Appealing a grade in medical school is a step many students avoid. They often believe that questioning a grade is tantamount to questioning an instructor’s intelligence or attention to detail, and so they reasonably fear negative reactions that might result from such a move.
No, you are not crazy to think about a potential adverse reaction to a grade appeal. At the same time, you are the only one who will look out for your best interests. If appealing a grade or evaluation is in your best interests, it may be the right course of action.
The LLF National Law Firm Student Defense Team considers the big picture when counseling students at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville (USCSOMG) about possible grade appeals. We will help you evaluate the potential benefits and drawbacks of seeking a grade change, and we will help you execute the appeal should you choose to do so.
Grade appeals can be time-sensitive, so don’t wait to call the LLF National Law Firm Student Defense Team right now at 888-535-3686 or contact us online. At the very least, we can help you decide whether you want to move forward with a grade-change appeal or leave your transcript as it is.
Our Student Defense Team Will Help You Weigh the Pros and Cons of Grade Appeals
Some students who approach our team for assistance have already made up their minds. They know they have received an inaccurate grade and are certain they wish to appeal. They simply know that our team’s experience, counsel, and resources will benefit them during the appeals process.
Many students, though, are not yet sure they want to appeal a grade. In these cases, we help them think through the potential benefits and drawbacks of pursuing a grade appeal.
Potential Benefits of Appealing
There are many potential benefits and motivations for appealing a grade in a medical program like USCSOMG. You might ultimately seek to change a grade because:
- You have the right to do so: While USCSOMG’s policy giving you the right to appeal a grade is not the sole reason to do so, it provides the formal green light should you decide that you want to seek a change of grade.
- Pass/Fail grading standards can heighten the negative effects of an inaccurate grade: If a student received a grade of 83% in a course rather than the 84% they deserved, they might decide that a grade-change appeal is not worth the effort or possible drawbacks. However, if a grade change could be the difference between passing and failing a course, the potential benefit of appealing is obviously greater.
- The medical field is famously competitive (and a strong transcript may be the deal-breaker for a prospective employer): Graduating from medical school does not guarantee you a residency position, let alone a career in healthcare that you will deem fulfilling and financially stabilizing. In a field as competitive as healthcare, the strength of your collegiate transcript is a big deal.
Fair is fair. When a student requests a grade change, they are simply asking their university to do what is fair. There can be substantial negative consequences when a student receives a grade lower than they deserve, which is why many medical students pursue grade appeals.
Why Students Often Have Pause About Appealing a Grade
As well-known, experienced advocates for medical students, we get a chance to speak with them candidly. Through these honest conversations, we have learned that students often hesitate to ask for a change of grade because:
- They respect their instructors: Basic respect for one’s superiors can make challenging those superiors’ grading decisions feel wrong. While a grade appeal is not an attack on anyone’s character, we understand the complicated feelings that come with questioning a grade or evaluation.
- They fear retaliation: Some students fairly think that an instructor might retaliate against them, either overtly or subtly, if they challenge that instructor’s grade. While this could happen, we find that mature instructors don’t tend to take personal offense to students’ grade-change appeals.
- They don’t want to compromise the professional benefits that can arise from relationships forged during medical school: Forward-looking students may fear that an instructor will withhold recommendation letters or decide not to help the student in other professional ways if a student challenges their grading practices.
Some students are also unacquainted with the appeals process. The fear of the unknown can discourage them from appealing, but that’s a problem you solve by engaging our experienced Student Defense Team to assist with the appeal.
We understand you may have hesitations. Let’s talk about them, as well as the potential merits of asking for a fair grade or evaluation.
USCSOMG’s Grade and Narrative Assessment Review Policy Explains the Grade-Appeal Process
USCSOMG’s Grade and Narrative Assessment Review policy is a critical one that “allows a medical student to appeal a grade when they can demonstrate that the grade inaccurately reflects their performance in a module, clerkship, or elective.”
The grade-appeal procedures highlight a three-step process in which you:
First, Initiate an Appeal with the Module or Clerkship Director
“Level One” of the USCSOMG grade-appeal process is to initiate an appeal with the Module or Clerkship Director via web form, stating the grounds for appeal and a personal statement including any evidence supporting the appeal.
The Associate Dean for Medical Education will be notified of the submission, then:
- The Module or Clerkship Director should review your appeal
- If they accept your appeal, they will request a grade revision to the Associate Dean for Program Assessment and Accreditation and the Registrar
- If they do not agree with the sentiment of your appeal, they will notify you that the grade or evaluation stands
If the Module or Clerkship Director does not resolve the matter to your liking, you may escalate your appeal to Level Two.
Then Appeal to the Department Chair or Their Designee
Level Two of the grade appeals process requires you to escalate the appeal to the Chair of your department. You have 10 business days following notice of the Module or Clerkship Director’s ruling to escalate the appeal via web form.
This Level-Two process entails:
- Receiving notice that your secondary appeal has been received
- Providing the Module or Clerkship Director’s decision letter to the Department Chair
- The Department Chair consults the Module or Clerkship Director about the appeal
- The Department Chair renders their decision
If you still are not satisfied with the outcome of the appeal at Level Two, you can probably guess what comes next: Level Three.
Next, Appeal to the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or Their Designee
The third and final level of grade-change appeals at USCSOMG goes to the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. You will follow the same process detailed for Levels One and Two, and the Senior Associate Dean will provide their decision.
If you still do not receive the decision you seek, our Student Defense Team will explore alternative options, including dealing with USC’s General Counsel or other authorities who may have the ultimate power to change a grade or enact another suitable resolution.
What Grades Might I Appeal at USCSOMG?
Grades and faculty evaluations are the two most common decisions that a student can appeal. This category of mark may include:
- Examination grades
- Course grades
- Evaluations of students’ performance in coursework
- Evaluations of students’ clinical performance
Standardized test performance is typically not appealable because authorities at medical programs do not control the grading of those exams.
When you speak with our Student Defense Team about your unique circumstances and any grades or evaluations you’re thinking about appealing, we will conduct any necessary research to ensure you can appeal.
Potential Grounds (Reasons) for Appealing a Grade or Evaluation at USCSOMG
USCSOMG’s policy provides a relatively broad ground for challenging a grade. It states that a student may challenge a grade “if they consider the information contained therein to be inaccurate, misleading, or inappropriate.”
The LLF National Law Firm Student Defense Team Can Help with Your Grade Appeal, So Contact Us Today
Medical school presents you with a series of high-stakes decisions. Choosing whether to request a grade reconsideration is one such decision.
Like any decision, there can be benefits and downsides to pursuing or foregoing a grade-change appeal. Our Student Defense Team will help you make the right decision for you. Should you choose to move forward, we will help you seek the grade change in a tactful way that does not jeopardize your relationships or good name.
Also note that, if your appeal application is not successful, we are always open to speaking with medical programs’ legal counsel (or other authorities) about negotiating a fair resolution. We want what’s best for the students we represent, and we are often able to find outside-the-box resolutions when we’re called to.
USCSOMG’s appeal guidelines are specific, down to the font and margins you must include in the initial appeal. You have ten business days from the date of grades posting to submit your initial appeal, and you surely have plenty to think through before deciding whether to submit.
In other words, this matter calls for urgency and precision. Call the LLF National Law Firm Student Defense Team right now at 888-535-3686 or contact us online.