Let’s get real here: that during your college life, you are going to have professors you like and others you dislike.
You see, you’ll attend a class you very first day thinking that your professor is going to be less tough and overly fair, only to realize later on that this particular tutor can make a good brother to the devil itself. You what that means, right?
How to Deal with a Bad Professor Without Jeopardising Your Grades
That is the best case scenario. It can even send chills down your spine to discover that the prof’s traits are likely to cause your college grades to suffer big time. Knowing how to deal with a bad professor can be really undertaking, especially for freshmen.
So, what should you do if you found yourself in a class whose professor you’re going to struggle with throughout a whole semester? What should happen?
They are everywhere. Bad professors are found in almost every college. Some of these folks are youngsters straight out of graduate schools and they have no reasonable teaching experience. Others are just old-school grey-haired men and women who don’t have business knowing your name.
And then there’s also this other lot that spews tons of knowledge for many hours straight while you beg your eyes to open.
Oh no, we also have the vague ones that expect students to teach themselves; they skip the most important basics to the more complex concepts, leaving you to struggle for yourself all semester. The best description that fits them is: uninvolved or scatter-brained, etc.
It’s worthwhile noting that there’s a huge difference between a bad and a tough professor. You know, if you really understand why you came to learn, then you should never be worried about facing the tough instructors. These ones can push you to work hard and score impressive grades and you’ll certainly get the most out of your experience with them.
A bad professor is one who makes life really difficult for students, leaving them with fear and regretful about their joining college.
First of all, it’s fundamental to know what kind of student you are to know the kind of teacher that best suits your needs. You see, the professor you view as controlling and nitty-picky can come across as fantastic to another student.
That being said, let’s look at how to deal with subpar tutors. Keep reading.
How to Deal with a Bad Professor
Are you feeling freaked out over a problematic professor? Well, as we have just said, you shouldn’t be surprised to butt heads with your professor at some point.
You might be on the right side of the situation, but yet still, you can find it tricky knowing how to handle things. But the biggest problems now arises- dealing with the situation without jeopardizing your grades.
When your professor proves to be problematic, you may consider going for their jugular, or even wrestle them to the ground. Or you start feeling like getting yourself a good lawyer.
It might even endanger your grades. This rings true of you especially if you feel that you did the right, or if you had problems with that professor before. No matter the situation you’re in currently, you should view your conflict with your prof as a lawsuit.
Ask yourself if there’s really a need to take extreme action against your professor. If the problem is just small and you won’t have a class with that professor ever again, why hurt your grades?
You know, you must not cause a fuss over something you can just overlook. Whether you’re in the right or wrong side of the problem, sometimes it helps to suck it up and move forward. However, if you feel that you have a really strong case and ready for a bruising battle, face the problem head-on. Build your case.
Talk to an Advisor
If you’re a fan of giving people who offend you a fair chance, then you should consider talking to a professional advisor as your first step. If the semester is too young, talk to an advisor about how to change courses or classes.
Don’t miss our guide here to preparing for an exam.
If it is too late to witch or drop the course altogether, you can still seek expert advice about what your fellow students in your specific course should do. Also, ask them if they can link you up with students who have taken the course previously to get some help.
It’s also important to clearly explain your situation to the advisor so that he or she may be able to advise you accordingly about what should be your next course of action. Advisors are truly a valuable resource to college students, so use them when need be.
Attend Classes Anyways
The biggest fear for a student in a class with a bad professor has to be sitting and listening to nonsense. It can actually make you angry. But be there to hear everything. You might feel as if they aren’t saying meaningful things but your presence is just important.
Who knows, the prof may decide to use the class attendance sheet to punish absentees and reward effort. The thing is, you can still make a class with an unbearable professor. How? It that even possible?
Take a break while attending the classes- don’t skip any class. But do check if the professor is too much to bear. It’s fine to doodle for a few seconds but always keep it in check to ensure that it’s just enough to refresh. Put on comfy garments and head that way. Or just bring along your favorite drink to help you keep refreshing.
Check into The Bad Professor’s Office
If a professor is just poor at teaching, reach out to them and make it clear that you really want to know their expectations of the course.
