My Least Favorite College Professor

I had Intro Communications with JL (name removed) as a Junior; not majoring in the subject, just trying to get a few extra credit hours. I wrote a paper on the effects of "gunners" (people who over-volunteer in class) on the rest of the class, and it was damn good. I get home for the summer and get my grade back from him: "C". I emailed him and asked how that happened. He sent me my grade breakdown: 92% on the paper minus 26% for grammar errors = 66% D on the paper.

I FLIPPED OUT and asked him what my errors were. He told me that he counted off 1/2% for failing to put two spaces after a period before beginning the next sentence, and I did it 52 times in my 13 page paper. Needless to say, I was upset, and he told me that if I drove to the school (3 hours) he would meet with me in person and discuss it. So I did. When I met with him, we talked civilly and he told me that if I submitted to him that night a proposal on how to remedy the situation, he would consider it. So I drove home.

That night, I wrote him that I thought it was unfair to count an error incorrect when it wasn't concretely established to actually BE an error in the first place. Secondly, to count off every time was over kill, and to count off a half-grade or so would be much more appropriate. He responded by saying that he was disappointed that I was "haggling for a grade", that he had hoped for a critique of his grading style as a whole, and that my proposal was denied.

I wrote him a letter telling him of my plan to attend law school one day, and closed with the line, "I hope that one day, there comes a situation where there is something that you need my help with, and I look forward to denying you as happily as you have me." Not the most mature response, but it made me feel better.

So yeah, fuck that guy.