You’re a good student. You’re smart and disciplined. You take ethics and professionalism seriously. The bottom line, though, is that the fight for residency spots is always competitive, no matter how strong your background or how good your recommendations. There are a range of factors that programs consider when making their decisions, but grades certainly matter. That’s particularly true since the USMLE became a pass/fail exam. That left decision-makers with one less evaluation marker.

So if your grades aren’t quite as high as you’d like them to be, naturally, you might be tempted to try to do something about it. Maybe a grade someone gives you along the way doesn’t sit right with you, and you’re thinking about filing a formal appeal. Maybe that can put you over the edge when it comes to your residency applications. On the other hand, there is sometimes a price to pay for filing a grade appeal. Your instructor is always going to know you questioned their fairness. That could affect their recommendation, and an extra point on your GPA may not be worth the price of a glowing letter.

What do you do? Well, it depends on the situation. These kinds of decisions can be agonizing. It’s important you know that you don’t have to make them alone. The LLF National Law Firm’s Education Law Team was founded to help students navigate their schools’ bureaucracy. We know what you’re dealing with, and we know how the ATSU-KCOM system operates. You can count on us to use every resource at our disposal to ensure you get the best possible resolution to your situation.

We’ll get into all the options below. To find out more about just what we can do, though, contact us today at 888-535-3686, or take time right now and fill out one of our online forms.

Listening to Your Instincts

Beyond the importance of your grades to residency programs, you deserve fair assessments on all your work—labs, exams, courses, and clerkships. There is nothing morally or ethically wrong with filing a grade appeal. You’re simply asking someone to provide an objective viewpoint on an instructor’s decisions.

After all, no one’s perfect, even medical school instructors. They can make accounting errors. They can accidentally swap student names. And like any other person, they can be subject to their own biases and prejudices, even when they may not realize it.

In fact, even research studies into the nature of medical school assessment suggest there may be issues with how students are evaluated. More and more medical students are filing grade appeals, which suggests there is some genuine dissatisfaction out there as to how instructors determine scores. Everyone seems to agree that the old system, where instructors apply some mysterious calculus to come up with scores, just isn’t workable anymore. There is a need for more transparency.

So your instinct that you may have deserved a higher score on an exam or a better grade in a course isn’t necessarily wrong. And you should be afraid to listen to those instincts.

Filing a Grade Appeal

So let’s talk about what’s involved in filing a formal grade appeal, if that’s the route you decide to take. The process is actually relatively straightforward, but you do want to make sure you cross all your t’s and dot all your i’s.

  • You start by contacting the course instructor. You must do this at least fourteen days after your grade has been posted online.

  • You’ll want to include as much concrete evidence as you can to document why you think you deserve a higher grade.

  • Should your instructor deny your appeal, you then have fourteen days to appeal their decision to the academic chair of their department.

  • If the chair denies your appeal, you can appeal to the dean of the college, but only if you are facing a failing grade.

The LLF National Law Firm can help you with all aspects of this process, from gathering your evidence to developing your arguments to coaching you in how to talk with faculty and administrators. On your end, though, there are two important ways you can help ensure the success of your appeal.

  • First, keep good records. You never know when you may need to file an appeal, and you’re always going to need evidence. Even if a class or clerkship seems to be going smoothly, it’s always a good idea to hold on to all of your work and to make notes about any contact you have with your instructors.

  • Second, it’s always best to try talking with an instructor informally before actually filing an appeal. This is especially true if the issue seems to be objective, like a score miscalculation. These are usually solved with a conversation, and going the formal investigation route could simply offend your instructor unnecessarily.

Weighing the Risks

No one likes to have their decisions questioned. That goes double for medical instructors. In practical terms, that means you’re taking a risk any time you file a grade appeal at ATSU-KCOM. Recommendation letters carry as much weight as grades, if not more, in residency decisions, and an offended instructor can easily wreck your future.

You may be somewhat safer if you’re questioning an instructor whom you’re never planning to ask for a recommendation. You know how things work in medical school, though. Faculty talk. One instructor may have the power to convince the entire program that you’re a “difficult student.” Never mind the fact that promotion committees usually seek everyone’s input when they’re working on MSPEs.

The bottom line is that you have a tricky decision, and you have to carefully consider all the options.

  • Is the grade in question significant to the specialty you’re planning to pursue? That might mean it carries more weight.

  • Do you have concrete evidence to support your appeal? If your chances of success are limited, you might be better off just walking away, even if you’re right.

  • Just how much is your appeal likely to offend your instructor? To some extent, that has to do with their personality. It’s also true, though, that certain allegations are almost guaranteed to upset them. 

Even before you get into actually filing your appeal, it can be useful to get an objective opinion on these options. The LLF National Law Firm can review all the information in your case and help you make the best possible decision.

Threading the Needle

So you weigh everything out, and you decide that there are legitimate reasons for filing a grade appeal. What can you do to minimize the risk you’re taking?

  • First, ask another instructor for input. If there’s someone on the faculty you trust, they may be able to offer an assessment of the instructor and the general attitude of your college toward appeals. As much as you may think you know your school, you can be certain a faculty member knows more.

  • Talk to other students in your program, especially any who may have filed their own appeals in the past. Again, this is becoming more common, and you can learn from another person’s experience of the process.

  • Adopt a reasonable tone. Medical schools care as much about your temperament as your grades—probably more. You always want to seem level-headed, no matter the situation. Express anger and bitterness over your situation, or say something unkind about your instructor, and you can be certain you’ll wind up with a reputation as a trouble-maker.

Here again, the LLF National Law Firm can be an enormous asset as you’re going through the grade appeal process. We are skilled negotiators, and we can walk you through how to become better at it yourself.

Protecting Your Rights

Here’s the thing: you may have to file an appeal. There are all kinds of reasons why this might be true. And no matter how careful you may be, you may still wind up rocking the boat at ATSU-KCOM.

What do you do if you’re dealing with the worst-case scenario?

  • Ask to talk with the Promotion Board. This is another area in which the LLF National Law Firm can help. We can prepare you to offer a compelling presentation and make sure your evidence is in order.

  • ATSU-KCOM maintains a formal grievance process. If you feel an instructor is mistreating you, you always have the right to lodge a formal complaint with the university.

Finally, there is yet one more option you can try when all other procedures break down. You can ask to negotiate directly with the school’s administration. The trick is in knowing how to convince officials to talk with you.

We maintain relationships with OGC around the country. A school’s Office of General Counsel is made up of attorneys who offer legal advice on a range of matters. We speak their language, and in the past, we have found ways to leverage our relationships to get an open hearing before a college president or a provost.

Your Best Resource

Filing a grade appeal can be a delicate procedure in medical school. You’re not an undergraduate anymore. Everyone at ATSU-KCOM knows you, and anything you do to taint your reputation could have serious repercussions on your ability to move forward in your career. Nevertheless, there are times when a grade appeal is a necessity.

The LLF National Law Firm’s Educational Law Team understands the situation, and we’re clear on the stakes. You can count on us whether you’re just looking for advice or you need to file a formal grievance against the school. We’re always on your side, and we’re always looking out for your interests.

To find out more about how we can help, contact the LLF National Law Firm today at 888-535-3686. Or, fill out our online questionnaire.

A. T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine

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