# Stupidity by college professors/administrations. Share your experiences! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 21, 2010, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952 "2010-12-21T14:07:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2010, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952/41 "2010-12-23T05:19:33Z")
> [@rivulus](#): > > Silly me. I thought that the college wanted grades and transcripts in order to judge how well I may perform in the class or curriculum I hope to take. Nope. They just want to tick off a box on a list of requirements. Gah. Yep. That’s why I never got my Master’s. I had graduated from X University (Dean’s List the last 3 semesters), been accepted to and completed a graduate program from the same university (Dean’s List the entire way), and after 10 years teaching decided to get my Master’s to move up the salary column. First requirement? All my undergraduate transcripts. Ummm…you have them. I gave them all to you when I enrolled for my BA. “Sorry. We trashed them after you graduated.” Well, then. There was nothing in them to prevent me from enrolling in a graduate program before. There must not be anything to prevent me from enrolling in another program. “Sorry. We need all your undergraduate transcripts.” One hissy fit and a bunch of screaming and thrown papers later, I decided to forgo the Master’s and just get the credits elsewhere. That’s why I have certifications out the wazoo instead of a Master’s degree. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2010, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952/42 "2010-12-23T06:11:29Z")
I got fucked over by my university’s financial aid department just this last summer, but I’m still too traumatized by the experience to discuss it. Maybe in a few years. In the fall of 2008, I had an econ professor who gave the worst exam dates…ever. We had two midterm exams and they were both horribly scheduled. The professor scheduled our second midterm to be the day after the presidential election. We were all sitting in the biggest lecture hall in the building, which had CNN projected on the big screen, with our econ textbooks in our laps. Oh yeah, this was in _policy_ school. There’s nothing that get a bunch of budding policy wonks excited like an election! Having an exam the next day fucking SUCKED. We’d asked to take the test a couple days early, but it hadn’t worked for _one_ person, so rescheduling was impossible. Of course. But that doesn’t compare to what she did for the first midterm exam, which was scheduled on Rosh Hashana. In violation of university policy, she refused to let people take the test on another date. :eek: Seriously, that’s fucked up. Our final exam for that class was on the day after the school holiday party, but she didn’t schedule that, so you can’t blame her. Still, it was the icing on the badly-scheduled cake. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2010, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952/43 "2010-12-23T06:19:10Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > I’m having a difficult time understanding your prose. This student graduated with a Bachelor’s in Statistics by just meeting the minimum requirements, then tried to come back for a Master’s. But I don’t understand what the problem was. Nothing wrong with the prose. The problem was that the minimum standards for graduation, which he met, were lower than the minimum standards for enrolling in a master’s program. He was working in the field and a much more motivated student, but they wouldn’t enroll him as a special student–so he could get his grades up by making two As–because they were afraid he’d show them up by making two As. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2010, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952/44 "2010-12-23T07:53:55Z")
> [@Ruby Sees](#): > > I have a class starting in 2 weeks. Only yesterday were the books for classes posted. Not just that class: all classes for next semester. Registration started 6 weeks ago, so you had to register for classes “blind.” This semester, I could view my books before registration so I could kind of get an idea of what to expect. Um, is this expected? I don’t think I’ve ever known what book was used until the first day of class. If the professor uses WebCT or Blackboard, you might be able to see the syllabus and get it there, but otherwise you buy it after class starts. Many people who find out before don’t buy it until later anyway, just in case the tests are based 100% on lectures and you’re buying a $80 paperweight. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2010, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952/45 "2010-12-23T08:28:08Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > So type up a letter of recommendation yourself and send it in to them. After all, the professor’s dead, so how could they challenge it? You probably remember approximately what your professor said, so put that in the letter. > > P.S. Why didn’t you keep your own copy of these letters? Then you wouldn’t be at the mercy of 20 years of college administrators. Or that freaking jackass could have scanned them in and archived them on cd/dvd … ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2010, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952/46 "2010-12-23T12:20:36Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > So type up a letter of recommendation yourself and send it in to them. After all, the professor’s dead, so how could they challenge it? You probably remember approximately what your professor said, so put that in the letter. > > P.S. Why didn’t you keep your own copy of these letters? Then you wouldn’t be at the mercy of 20 years of college administrators. Often the receiving party wants the letters on university letterhead and mailed from the institution to prevent someone from just making up letters. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2010, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952/47 "2010-12-23T13:54:44Z")
> [@TheMerchandise](#): > > My university decided to stop accepting credit/debit cards for tuition payment starting next semester. Which strikes me as the stupidest, most backwards-stepping decision ever. But probably a necessary one. The bank fees are expensive. ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952/48 "2010-12-23T18:31:14Z")
When I was an undergrad, the administration would periodically have a “visiting professor” for some required class. The professor would usually have a thick accent, indecipherable handwriting, and contempt for most of the students. At the end of the term, they would give a final exam that no one could pass and then hop on the plane. There was no way to contest the class or the final grade so you could get screwed. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952/49 "2010-12-23T18:41:57Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > So type up a letter of recommendation yourself and send it in to them. After all, the professor’s dead, so how could they challenge it? You probably remember approximately what your professor said, so put that in the letter. > > P.S. Why didn’t you keep your own copy of these letters? Then you wouldn’t be at the mercy of 20 years of college administrators. 1. Because I did not have access to a blank letterhead from the college. 2. Because in my youth I was trusting. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952/50 "2010-12-23T18:44:04Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > This is the dumb part. Tossing out decades-old letters of recommendation doesn’t sound that unreasonable. > > A 20-year-old letter of recommendation from an undergraduate professor can’t possibly have much predictive power for how a person will do as a current student. Did you ask the school if it could be waived, or substituted with a boss’s letter? Yes, it was unreasonable. The whole purpose of the letters was that they would be kept. The school I was applying to was adamant that they needed a recommendation from a teacher. Sure, it’s unreasonable. But rules is rules, ya’ know. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952/51 "2010-12-23T19:01:28Z")
