School
How to ask a professor about your grade
You’re talking to Professor Hale. The goal: ask what you lost points on and how to improve.
Your first line
Professor Hale starts with “Come in. What can I do for you?”
“Hi Professor Hale. I brought my midterm. Could you walk me through what a full-credit answer on question 4 would have included?”
Make it easy: bringing the exam and pointing to one question shows you want to learn, not argue. That gets a real answer instead of “the grade stands.”
What Professor Hale might say, and what to say back
Professor Hale: “Are you asking me to change the grade?”
You: “No, I want to understand it. What would full credit have looked like here?”
Professor Hale: “Everyone was held to the same rubric.”
You: “Totally. I’d like to see where my answer fell short on it, so I don’t repeat it on the final.”
Professor Hale: “I have other students waiting.”
You: “Of course. One last thing: is there anything I can do to improve, like a rewrite or practice problems?”
Two things that trip people up
- Opening with “Why did I get a C?”Ask what a full-credit answer would have included, on one specific question.
- Arguing for points or comparing your grade to a classmate’s.Own your part and ask how to improve. That’s what gets you a path forward.
Now say it out loud
Reading the words isn’t the same as saying them. Practice this one with Professor Hale pushing back like the real person would. Then your coach, Quinn, fixes your exact words. The move to focus on: Make it easy.
Practice this one free3 free reps a day. No sign-up. Out loud or typed.