You asked:

I’m pretty sure this one teacher has it out for me. He just seems to be so unfair with my grades. Is there anything I can do about this?

Actually, you can always do something about your grades, but it doesn’t always guarantee that your grade will change for the better. Still, before going over this instructor’s head (then you may really have a target on your back), it couldn’t hurt to consider some of these suggestions:

• Be honest with yourself. Have you genuinely made an effort to meet all of the class requirements? Think about your attendance, participation, study habits and completed assignments. Are you giving 100 percent, or can you do more? Remember that a hard professor may be a fair professor, but that means you may have to hit the books a little harder than you have in the past.

• Talk to your professor about what he or she expects from you. Ask what you can do to improve your grade. He should be able to outline what level of work an A student would produce versus one who pulls B’s or C’s. Be sure to approach him while you still have time to earn more points toward your grade. Be specific -- don’t just ask why you aren’t doing well. Ask if you can review your exam or a paper together to see where you may have slipped.

• Talk to a student who has already taken the class and see if they have any pointers on how to succeed. (I went to my professor, but all I got were roundabout answers and no help.) If your class has a teaching assistant, talk to him or her about how to improve your performance to get better grades.

• Go to a department head as a last resort if you still feel your grades are unfair. Take any graded assignments or exams with you, and discuss why you feel your grades were given unfairly. This isn’t a whine-and-moan session, so save the drama for your mama. Act professional, and provide valid reasons for your complaint.

Name: Sarah Arsenoff
School: UNC Wilmington
Year: Senior
Major: Marine Biology
Her Deal: This is Sarah's third year as an R.A. for freshmen and international students. She writes for Periplus, a university newsletter for students who, like her, are in the honors scholars program.

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