What have you done ...

[SarahC07 0]

As a current or former student (that covers it!)... what have you done to improve a grade? Other than the obvious studying/going to class... I want to hear something interesting!!

This semester, I earned 224 points out of a 250 point scale in my Intro to Philosophy class. 225-250 points is an A, meaning I'm ONE point shy of an A. So, to avoid taking the 'optional' cummulative final tomorrow morning, I wrote my instructor a really sarcastic/clever 2.5 page letter using philosophy and things that he likes (like Screwdrivers (the drink = OJ + vodka) to persuade him into giving me my one more point.

And guess what?

It worked.


Edited to add: Wow, no one is replying... am I the only one who has done something like this? This only further proves that I truly am a nerd!

[Buried 0]

hmm last paper of an senior art history class in college.. Suppose to be a 15-20 page paper, but slacked and turned in an 8, not even 'finished'. I also attached the letter thanking him for the class and such and said I just didn't have time... some how I went from a C in that class to a final grade of B+

Where is my fizzy-lifting drink?

[SarahC07 0]

Well, here is what I wrote...


Dear Mat,

I don’t suppose you would be giving a curve at the end of the course, would you?

I’m one of those few people who currently have 224 points, and I would really love an A. But of course, who wouldn’t love to have an A? So, I ask, is this last point negotiable?

I have in fact contacted a few of my fellow Introduction to Philosophy students who would be more than willing to sell me one of their superfluous points (one that would not affect their current letter grade) for a generous amount of money. In appreciation of the generosity of my fellow students, I would be graciously willing to have a plethora of pencils created with the phrase ‘Delicious Bastard’ boldly engraved on the side (the phrase of course should be used to help further educate your future philosophy students of the wonder that is William James) and an apple, respectively. That is, of course, you prefer an endless supply of tasty screwdrivers. Unfortunately, I will not reach the splendiferous age of 21 before you leave Texas. However, once I reach that glorious age, I will surely be indebt to you 100 bottles of the finest vodka and 101 bottles of your favorite orange juice.

I figure the pathetic excuses of being sick with strep throat for a week and a half, having mono for an unknown yet extended period of time, and having to put Merlin and George (my 9 month old kittens) to sleep due to kidney failure would only be list of reasons- and essentially, only make it seem as if I were begging for just One…. More…. Point.

So, then I thought, maybe If I included something useful, like philosophy …. Because according to Descartes, we should do philosophy to attain certainty!

First, I will start with a practical application of Blaise Pascal. While Pascal uses philosophy to answer the question of: Should I Believe in God? ... I will use a slightly similar method of reasoning to answer a tremendously more trivial question of: Will giving this letter to Mat help my grade?

Wager: Giving this letter to Mat will help my grade
Truth: Mat will give a curve
True belief, I make an A in the course.

Wager: Giving this letter to Mat will help my grade
Truth: Mat will not give a curve
False Belief, I lose nothing but the time and effort I dedicated to this letter.

Wager: Giving this letter to Mat will not help my grade
Truth: Mat will give a curve
False Belief, I lose nothing, but gain an A. However, the pleasure I received from writing this and the pleasure I hope Mat receives from reading this oh so clever letter is lost.

Wager: Giving this letter to Mat will not help my grade
Truth: Mat will not give a curve
True Belief, I do not receive an A, and myself and Mat lose the pleasure of reading/writing this oh so clever letter.

Note: “Giving this letter to Mat will not help my grade”… translates into… “I decide not to give Mat this letter.”

I truly hope that this letter does not offend you in any fashion or form! For offending you was not my intent!!

I will now transition to the next topic: Do I have free will? For the answer to this philosophical wonder will surely lead me to a reasonable and useful conclusion.

Determinism VS Indeterminism

Upon discovering that I was one point short of an A, I could not help but think to myself … If only I had studied just ten minutes longer, I could have answered just one more question on a Quest correctly and thus made an A! … or If only I had spent just that much longer on only one of my papers, I would have scored just one point higher and thus…made an A!

And then I thought… maybe this was meant to be! Maybe, just maybe, I was meant to be one point shy of an A. Maybe all the events leading up to this situation occurred necessarily due to antecedent conditions. Meaning, maybe the writing of this persuasive letter was inevitable! Here, I take a determinist’s stand on the issue of Do I have free will? to argue my grade.

And then I thought… maybe this was not meant to be! Maybe, just maybe, I am one point shy of an A because I did not study as much as I should have… or maybe not? I had the option to study longer, but I apparently choose not to, or maybe the studying I did did not further increase my understanding of the material. Maybe, all the antecedent conditions do not necessitate my current grade of a B in the course. Here, I take an indeterminist’s stand on the issue of Do I have free will?

And now, I will attempt to persuade you with one more idea: Aristotle believes that the meaning of life is to be happy! While, he believes that being happy means to live virtuously, I would like to keep the understanding of happiness (for my sake) strictly to … happiness.

Here comes yet …. more groveling: An A in this course will boost my GPR. By boosting my GPR, my likeliness of being accepted into the College of Business increases. Being accepted into the College of Business increase my likeliness of earning a degree in accounting. And I firmly believe that I would be happy practicing accounting (with my degree of course) for many many years of my life. Hopefully, I will marry- sooner rather than later, but shh! Don’t tell my boyfriend that (wink, wink)! I will then be able to use the money I earn from being an accountant, to raise children in a happy and positive environment. And my children will one day grow into budding, young college students who will take a philosophy course, much like the one I took from you, and experience the happiness that I have felt from taking this class!

