professor ask, "do you absolutely have to get an A?"

NStiger88 · Nov 5, 2008

i think you should tell that professor that he/she doesn't know what the hell he is talking about! well maybe not in those exact words (haha) but i have also had professors like this...what i usually do is explain that i am applying to a nursing program and i am sure to tell them that it is a very competitive and tough program! just so they can't put you down in any way... as long as you are respectful, most teachers will be willing to listen and help

rn/writer, RN · Nov 5, 2008

Instructors ought to be clear at the beginning what is expected of the class and how they grade.

That said, I think it must be a bit demoralizing for instructors/professors and see more and more students focused so tightly on GPA. Not saying you are doing that, but there are a good many who are more interested in "racking up a good score" than in course content.

Professors usually become professors in a subject area that they enjoy. My microbiology instructor should have been teaching at a graduate level. Instead, she had to teach us nursing students a streamlined summer course that barely scratched the surface of the topic. I know this frustrated her greatly. She wanted us to love micro like she did when we barely had the time to hit the high points.

I can also remember a few classmates who became absolutely obsessed with their scores in various modules. Yes, it's important to do as well as possible, but these folks were over the top in their overzealous approach. They argued every lost test point and generally became a little unhinged along the way.

I'm not saying that you should slack off or adopt a devil-may-care attitude toward your studies. Only that grades are a means to an end and not a goal by themselves.

Ask the instructors for clear information on grades. And maybe you could express a genuine interest in their background and what they like about their subject. Despite evidence to the contrary, professors are human, too.

hiddencatRN, BSN, RN · Nov 5, 2008

Ask your teacher which schools are taking in applicants with a 2.8 because you'd like to apply there. It drives me nuts when people don't seem to understand how competitive it is to get in to nursing school ANYWHERE.

llg, PhD, RN · Nov 5, 2008

I can also remember a few classmates who became absolutely obsessed with their scores in various modules. Yes, it's important to do as well as possible, but these folks were over the top in their overzealous approach. They argued every lost test point and generally became a little unhinged along the way.
I'm not saying that you should slack off or adopt a devil-may-care attitude toward your studies. Only that grades are a means to an end and not a goal by themselves.
Ask the instructors for clear information on grades. And maybe you could express a genuine interest in their background and what they like about their subject. Despite evidence to the contrary, professors are human, too.

As a faculty member, I can easily understand why some instructors would say things like that. All too much of a teacher's time and energy is spent trying to deal with students who are "fighting" to get every point they can get. They argue every test question they miss, every point deducted from a paper, etc. When you have several of those types of students in the same class, it consumes so much of the teacher's time and attention, it can interfer with the teacher's ability to do his/her best to actually teach the class. The teaching becomes a battleground upon which points are argued -- not a good learning environment. It's saps the joy out of the class for everyone, not just for the teacher, but also for the students who are there because they truly want to learn the material, not just because it is a required course they need to score a certain amount of points on.

Also, a lot of people (myself included) do not believe that everyone SHOULD get an A in a course. We believe that the grading system should be such that the truly best students have an opportunity to demonstrate and document their superiority and be identified as the top level students. That means that the average students can not receive A's -- and we get weary when we have to spend too much of our time struggling with those "good but not great" students who complain about their grades every day and take us away from actually teaching (which is what we really want to do.)

I suspect the OP's instructor has dealt with many students who are only taking his class to score points so that they be accepted for some other field of study -- and that he is a bit weary of arguing with "good but not great" students who want an A, not because they deserve it, but because that A is currency to use in getting what they want, which is a career in another field. Perhaps the instructor wants to reserve the A's for the people who demonstrated an outstanding performance in his class and is a little bit tired (and cranky) of answering questions from students with average performance who want an A even though their performance was only average. So, he was not as gracious with the OP as he might have been.

jimbojonesey · Nov 5, 2008

I don't complain about my grades (although I've had a professor once that constantly deducted points incorrectly) I am a good student and respect teachers in all my classes. I just want to know if the professor gives bonus points or any extra help to students that "absolutely have to get an A." Because it seemed like they might.

I was just bewildered by this phrase "do you absolutely have to get an A?" when I simply asked what I needed to do in the class to get an A.

And well, I just wanted other peoples experience on this, so I am better prepared before talking to the professor about my grades next time.

prmenrs, RN · Nov 5, 2008

Depending on what course it is, I might tell him that it would help you to know as much as possible about that subject, as it will help you once you DO get into NS, and when you start working in this field.

And that nursing school IS very competative, you need all the help you can get!!

jjjoy, LPN · Nov 5, 2008

Do be aware that many instructors would frown upon giving out special extra credit to a particular student with the sole purpose of helping them boost their grade in order to improve their chances at acceptance to some other program of study. Going to an instructor with a B and an explanation about why getting an A is so important will likely get a cold response. It's a tough position for instructors, knowing how much grades can effect a student's plans, but also knowing that grades are supposed to be reflecting the student's actual performance and an A is supposed to reflect exceptional performance.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't ask how you could get an A in the class. If there's a way to do it, you need to know it so you have the chance to earn the A. Just make sure that you're not one of those students who expects to get an A just because you "need" it to pursue your other goals and not because you earned it.

Atheos · Nov 5, 2008

A's should be for excellent students. A truly excellent student doesn't need to know what they have to do to get an A. An excellent student does get A's.

Average students should be happy with C's and B's.

Having a 4.0 used to be extremely difficult. Now I see people with those all over the place.

If everyone can get an A then it negates the purpose of a grading scale.

Destination1 · Nov 5, 2008

"do you absolutely have to get an A?"

The answer to that question depends on the college/university you apply to. i think I remember seeing a recent post from you concerning a low GPA and nursing school. Here is my story and maybe it will give you some hope.

I tried the college thing as a 19 year old many years ago while in the military and because of two unexpected deployments I left school with a 1.6 GPA and really didn't worry about it because I never intended on going back. 16 years latter I had matured a great deal and decided to return to school and work toward a BSN. After doing some research on this board and talking to several nurses I nearly gave up. Many people will try to make you believe it takes a 4.0 to get accepted. Luckily I received some really great advice and support along the way and graduated with an associates of science degree this last spring 2008.

I applied to a BSN program during the summer and received an acceptance letter Sept. 14th. My GPA was 2.89. This school goes by a points system that takes into account your cumulative GPA, your Retention GPA, Your program GPA (All the prereqs), and the grades you received for each science course. Did I make all As? No. My point is it is entirely possible to get into nursing school without a 4.0 . It may require a move or other sacrifice but it is possible.

llg, PhD, RN · Nov 5, 2008

If you want more information on the grading for the course, then that's what you should ask for. The fact that you really want an A should be left out completely. Simply say something like:

"I am unclear as to the expectations for this course. Could you please share your grading criteria? I want to do a good job, but I am not certain as to what you are looking for."

Asking an instructor at the beginning of the course about extra credit is somewhat insulting and offensive to the instructor. Regardless of the words you use, the message it sends is: "Listen, I am not going to make the effort to actually learn the material and meet the requirements for an A in this course. But is there some easier, less demanding task I can do to give myself some extra points?"

Only ask about extra credit possibilities if you have already tried to meet the course expectations and failed to achieve the grade you had hoped for. Then, you could ask if you could do any extra work to demonstrate that you have mastered the material and earn a higher grade.

hiddencatRN, BSN, RN · Nov 5, 2008

I'm confused as to why all students should NOT be striving for As in their classes. Maybe someone can clarify this for me.