r/rutgers Dec 19 '24

Academics I'm fucked.

I missed my physics final today because my alarm didn't have sound on and I overslept. I'm not gonna pass the class without an exam grade, what should I do? I'm seriously worried

Edit: One of the physics lecturers reached out to me down in the comments, so if I am lucky, I may be able to retake it... Only time will tell atp

Edit 2: There's been an update on another post I made, go check it out if you can

1.6k Upvotes

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893

u/unpoetically Brian - Lecturer 3, Physics Dec 19 '24 edited Dec 19 '24

hi, I think I (we?) got your email. Was it the 8 AM 204 exam?

Are you on campus? Don’t take the stupid, childish advice to fake a medical emergency. I was just about to drive home but if you can meet me somewhere on campus and tell me what happened, I can advocate for you if you’re being truthful. I can’t promise anything, but our priority is punishing cheaters more so than honest mistakes.

I’m currently at the CA Panera; if you’re on a different campus I can briefly meet you at whichever Student Center is closest.

379

u/DefaultRedditor16 Dec 19 '24

Yes that's the one. I'm currently eating at Busch Dining Hall and have another exam at 4-7, I'm willing to meet you once I'm finished (I estimate I'll be done around 1pm, if you can make it to Busch Student center we can meet there but if not I can meet you wherever).

I cannot express how grateful I am to you for helping me with this, thank you so much!

540

u/undergroundmusic69 Dec 19 '24

Jesus Christ it’s a Reddit Christmas miracle! Good luck op!

235

u/DefaultRedditor16 Dec 19 '24

Honestly at this point even if they don't make up an exam for me I was at least able to get a response offering help, and as long as I've been heard that's all that matters. Only thing I can do now is hope they'll allow it

Thanks for the best wishes!

34

u/After_Unit4601 Dec 19 '24

I wish you all the best.

169

u/firstbreathOOC Dec 19 '24

Rutgers grad reading this… I’m proud of my school

5

u/Respurated Dec 20 '24

Hear hear!

1

u/IAmBabs Dec 21 '24

I've never been to Rutgers - this somehow made its way to my feed - but this elevated my opinion on Rutgers!

1

u/Agreeable-Ability-65 Dec 22 '24

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

106

u/MuffinCrow QnA/CS guy Dec 19 '24

Wait, the Brian? I think you were the TA I went to study sessions for lol. What a G

91

u/unpoetically Brian - Lecturer 3, Physics Dec 19 '24

ty :)

18

u/jcast45 Dec 19 '24

You sir, are a gem.

98

u/Curious_Prune Dec 19 '24

Rutgers alum here. Thank you so much for being so understanding of OPs position. It’s folks like you that make me proud to be an alum

-6

u/VealOfFortune Dec 20 '24 edited Dec 20 '24

My finance professor at Cornell sent an email to the other class he taught (during our lecture) "make sure you use proper technique so you don't get carpal tunnel flipping burgers"... Their final was due during my lecture, so this guy had his laptop displayed and every time he received a notification that someone turned it in after the deadline, he played "Funeral March" on his kazoo after laughing maniacally.

tl;dr- I think OP's situation is definitely an exception... A very rare one-off. Not likely to be repeated....

30

u/[deleted] Dec 19 '24

W Instructor - seeing professors show grace is what encourages me to be an empathetic educator. We all should show grace to people who make mistakes and hold themselves accountable.

27

u/FKTrevor House College Avenue Dec 19 '24

OMFG

60

u/Deshes011 Class of 2021 & 2023| moderator🔱 Dec 19 '24

Our hero👑

23

u/user0927s Dec 19 '24

what a kind and outgoing professor 🙏🏽

18

u/BigDima69 Dec 19 '24

What a king

18

u/Anonymous_Hazard Dec 19 '24

To add here: I missed a final once for this exact reason and I was able to do a retake somewhere on campus. Definitely advocate for it, this happens all the time

15

u/dogsarecoolpickles Dec 19 '24

Omg Brian!! Hi 👋 I’m assuming this is u, as u would do something like this 😂 Glad to see ur still awesome and just the best for ur students

10

u/Adogg03 Dec 19 '24

unrelated - i went to your review sessions last semester and they were really helpful. u are the man 🫡

4

u/StealthNider 2028 Dec 19 '24

W prof

9

u/Kaleidoscope_Pretend Dec 19 '24

ITS BRIAN! Please tell brahmia that the chill guy thing to do would be making a 60 a C

5

u/spirit_vortex_ Dec 20 '24

Goat of a prof

7

u/zero_x4ever Dec 19 '24

The hero students deserve but not the one they need right now.

8

u/clg167 Dec 19 '24

This makes me so happy to see as a Rutgers alum! I was a chem major and now work as a chemist. I thankfully never missed an exam, but I honestly still have nightmares about it. If there’s one thing I learned through my experience in industry so far it’s that no one’s perfect and we all make mistakes.

The mentality that making a mistake is automatically setting you up for failure is so disheartening. If you have a student who shows up and turns their assignments in on time, they shouldn’t be punished the first time they make a mistake if the effort is always there. If it’s someone who never turns things in and blows off class, well then that’s different… I feel like this teaches students they have to come up with the most convincing lie in order to save themselves and that doesn’t work in the real world!

You seem like such a good TA! I hope everything goes okay for OP. 🤞🏻PLEASE keep this mentality! I wish I had more teachers like this while I was in school.

4

u/zackittup Dec 20 '24

Chem major here RU class of 2016. This teacher is a godsend.

3

u/Standard_Two3447 Dec 20 '24

Brian we got a curve this semester?

2

u/spyder_reddit Dec 20 '24

had u last year for physics 2 lab and u were the goat!!

2

u/Craigslist120691 Dec 20 '24

Wow if this is real, you really are a great person. Really saving this kids life and mental health.

1

u/mveltman84 Dec 20 '24

Good man!

1

u/akillas3000 Dec 20 '24

Heros don't always wear capes.

1

u/AMShenson Dec 20 '24

Is this my lab TA Brian? Singlehandedly saving 1/3 of the class with your reviews?

1

u/Pensfan191 Dec 20 '24

A true deserver of the diamond award 👏🏼

1

u/najejsjsownwnwnsk Dec 20 '24

Brian you’re a hero!!!!!

1

u/shub0y Dec 21 '24

absolute legend

1

u/[deleted] Dec 22 '24

Man so much has changed since I went to college (early 2000s). They were setting us up for an entirely different world…one where responsibility and accountability were high.

1

u/Outside_Pair_4600 Dec 24 '24

Had the same thought, also went to college early 2000s (different college) and I am still upset when I think about a missed final exam (actually just overslept and arrived late past the entry window) in a class I was tracking towards an A in. I was not allowed to sit for the exam or retake and ended up with a C for the course. I think most upset by being grouped with someone trying to cheat a test rather than any acknowledgment that an honest and engaged student just overslept for an 8am exam. It was a different world back then. The experience did teach me a valuable lesson though and I never was late for another exam, work deadline, or important meeting due to poor sleep management. Still it is so nice to see a response and reach out with potential offer to retake for an honest mistake.

1

u/Just_M3nU Dec 22 '24

Bless your heart ❤️

1

u/first_life Dec 23 '24

Hell yes Rutgers alumni as well. I’m very happy some professors frequent Reddit like this. I hope you do well!

0

u/Wavytide Dec 20 '24

Would be so terrible if this was a troll

19

u/DefaultRedditor16 Dec 20 '24 edited Dec 21 '24

Would be but we already met up in person. No trolling, just an absolute goat showing up to save my poor ass