So, as you can see, making an A in this course affects my eternal happiness!

And so I ask again, is this last (and final) point negotiable?

I wish you the best in all that you do!

Yours Truly,

Sarah

[littlestranger 0]

I cried once. However, this methodology only works with instructors of the opposite sex.

[skysprite 0]

Great letter! hehe I'm 1 point away from an A+ in one of my classes but dunno if a letter like that would work so I'm afraid I'm gonna have to settle for an A.

~skysprite

[livendive 8]

Quote

I cried once. However, this methodology only works with instructors of the opposite sex.

Not true.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[Amanduh 0]

Girl, that is brilliant! Totally brilliant!!


Congrats!! I would have given you that extra point as well!!!

[golferbill 0]

I would have given you an A+ and would have taken you up on the 100 bottles of the finest vodka and 101 bottles of your favorite orange juice, though it wouldn't last to long around here!

[Rebecca 0]

As my second-to-last undergrad quarter was coming to an end, I realized that two more 4.0 report cards would let me graduate Magna, thus increasing my chances of being accepted to the grad school I was applying to.

I also realized that I missed an A in my 2-hour MIS class by .25 of a point.

So, I figured what the hell. I went to talk to the teacher and explained my situation, including the fact that I had taken several very demanding International Business classes along with his, and so on.

He apparently had a bit of a chip on his shoulder about his being a 'blow-off' class, which it honestly was. So, with more than a hint of arrogance and anticipated victory in his voice, he said, "OK, I'm going to ask you a question related to the material. Sound fair?"

Me: "Sure thing"

Him: "What's the difference between (this) OS and (this other) OS?" (Or something to that effect)

Me: "Well, the first one was developed in... (perfect, verbatim from the book answer)"

Him: "Hmm. (bemused pause) Well, it's obvious you studied the material and actually absorbed some of it, so I'm going to give you an A. You earned it. Let me know if you get in."

Me: (ballistic with thanks and praise)



Got the 4.0 both quarters, got Magna, got into grad, and let him know.

you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk?

[SkydivingNurse 0]

For the final exam in my philosophy 101 class, I gave the professor back an empty sheet of paper. I told him that words would be too limiting. I got a perfect grade for the course. Weirdest class I ever had.

[markd_nscr986 0]

I'm a firm believer in an .........."A for a Lay"

Marc SCR 6046 SCS 3004

[JohnRich 4]

Quote

As a current or former student (that covers it!)... what have you done to improve a grade? Other than the obvious studying/going to class... I want to hear something interesting!!/reply]

I got a 95 on a Driver Safety class in order to get a speeding ticket dismissed. Does that count?

• Quote

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

I was one point from an A in a calculus class once... but no amount of math or bribe could've gotten me that A... I think I was probably the teachers most hated student.. But, that is OK because I took my B, and have made sure to warn students away from his lazy multiple choice calculus class.

I bothered a teacher for a grade change once, though. I had a B in Physics, and i'm sure that is what I deserved... but I asked the teacher that if I had a B I would appreciate going over what caused said B (papers, tests, etc, that we never got back!) And, teacher insisted that he gave me a B based on a grade he felt I deserved but that he would change it to an A if I really felt I deserved one. So, I said, yea, change it. This was very typical of his lackadaisical teaching methods.

I don't think i'd bother with that anymore, tho. A 'B' is really not a bad grade, and sometimes you just have to accept it when you don't get what you wanted. I mean, hell, A's are fought for and earned and I've come to the conclusion that it is really not quite fair for them to be given out when others worked their asses off for them. I worked my ass off in Orgo chem to find out that other not-so-bright or not-so-interested students got to slide by with A's as well. Where is the incentive if you can just slack and still get an A?

Glad you got your grade, tho... we've all been there.
-A

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

Quote

As my second-to-last undergrad quarter was coming to an end, I realized that two more 4.0 report cards would let me graduate Magna, thus increasing my chances of being accepted to the grad school I was applying to.

I also realized that I missed an A in my 2-hour MIS class by .25 of a point.

So, I figured what the hell. I went to talk to the teacher and explained my situation, including the fact that I had taken several very demanding International Business classes along with his, and so on.

He apparently had a bit of a chip on his shoulder about his being a 'blow-off' class, which it honestly was. So, with more than a hint of arrogance and anticipated victory in his voice, he said, "OK, I'm going to ask you a question related to the material. Sound fair?"

Me: "Sure thing"

Him: "What's the difference between (this) OS and (this other) OS?" (Or something to that effect)

Me: "Well, the first one was developed in... (perfect, verbatim from the book answer)"

Him: "Hmm. (bemused pause) Well, it's obvious you studied the material and actually absorbed some of it, so I'm going to give you an A. You earned it. Let me know if you get in."

Me: (ballistic with thanks and praise)



Got the 4.0 both quarters, got Magna, got into grad, and let him know.

Wow!! Right on! Did you get in?

-A

[genoyamamoto 0]

Great letter!
BTW, I was a TA in Grad school and let me tell you, there was a LOT of fuzzy math going on at the end of the quarter. People who really made an effort often got a grade higher than the point totals said to give them.

Gotta go... plaything needs to spank me
Feel the hate...
Photos here