Before I get into my “story” I just want to let you know I am posting this for two reasons, one: to vent and the second: for sound advice.
I am in my second semester of my pre-med program. My first semester went very well, and I was hoping it would be the same for the second semester. However, the story is not the same. I am currently enrolled in three classes, Cell Bio, Physics I and Chemistry II. (As with most students when you register for classes often you ask around which professor would be the best to take and I was told prof “pete” (not his real name) - if you take his course, most students get A’s.) With that said, I enrolled for Physics I and ended up with prof “pete”. The first week was a first week - very little work done - the week is to get acquainted with everyone and handout the syllabus - no lab. Prof “pete” said that the physics book assigned was optional and as long as you had some sort of text you could refer to the topic in discussion to your text and you should be ok. A little non-traditional but I continued with prof “pete” to give him an opportunity. Week two - the lectures were confusing but I thought - well physics is not an easy course and perhaps I am need to do more work to understand what’s going on. Then we have our first lab - it was 10 minutes! YES!! 10 minutes. He basically wrote out a sheet of numbers and told us what to put in the blank spots - multiply the numbers and there you go - a completed lab. No explanation, no working it out - nothing. Now we’re in week 3 and I am getting frustrated because prof “pete” is a fast talker (nothing wrong with people who talk fast but I don’t like when people are fast talkers and trying to pull the wool over my eyes at the same time) and is trying to convince us that physics is easy and that all you need are four formulas and people take physics too seriously. At this point I started to get the feeling that prof “pete” is a con and he gives his students A’s so that he looks like the best prof. and he gets a paycheck at the same time. At this point, I told him I am confused, I’ve asked for help in the past week and still am confused. I told him I was using the book and what the book stated was not what I understood from his lecture. At that point he blew a gasket. He screamed at me for 20 minutes saying that he graduated from college with over 550 credits (yes - that was just his undergraduated degree - if you can believe that one) and that no one in college uses text books that is for high schoolers. And that I was wrong about everything. After 20 minutes of this, I walked out of the class - and went to a prof who I knew I could trust 100% (her sister-in-law and I live in the same town and go to the same church). This same prof (I’ll call her prof “enzyme” because she was able to lower the hurdles for me to get out of the class and into a different section - because at this point it was after add/drop). I am now in a new section with prof “McCoy” and struggling because I missed nearly four weeks of class and am working 30+ hours trying to understand it all.
– Now here is where it get’s complicated. I am taking Chemistry II with the same prof for Chemistry I - I’ll call him prof “gob” (short for good old boy). Chemistry I went well, hence why I decided to take this professor for a second time. Unbeknownst to me, prof “gob” is close friends with prof “pete”. Prof “pete” got mad because the department chairs had to get involved to get me out of his class into the different section. Prof “gob” now appears to be taking this out towards my chemistry class as a whole. My friend who took chem I with me has even seen the attitude change in him towards me - that he is a lot more abrasive with me this semester than last semester (which he was not). But worse is how he is handling the exams - Prof “gob” seperates the exam into two parts, a take home and an in class. The first exam was difficult but usually the first is and then one usually does better in the following exams (at least this is how is goes with me) The second exam we took - the take home exam did not settle with me. We get back the exam and I got a D!! I asked him if he could explain two of the five problems and he tried to fast talk me an explanation - at which time I just let him and decided then I would seek the help of a tutor. I went to the chemistry tutor and asked him if he could explain to me what I did wrong. He photocopied the problem and told me to come back on wednesday and he would work it out and show me where I went wrong. Wednesday I went to physics and prof “gob” approached me and told me to see him after class and he would explain to me the problem (which did not make any sense because he could not explain himself the first time so what would a second time make any difference.) Just to please him, after class I saw him and he gave me some lame explanation of the problem. After that I walked out and down the stairs - at the bottom of the stairs, who should I see but the chemistry tutor. He told me that he was not able to figure out the problem so he went to his advisor who is a doctor of organic chemistry - and NOT even she could answer the problem. They then approached prof “gob” and he admitted to them that he did not give sufficient information for us to answer the question. Now prof “gob” does not know that I know this. I haven’t approached him because I wanted to see if he would do the fair thing and throw out the question - actually there is a second problem on that exam I feel does not give the information or ask the question needed to correctly answer it. Since then he has not thrown out the problem, he continues to tell me that I am wrong, any time he has the opportunity (so I no longer participate in the class lecture) and we just had a third exam that was so difficult that everyone in the class believes they completely failed. He did say he will have to scale that exam because he made it so difficult. (why would a professor write up an exam that basically no one could pass? that is just plain mean) What is most frustrating is that I am getting the feeling he is being influence by prof “pete” - and I am paying the price for it, actually everyone in my chem class is.
Oh, one more bit of information - I learned through a very safe and valid source that prof “pete” is a prof who is in a lot of trouble with the admistration but due to the fact that the schools physics department is not suitably staffed they have kept him on - but they want him out as quick as I would like him out. In addition - all the guys up there have this good old boy network going so I am scared whatever other course I take prof “pete” will approach them and try and black ball me. I am seriously considering going back to prof “enzyme” but I know how busy she is and would hate to bring yet another problem to her. What do I do? My grade in chemistry is suffering because of this situation. 
