Midterm grades

I just checked my classes and I have B’s in everything. Not a single A thus far. Biology lecture and lab are both at a B- (80.5 cry). Chem lecture B and lab B+. How to pull these up. I don’t know.


I do know I have a paper due in a week and a half, but my professor has yet to post the data from our section when we did the experiment. I fail to see how we can write a lab report without data, but I’m just the student. What do I know lol.


Kind of stressed right now.


Only a bunch of premeds would understand my angst.

you are in a good place. You are also a pre-med which, by definition makes you a Type A personality. You are doing fine. Keep it up and you will see that your grades will reflect it.

Thanks gabler.


What does it say when you look at your grade with your professor and at 80.5 gulp and say that’s not good. What does it say when she responds “look at it this way, you are one of my top students”


Urgh. Why do my grades reflect only mediocre then?

sounds like test anxiety.

I think it’s sad that I’m one of the top students and just barely making a B. LOL.


Though, I am finally figuring out her testing style. Hopefully that will come in handy next exam.

I am having the same problem in my Bio class…I’m barely making a B and he tells me the same thing “But Florida (that is what he calls me) you are one of my top students”! I do think though that after these first 2 exams I have figured out his “wording style” to the questions. So hopefully, on this 3rd upcoming exam I can get an A and get this B up to an A.

I am sorry you still have a paper to write. This quarter is over for me. I will be a 3.5 or above. It will be higher next quarter. I wish it were higher, and it will be next quarter. Oh all your anxiety over biology is making me get anxiety and I am not even in that class yet.

Truthfully, as long as your prof has read the text before you, it will be easier than mine. She can’t remember if she discussed certain aspects of the power point slides that came w/ the text or not when she writes the exams. Some of that information is not in the book so you kind of go “huh?” when you see it lol.


She’ll probably be much better next year after she’s dredged through the entire book once.

Obviously everything depends on the curve, but my high-70s average in o-chem was good for an A…


These tough pre-med “weeder” courses set the bar VERY high. Let’s face it, in your typical undergraduate class, the bell curve is skewed waaaay to the passing side. I think the pre-med classes push the curve back quite a bit.


Have you ever watched Olympic or world competition in judged sports (gymnastics, figure skating)? You know how the early performers will get scores that aren’t perfect and the commentators say that’s “to leave room” for later performers who might be better. (oops, I should be calling them “athletes” or “competitors.”) Well, I kind of see those pre-med classes the same way. The scoring on tests is deliberately VERY tough - the tests themselves are VERY tough - in order to always “leave room” at the top.


Does this make sense?


Mary

Sigh, if only there was a bell curve. I’d have an easy A lol.


As good as it gets is the actual breakdown is a little bit more lenient than your standard 10 pt grading system (well chem is a 10 pt). The cut off for an “A” is at 88%. or was it 89? I forget but it’s not much lower than an A at all.


I laughed at the professor and said, well if I’m one of your top, I’d be getting A’s if you’d curve things. She laughed back and said if she curved she’d cut out half the class from the curve because she’s not convinced they are even trying. Ouch.