Meeting with Professor to Discuss an Exam Forum

[North]

I've got a meeting with a prof on Monday to go over an exam from last semester. I got below median in this class (B on a B+ curve), but I though I'd rocked the exam. I plan to focus the discussion on how to improve my exam performance this semester rather than talk over the subject matter of the exam.

For those who've found such meetings helpful for getting better at exams, what kind of stuff did you ask the prof?

I suppose "what did I screw up?" is a good place to start, but I was wondering if there was anything more specific that might elicit an insightful response from the lady. Mostly just fishing ITT for ideas and experiences. There are surprisingly few threads on this in search.

[bsktbll28082]

I asked 'what would you have liked to see', 'was my organization effective', 'was my answer easy to understand,' etc. I found it helpful. Asking a straight 'how can I improve' also works.

If you ever take that professor again, you'll know what they want.

[Monochromatic Oeuvre]

I had a productive meeting with one of my professors. Then, at the end, she said "I thought you would do better. I'm disappointed. Not in you...just disappointed." That one ranked fairly high on my "Depressing Things People Did Not Have To Say To Me" life list.

[sd5289]

Then, at the end, she said "I thought you would do better. I'm disappointed. Not in you...just disappointed." That one ranked fairly high on my "Depressing Things People Did Not Have To Say To Me" life list.

I got a "this has never to me happened before [re. in grading]" from my 1L Civ Pro prof. I apparently rocked Erie, PJ, SMJ, and just glossed over the easy stuff like joinder, amending complaints, etc. (so should've gotten a higher grade than I did, but at least it was above median).

To the OP, that was probably THE most productive meeting I've ever had with a prof though because it helped me realize that as a product of being out of school for so long and working professionally, I'd just assumed that she knew I saw those things and it was better to triage my focus onto the things that were difficult. I took her advice for the spring of my 1L semester and rocked it. We started out going over the subject matter of the exam, and she then asked what happened. I was honest and told her my thought process, and she corrected that flawed thinking in a hurry. So go in expecting to discuss the exam a bit, but just be honest about what you were thinking. Hopefully you'll get the kind of feedback that I did that helped me correct.

[ph14]

Then, at the end, she said "I thought you would do better. I'm disappointed. Not in you...just disappointed." That one ranked fairly high on my "Depressing Things People Did Not Have To Say To Me" life list.

I got a "this has never to me happened before [re. in grading]" from my 1L Civ Pro prof. I apparently rocked Erie, PJ, SMJ, and just glossed over the easy stuff like joinder, amending complaints, etc. (so should've gotten a higher grade than I did, but at least it was above median).

To the OP, that was probably THE most productive meeting I've ever had with a prof though because it helped me realize that as a product of being out of school for so long and working professionally, I'd just assumed that she knew I saw those things and it was better to triage my focus onto the things that were difficult. I took her advice for the spring of my 1L semester and rocked it. We started out going over the subject matter of the exam, and she then asked what happened. I was honest and told her my thought process, and she corrected that flawed thinking in a hurry. So go in expecting to discuss the exam a bit, but just be honest about what you were thinking. Hopefully you'll get the kind of feedback that I did that helped me correct.

It is better to triage your focus on the issues that are most difficult. You just have to also hit the low-hanging fruit and pick up the easy points.

[sd5289]

Then, at the end, she said "I thought you would do better. I'm disappointed. Not in you...just disappointed." That one ranked fairly high on my "Depressing Things People Did Not Have To Say To Me" life list.

I got a "this has never to me happened before [re. in grading]" from my 1L Civ Pro prof. I apparently rocked Erie, PJ, SMJ, and just glossed over the easy stuff like joinder, amending complaints, etc. (so should've gotten a higher grade than I did, but at least it was above median).

To the OP, that was probably THE most productive meeting I've ever had with a prof though because it helped me realize that as a product of being out of school for so long and working professionally, I'd just assumed that she knew I saw those things and it was better to triage my focus onto the things that were difficult. I took her advice for the spring of my 1L semester and rocked it. We started out going over the subject matter of the exam, and she then asked what happened. I was honest and told her my thought process, and she corrected that flawed thinking in a hurry. So go in expecting to discuss the exam a bit, but just be honest about what you were thinking. Hopefully you'll get the kind of feedback that I did that helped me correct.

It is better to triage your focus on the issues that are most difficult. You just have to also hit the low-hanging fruit and pick up the easy points.

True. Perhaps I could have worded that a little better. Mention the low-hanging fruit to get the points, aim at the high points.

[danitt]

Then, at the end, she said "I thought you would do better. I'm disappointed. Not in you...just disappointed." That one ranked fairly high on my "Depressing Things People Did Not Have To Say To Me" life list.

I got a "this has never to me happened before [re. in grading]" from my 1L Civ Pro prof. I apparently rocked Erie, PJ, SMJ, and just glossed over the easy stuff like joinder, amending complaints, etc. (so should've gotten a higher grade than I did, but at least it was above median).

To the OP, that was probably THE most productive meeting I've ever had with a prof though because it helped me realize that as a product of being out of school for so long and working professionally, I'd just assumed that she knew I saw those things and it was better to triage my focus onto the things that were difficult. I took her advice for the spring of my 1L semester and rocked it. We started out going over the subject matter of the exam, and she then asked what happened. I was honest and told her my thought process, and she corrected that flawed thinking in a hurry. So go in expecting to discuss the exam a bit, but just be honest about what you were thinking. Hopefully you'll get the kind of feedback that I did that helped me correct.

It is better to triage your focus on the issues that are most difficult. You just have to also hit the low-hanging fruit and pick up the easy points.

True. Perhaps I could have worded that a little better. Mention the low-hanging fruit to get the points, aim at the high points.

This definitely happened to me. Prof said I hit all the difficult stuff and then glossed over so many easy marks. He didn't used disappointed though. Just frustrated.