Sorry this is happening to you. I’ve been through this attitude before. My advice is to go to the dean, and document every piece of info you get. Keep on the dean, and remind him/her that your grades depend on it.
Wow! Can’t you go to Dr. GOB and work something out with him? Perhaps if you mention your PASSION for learning and your wanting to learn it well, instead of seeming like a threat. He’s probably thinking that you are going to take him down next. By the way, teachers give impossibly hard tests cause they oftentimes don’t know how hard a bit of the material will be in a test situation, and they intend to throw it all out there and see how everybody does and then curve it. Most don’t mean to demoralize. Teachers also use the tests to gauge how they are doing, and then modify or re-emphasize what students are missing.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my LONG story. The problem with going to the Dean is that…he is friends with prof “pete” and prof “gob”. It’s a good old boy network. In addition it was my advisor’s (the dean of chemistry) decision to hire prof “gob” - so to say anything would be indirectly insulting his decision.
In regards to prof “gob” feeling threatened, I already thought about that. So I went to my dean, my advisor, his boss and gave him kudos (even though he really does not deserve it) overall he is an o.k. lecturer but his exams are poorly written and his attitude is even worse.
Sadly, I’m not sure that it’s possible to be a doctor without being a politician. Here’s my $.02–take it for what it’s worth. 
This may be a situation where you just need to “suck it up,” as they say, and take the high road. I know it’s incredibly hard to do that, especially when you’re paying so much in tuition to be getting a product of less quality that you expected. However, you are going to need a minimum of two solid recommendations from science professors for your med. school applications, and sometimes more.
You may want to make the best of a bad situation by sitting down to discuss the situation with your organic professor. When you do so, really build the professor’s ego up. Explain that you appreciate the quality of his lectures but that you’re having a difficult time translating the lecture information into solving the problems on the test and ask if he could give you suggestions as to how you can improve this weakness. I use the word “weakness” here because it may, in his mind, seem that you are taking responsibility for yourself and not putting the blame on the professor. (This is really important for professors because so often they are blamed for poor student progress, even when the student does no studying, doesn’t go in for help, etc.–obviously not your situation) One of the things I like to get from professors is their approach to solving problems–what questions do they ask themselves when approaching the problems?
If you’re able to get this professor on your side, it will go a long way in helping your situation overall. Those letters of recommendation are just as important as your GPA–you need them to be over the top.
Good luck in figuring out a way to make the situation work in your favor. Maybe you can look at it as a positive challenge instead.
Larry
PS You’ve also provided us a good lesson in taking a course that others say is easy because the professor gives mostly A’s. For us, understanding and learning the material is key–getting an A without that does us little good.
Quote:
Sadly, I’m not sure that it’s possible to be a doctor without being a politician. Here’s my $.02–take it for what it’s worth.
This may be a situation where you just need to “suck it up,” as they say, and take the high road. I know it’s incredibly hard to do that, especially when you’re paying so much in tuition to be getting a product of less quality that you expected. However, you are going to need a minimum of two solid recommendations from science professors for your med. school applications, and sometimes more.
You may want to make the best of a bad situation by sitting down to discuss the situation with your organic professor. When you do so, really build the professor’s ego up. Explain that you appreciate the quality of his lectures but that you’re having a difficult time translating the lecture information into solving the problems on the test and ask if he could give you suggestions as to how you can improve this weakness. I use the word “weakness” here because it may, in his mind, seem that you are taking responsibility for yourself and not putting the blame on the professor. (This is really important for professors because so often they are blamed for poor student progress, even when the student does no studying, doesn’t go in for help, etc.–obviously not your situation) One of the things I like to get from professors is their approach to solving problems–what questions do they ask themselves when approaching the problems?
If you’re able to get this professor on your side, it will go a long way in helping your situation overall. Those letters of recommendation are just as important as your GPA–you need them to be over the top.
Good luck in figuring out a way to make the situation work in your favor. Maybe you can look at it as a positive challenge instead.
Larry
PS You’ve also provided us a good lesson in taking a course that others say is easy because the professor gives mostly A’s. For us, understanding and learning the material is key–getting an A without that does us little good.
Thank you so much for your input and I will definately consider your advice (in addition to the other advice I have been given regarding this situation). I also agree with you 100% regarding an “easy A”. At this point in my life and school career - it is not about the grade. I need to understand what I am doing. I want the learning, I want the knowledge. Any time I feel like I am not giving my best, I think of all the people who are ill - who are relying on the medical world to make them all better. To heal them of their hurt, so they can move on with their lives and make their contribution to the world. I will not give up. It is not in my nature. I will continue to work hard and I will learn from this experience, of course with the help of my friends (like all of you pre-med-ers)
Well I hate to tell you but learn to work with this because this happens in med school too. (also in the work place). What I do is go and have a one on one with the professor and “air out any thing” I would not go and be on the attack or defensive but (I hate to say it) to “suck up”. Yes I would be upset if the grading is unfair but can you argue successfully that you got the answers right on test that you did poorly on? If not then focus on the class work not the professor. Yes what you have described is very upsetting but unless you want to change schools (some do when this happens) you will have to make it through.
There’s an old saying “you catch my flies with honey”.
Good Luck! (BTW I hate to “suck up” but you got do what you got to do! sometimes)