Timeline for Should I ask for an exam deferral due to my fiance's first conference and first time leaving the country?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
17 events
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| Oct 14, 2015 at 15:06 | comment | added | Dunk | Re:"syllabus is a contract"...Perhaps you should look up the definition of contract? In my college days, I seem to recall that by the time week 3 rolled around very few classes were in sync with the syllabus. A plan is generally not something that can be accurately scheduled. A syllabus is just a plan, not a contract. The other part you are totally missing is that in a "professional" environment, generally meetings are confirmed shortly before the actual meeting. That gives both sides the opportunity to "change the plan" if something comes up. Changing a plan is not unprofessional. | |
| Oct 14, 2015 at 14:31 | comment | added | Todd Wilcox | Having experienced it recently, I would personally include death of a close friend under point 2. Thankfully my immediate family is all still alive. The death of a close friend can be very traumatic and time-consuming, more so than the death of an extended family member, in my case(s). Not only attending to the rituals themselves, but also helping mutual friends through the experience (including the executor of the estate, who needed extensive help from the whole group of friends). Perhaps "Death of a loved one" would be a more appropriate wording for point 2. | |
| Oct 14, 2015 at 12:55 | history | edited | AMR | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Addressed Comments
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| Oct 14, 2015 at 7:59 | comment | added | Davidmh | The seriousness of an exam schedule depends on the institution. Where I did my undergrad, professors are free to schedule additional exams for whichever reason they see fit, and a few have been known for considering vacation a fair one. | |
| Oct 14, 2015 at 3:54 | comment | added | tonysdg | I'd add that for scenario 3, some universities (my undergrad, for example) have policies regarding the timing of finals. Specifically, my undergrad had a policy where if a student had 3 finals scheduled within 24 hours, the student could request that one be moved through the dean's office. Thus avoiding having to negotiate with instructors in the first place. | |
| Oct 14, 2015 at 3:52 | comment | added | AMR | @NateEldredge They idea is that once you embark on a graduate program, you have made a career choice, and in any career you should conduct yourself professionally at all times. For a graduate student that means being prepared and meeting your obligations to your coursework. It may also include research and teaching responsibilities as well. If the exam represents 33-50% of their semester grade, then that is a pretty big professional responsibility, and I don't think given the circumstances described that it warrants even the entertainment of the idea of not sitting for the exam. | |
| Oct 14, 2015 at 3:37 | comment | added | Nate Eldredge | "Why then would you treat an exam, which is part of the career obligations you chose to undertake, any differently?" Because in many cases, an exam is a far less significant event than the corporate analogies you cite. | |
| Oct 14, 2015 at 3:16 | history | edited | AMR | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Remove weird formatting choice....
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| Oct 14, 2015 at 3:11 | comment | added | AMR | @MarchHo Neither do I... I did Title Case for the first two, and then just went with it for the other two... It makes absolutely no sense what-so-ever. | |
| Oct 14, 2015 at 2:57 | comment | added | March Ho | I'm not sure what is the benefit of capitalising (almost) every word. | |
| Oct 14, 2015 at 2:07 | comment | added | zibadawa timmy | @ff524 That's an interesting edge case. That is basically a conflict in your professional schedule. Which is, technically speaking, an unprofessional thing to have. Though not exactly bizarre or even rare. I'm not sure how I'd respond to such a request, other than to ask my chair or other professors for their opinions. I'd sort of like to do as they do for student athletes: have someone administer the exam to them on the road as close to the normal exam time (or other approved times) as their other commitment allows. Sounds impractical, though... | |
| Oct 14, 2015 at 1:40 | comment | added | AMR | @ff524 I only meant that in terms of the fact that representation at conferences and seminars is one of the currencies that academic institutions trade in. | |
| Oct 14, 2015 at 1:37 | history | edited | AMR | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Incorporate Edit from comment suggestion.
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| Oct 14, 2015 at 1:35 | comment | added | ff524 | Yes, my point was that a professional obligation can be a valid reason to ask for a different exam date even if the professor hadn't changed the date. (I don't think it has anything to do with "bringing prestige" to the department though...) | |
| Oct 14, 2015 at 1:34 | comment | added | AMR | @ff524 I would agree with that, but that falls under professional obligations, and brings, prestige, however minimal, to the school and the department to have one of their student's or faculty representing them at a conference or seminar. I think any professor of graduate students, even undergraduates in many cases would welcome that request. I should probably revise point 4. | |
| Oct 14, 2015 at 1:29 | comment | added | ff524 | I don't think those are the only valid reasons to ask for another exam date. For example, I think it's perfectly reasonable for a student to ask for an exam deferral if the student herself is going to present at a conference - that student likely submitted the conference paper before the semester even started, and had no way to foresee the conflict. As an instructor, I would try hard to grant that student a deferral, if I am able to. (I would not be likely to grant a referral to the OP, who is going on a personal, not professional, trip.) | |
| Oct 14, 2015 at 1:17 | history | answered | AMR | CC BY-SA 3.0 |