Find some time to meet with them or just shoot them an email asking if there is any extra credit opportunity, or what you can expect from an exam. You could even go ahead and suggest that you’re not happy about their teaching style. Remember to make it clear that you’re making an effort to reach out to them.
Stick to Course Outline and Syllabus
Your definition of a bad professor could be: one who deviates from a course outline (i.e. adding assignments, changing dates, etc.). If this rings true for you, then you have grounds to argue that the prof is not fair. In most colleges, that is automatic.
Even if your syllabus doesn’t have a disclaimer, you can still use it to your defense. For example, if the professor just decides to bring a test without having informed you beforehand, you can freak out and cite the syllabus. This way, he or she is going to realize that it’s not fair to do that.
Approach the Bad Professor with Evidence
This is a very important step if you want to get your way with a problematic professor. Approach them with enough evidence to back up your claims.
And yes, it should be in writing. For example, if you feel that you failed a test in which you made points similar to those of a fellow student who did well, bring along those two essays to the professor. Circle the points you think are similar. If you don’t have a way of proving it, then it won’t help much.
Be respectful and Calm
Recall the adage that you can catch more flies using honey than vinegar? Well, this is true in this instance. You want to deal with a bad professor but don’t want to ruin your grades in the process. You know, a professor is powerful than you, whether you like it or not.
As such, you need to treat them with the respect they deserve. When speaking, be clear and professional with your utterances. No matter what they do to you, remain respectful. You don’t want to lose your case, right? Do you?
Read our guide to reasons to appeal your college grades.
Make Your Demands Reasonable
You have to be reasonable with your demands if you don’t want to hurt your grades. For instance, if you scored a straight F in a test you feel that you should have scored an A, you shouldn’t try to demand an A.
Your bad professor is likely to be more responsive if you demand for let’s say, a C. If you believe that a certain question was open to multiple answers, ask for extra points rather than demanding all of them. The thing here is, be reasonable be them and they’ll, without a doubt, be reasonable with you.
Seek Support
Talk to an advisor before booking an appointment with your bad professor. Ask the advisor to accompany you to the meeting like a witness. If you have a feeling that things are likely to get smoky, bring along a hidden tape recorder, to help you just in case your marks get docked. But even before sitting down with the problematic professor, make sure to read through all your options as stipulated in the student handbook.
Read Extra Materials
Truth be told, a bad lecturer can ruin your grades. But if you have extra resources, read them and learn well what your professor isn’t willing to explain. Even if you don’t have a book to read, you may want to watch YouTube tutorials.
Such videos can actually do wonders. Take advantage of those random videos that smart people have uploaded online-they can help your life a million times. You can also check into the library to get an in-depth look of the specific topics you’re handling this semester.
Connect your phone to the internet and explore tons of information available online. You know, there are many people out there who are willing to help others for free. However, be careful not to fall in the hands of people who want you to pay for what they offer. Do some serious digging to unearth valuable information free of charge.
Keep Working Hard
With a bad professor, there is no guarantee that can get good grades. But then, you can’t let such tutors to be your excuse for not performing excellently.
After all, it’s only you and you alone who has the power to excel for yourself. Yes, it can appear impossible, but working harder is the only route out of this problem.
Don’t Stress
Relax, don’t stress yourself because your professor is problematic. You see, this class is certainly not the end of the world. And you’re definitely not alone in this- if the prof is bad, everyone else is struggling with them as well.
As always, there’s something you do to alleviate the impact of problems. Stressing about such a small problem can only work to make it worse. Find a way to avoid stress and get some relief.
Choose a Path
Knowing how to deal with a bad professor can truly be difficult. Sometimes, no matter how calm and respectful you act, the problem can go sour. It can become uglier than you had expected. If that is the case, you can choose to go for the professor’s jugular or just suck it up and sail through the semester, though with difficulty.
Before meeting the bad professor, it’s fundamental to have an idea of what to do next should it prove necessary. That might be your school president, chair of the Prof’s department or the office of the dean of students. You just can’t sit and watch as your grades are get docked yet you feel that you’re on the right side of the conflict.
Also, note that in such serious cases, as it is with lawsuits, it helps to humble yourself after a defeat, at least for the sake of your grades. But the tips above will go a long way to help you know how to deal with a bad professor without hurting your college grades.
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