Missed a final exam -- what happened?

[Anonymous]

Did your kid ever miss a final exam? Like just messed up the time that they were supposed to show up? What happened?

My kid did this last week. (Freshman). DC was fully prepared for it, but showed up at 3pm, rather than noon. School policies on website said if you don't take the final, you don't pass the class. And any adjustments to times must be approved a week before finals. To make matters worse, the course where DC missed the final is (a) a prerequesite for ALL other courses in DC's major, AND (2) that course is not offered in the summer or fall terms! And to add onto that... (3) that course was a prereq for the next course in DC's major that DC was planning to take this summer asynch b/c DC couldn't get into that course in the fall (already full).

What a debacle!

DC immediately emailed the professor and asked if DC could take the final. A day later, the prof provided a date and time for DC to make up the final. Whew! So much stress!

This is a smaller school. I'm wondering if larger universities would say: too bad for you! Or if they also have a shadow policy of giving kids a second chance.

DC had this prof. for two semesters, and has never missed a class. Had a decent grade going into the final.

Curious if others have experienced the gift of grace from a prof. for a missed final.

[Anonymous]

Wow how crazy. Sometimes these things happen. Better that it happened at a small college where he/she likely knows the professor well.

[Anonymous]

Works at most places unless the kid is a repeat offender.. Couple of decades ago when I was new to this country I took an exam where I didn't understand some of the questions. Ended up getting a C+ in the finals (the only grade that mattered). I could have lost my funding with that grade. Went to the prof. to ask him what I can do to fix it. He just asked me what I needed to maintain my funding and just changed by grade to what I needed it to be! This was at a prestigious public school.
Unimaginable where I came from!

[Anonymous]

I slept in once and missed a final. But I was a really good student and the prof liked me a lot because of that. I told him I had been sick and took NyQuil and just didn't wake up (this wasn't true....) and he let me retake it. I think there were one or two other people there retaking in his office too, so it wasn't just me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did your kid ever miss a final exam? Like just messed up the time that they were supposed to show up? What happened?

My kid did this last week. (Freshman). DC was fully prepared for it, but showed up at 3pm, rather than noon. School policies on website said if you don't take the final, you don't pass the class. And any adjustments to times must be approved a week before finals. To make matters worse, the course where DC missed the final is (a) a prerequesite for ALL other courses in DC's major, AND (2) that course is not offered in the summer or fall terms! And to add onto that... (3) that course was a prereq for the next course in DC's major that DC was planning to take this summer asynch b/c DC couldn't get into that course in the fall (already full).

What a debacle!

DC immediately emailed the professor and asked if DC could take the final. A day later, the prof provided a date and time for DC to make up the final. Whew! So much stress!

This is a smaller school. I'm wondering if larger universities would say: too bad for you! Or if they also have a shadow policy of giving kids a second chance.

DC had this prof. for two semesters, and has never missed a class. Had a decent grade going into the final.

Curious if others have experienced the gift of grace from a prof. for a missed final.

Yes, because I’d build good rapport with the prof throughout the semester leading up to the final. Excellent grades, office hours visits, attendance & participation. Had I not, I wouldn’t have reduced that grace.

[Anonymous]

How does this happen?

[Anonymous]

Omg!
I'm having flashback of freshman year. I was fully ready for a final. Had 2 hours to go and decided to put my head down. Big mistake. It ended with me leaping up of the bed, running across campus in my bedroom slippers, and joining the test which had already been in progress for 20 min. Still makes me sweat thinking about it.

Hope you DC is able to work something out, OP.

[Anonymous]

Professor here: I’m at a large public R1 and wouldn’t definitely allow a student to take the exam under those circumstances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Professor here: I’m at a large public R1 and wouldn’t definitely allow a student to take the exam under those circumstances.

*would

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How does this happen?

Many reasons. Sleeping through, brain fart etc

[Anonymous]

Something similar happened to me, the date of a major test for a biology class I was taking got moved up and somehow I missed the announcement. It is many years later I can't really remember how I messed this up, but it wasn't typical for me. I showed up to class and there was a sub handing out the exam and I had not prepared. I remember very vividly being so confused and panicked. Not the type of test you can take unprepared. I did my best but knew I had done far, far worse than I typically would have. I emailed the professor and explained the situation. Since she had switched the date, knew me from the last semester where I had gotten an A, she offered to give me a "retake" but this test would basically be written out answers, so a lot harder (since she couldn't just give me the same test again, that wouldn't be fair). Anyway it was very kind of her, I studied hard and did very well. I think as long as you haven't had a pattern, professors will give you the benefit of the doubt one time.

This was a large school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Something similar happened to me, the date of a major test for a biology class I was taking got moved up and somehow I missed the announcement. It is many years later I can't really remember how I messed this up, but it wasn't typical for me. I showed up to class and there was a sub handing out the exam and I had not prepared. I remember very vividly being so confused and panicked. Not the type of test you can take unprepared. I did my best but knew I had done far, far worse than I typically would have. I emailed the professor and explained the situation. Since she had switched the date, knew me from the last semester where I had gotten an A, she offered to give me a "retake" but this test would basically be written out answers, so a lot harder (since she couldn't just give me the same test again, that wouldn't be fair). Anyway it was very kind of her, I studied hard and did very well. I think as long as you haven't had a pattern, professors will give you the benefit of the doubt one time.

This was a large school.

I should say, I didn't ask to retake I just emailed the professor to let her know what happen and ask if there is anything I can do to bring my grade up the rest of the semester. She offered this option given my track record and that she had moved the test up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Professor here: I’m at a large public R1 and wouldn’t definitely allow a student to take the exam under those circumstances.

Wouldn't or would?

[Anonymous]

They won’t do something ridiculous like that again.

[Anonymous]

This is absolute nightmare fuel for many people. I guess it must happen in real life for an unlucky few. Everyone else just has terrible dreams about it!