made a mistake and trying to get it changed actually is appealing your grade at my school.

there is nothing to review... it's multiple choice. I just want to ask him to look at the raw score and ensure that he didn't give me someone else's grade. I am wondering if that's cool to ask him, or a big no-no?

Like I said before, once you talk to your professor about your grade the grade cannot be changed at my school. If I were you I would ask someone in administration at your school as to what the proper procedure is.

I did, they said talk to him...

Ok, the email looks fine. Let us know how everything goes. Good Luck.

[DAJ_Summer]

This is unconscionable! You are the first person to ever receive grades in law school that were different from one another. Professors love it when you bring this to their attention so they can rectify their mistake.

[keg411]

This is unconscionable! You are the first person to ever receive grades in law school that were different from one another. Professors love it when you bring this to their attention so they can rectify their mistake.

Like I said, I would normally be skeptical, but this actually happened to a friend at a TTT last year. If she hadn't said something, she would have been fucked (well, more fucked than she probably already is for attending a TTT).

[DAJ_Summer]

This is unconscionable! You are the first person to ever receive grades in law school that were different from one another. Professors love it when you bring this to their attention so they can rectify their mistake.

Like I said, I would normally be skeptical, but this actually happened to a friend at a TTT last year. If she hadn't said something, she would have been fucked (well, more fucked than she probably already is for attending a TTT).

I view it like I view medical diagnostic tests with a very high error rate. Sure, if your the one who gets the needle-in-the-hay-stack moment of catching something important, it was worth it. To the population at large though, not necessarily a good idea. Law students are whiny sacks of shit and EVERYONE gets a random collection of grades. I've heard professors bitch about this exact kind of email / conduct several times before, and it makes me hesitate to recommend it (and quick to mock it).

[keg411]

This is unconscionable! You are the first person to ever receive grades in law school that were different from one another. Professors love it when you bring this to their attention so they can rectify their mistake.

Like I said, I would normally be skeptical, but this actually happened to a friend at a TTT last year. If she hadn't said something, she would have been fucked (well, more fucked than she probably already is for attending a TTT).

I view it like I view medical diagnostic tests with a very high error rate. Sure, if your the one who gets the needle-in-the-hay-stack moment of catching something important, it was worth it. To the population at large though, not necessarily a good idea. Law students are whiny sacks of shit and EVERYONE gets a random collection of grades. I've heard professors bitch about this exact kind of email / conduct several times before, and it makes me hesitate to recommend it (and quick to mock it).

Meh, it wasn't my grade. The thread just gave me particular pause because I knew a "needle in the haystack". If I had never heard of this happening, I would probably agree with you.

[DAJ_Summer]

Meh, it wasn't my grade. The thread just gave me particular pause because I knew a "needle in the haystack". If I had never heard of this happening, I would probably agree with you.

Totally legit. I'm trying to mock OP, not you.

[Rotor]

Here the email i am going to send to him:

Professor: X
My name is Y and I was in your criminal law class: [insert days and time]. I have a question in regards to my criminal law grade. Thus far, I received two A's in my four credit classes and one C in criminal law. I am perplexed with my outlier grade in criminal law. At your convenience, could you check to make sure there was not a mistake when my criminal law grade was entered into my transcript (I know that it's highly unlikely, but I feel it's better to ask than to wonder). Nonetheless, I sincerely enjoyed the class and I apologize for any inconvenience.

I felt much better prepared for the exam than this grade suggests and I would like to go over it at your convenience.

My exam number is XXXX.

All the best,

Y

Ditch the bit about the other grades. He doesn't care. Performance in this class is all that matters. Ditch the passive/aggressive accusation that he screwed up. It'll be unlikely to sway him that way. Make it apparent you are wanting to know what YOU did wrong on the test. Then, sit across from him and look him in the eye as he reviews the test with you. ASK what the curve was and where you stacked up. If there's a mistake, he'll see it that way.

But also remember. It isn't how you did in absolute terms that matters. You could have gotten 99/100 on the MC. But if more than half the class got 100/100, you will be one notch below median. (Highly unlikely and a crap-ass test if that's the way it came out, but you get my drift, I think.)

Best of luck,

[forty-two]

It's definitely worth it to ask (accidents do happen sometimes, I know someone at UCLA whose Prof accidentally gave him a C instead of an A). I'd try to make a meeting to talk with him about your grade because it was so much lower than your others/see if he has any suggestions for future MC tests. Your Prof will probably look over your exam before your meethig, and he'd probably see if he made a mistake while doing this. If he doesn't bring it up, then you can ask about it. I just think it's usually best to deal with this type of thing in person though. If you don't agree or aren't in town for the summer, your email looks fine.

[stuckinparadise]

This is unconscionable! You are the first person to ever receive grades in law school that were different from one another. Professors love it when you bring this to their attention so they can rectify their mistake.

Like I said, I would normally be skeptical, but this actually happened to a friend at a TTT last year. If she hadn't said something, she would have been fucked (well, more fucked than she probably already is for attending a TTT).

I view it like I view medical diagnostic tests with a very high error rate. Sure, if your the one who gets the needle-in-the-hay-stack moment of catching something important, it was worth it. To the population at large though, not necessarily a good idea. Law students are whiny sacks of shit and EVERYONE gets a random collection of grades. I've heard professors bitch about this exact kind of email / conduct several times before, and it makes me hesitate to recommend it (and quick to mock it).

What do I have to lose? The professor might be disgusted with me? So what, I already received the crappy grade. And you don't understand my situation... you really don't. I don't want a pity parade, but I needed somewhere to vent. I was on my way... two A's in 4 credit classes is huge and then this... its like winning the lottery and then learning 5,000 other people picked the same number. Well, thanks for kicking me when I'm down. Appreciate it. You're a good guy/gal.

Anyway for those who chimed in with some encouraging words here is the update: I emailed him yesterday and he said he would double check the grade. So far, I have not heard back from him so either 1) he didn't check, 2) he forgot, or 3) just maybe he is looking over my exam again and perhaps might give me a bump (doubtful). But for now, I think no news is good news.