Near the end of my undergraduate career getting my BS in Mechanical Engineering, the Engineering Department added one more class that was required for graduation. It was an Intro to Engineering course. It was waived for most students who had been around long enough but for some arcane reason that I don’t recall, there were four of us in our last year of undergrad that were still required to take it. The class was an easy A. Every week a different ME professor would come in and talk about the class that he would be teaching. The four of us sat in the back and every time the prof would say, “What are you guys doing here?” Yep, we were getting brief overviews on the classes that we has already passed. The kicker was the last week when the prof who ran the final projects gave his presentation. There were actual pictures of us in his slide show. We had to take a test and answer questions about ourselves. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952/52 "2010-12-24T01:36:33Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Um, is this expected? I don’t think I’ve ever known what book was used until the first day of class. If the professor uses WebCT or Blackboard, you might be able to see the syllabus and get it there, but otherwise you buy it after class starts. Many people who find out before don’t buy it until later anyway, just in case the tests are based 100% on lectures and you’re buying a $80 paperweight. But like I said, this current semester’s books were available before registration. So not being available early for next semester is not what _this_ school’s policy is. I’m taking online classes, so there really aren’t lectures, so you really need your books from day one or you’re already behind. When I went to a traditional college, you could see all the books for classes listed by class in the bookstore. I have an online class that starts in 2 weeks. Not knowing what books I need for day one until a few days before Christmas is cutting it close for me in my individual circumstance (and my classmates’). ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952/53 "2010-12-24T01:48:54Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Or that freaking jackass could have scanned them in and archived them on cd/dvd … We’re talking 20+ years ago – few people had the equipment to do this on CD’s at that time (and DVD’s weren’t even invented yet!). ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952/54 "2010-12-24T01:57:53Z")
> [@Ruby Sees](#): > > When I went to a traditional college, you could see all the books for classes listed by class in the bookstore. > > I have an online class that starts in 2 weeks. Not knowing what books I need for day one until a few days before Christmas is cutting it close for me in my individual circumstance (and my classmates’). This is a deliberate policy at some institutions now. If the books are listed too early, students shop for them at cheaper prices online. If they don’t know the books until nearly the start of classes, they will have to buy them from the school bookstore, which is a major money-maker for most colleges. I have a friend who is an adjunct professor at a local college. He said he got quite a bit of pressure to not list the books online with the rest of course outline, until 1 week before classes started. And the bookstore manager would complain that not enough students in his classes bought textbooks from the bookstore – he would call the professors supervisor and make this complaint to him. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952/55 "2010-12-24T02:01:46Z")
> [@MLS](#): > > 1. Because I did not have access to a blank letterhead from the college. > 2. Because in my youth I was trusting. So take anything on college letterhead, scan in just the top, and print your letter below that. Doesn’t matter if it’s slightly different; the college letterhead from 20 years ago is likely to have changed several times. Curing youthful trusting is often one of the things learned at college! ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2010, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952/56 "2010-12-24T03:23:52Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > 1. I finally got my degree. But no diploma. About two months after graduation, I called and asked where it was. They had it in the office. “Do you want us to mail it to you?” the asked. :rolleyes: I graduated this past June and just got my diploma the other day. I didn’t get it at the graduation ceremony because an instructor had entered a grade a few hours too late. The letter that I got in the folder said that the diploma would be mailed as soon as they verified that I had met all the requirements. Come August, I called and asked where it was; they said it was in their unclaimed diploma file. I asked if it could be mailed like the letter said, and the person on the other end said “well, we _could_, but that rarely actually happens.” When I finally got around to stopping by this week (it wasn’t exactly a major priority), it was still laying on the desk of the person I had talked to, untouched. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952/57 "2010-12-28T16:51:25Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Near the end of my undergraduate career getting my BS in Mechanical Engineering, the Engineering Department added one more class that was required for graduation. It was an Intro to Engineering course. It was waived for most students who had been around long enough but for some arcane reason that I don’t recall, there were four of us in our last year of undergrad that were still required to take it. > > The class was an easy A. Every week a different ME professor would come in and talk about the class that he would be teaching. The four of us sat in the back and every time the prof would say, “What are you guys doing here?” Yep, we were getting brief overviews on the classes that we has already passed. The kicker was the last week when the prof who ran the final projects gave his presentation. There were actual pictures of us in his slide show. We had to take a test and answer questions about ourselves. Did you try to get this waived, or did you just take the easy A? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952/58 "2010-12-28T16:59:30Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > This is a deliberate policy at some institutions now. > > If the books are listed too early, students shop for them at cheaper prices online. If they don’t know the books until nearly the start of classes, they will have to buy them from the school bookstore, which is a major money-maker for most colleges. > > I have a friend who is an adjunct professor at a local college. He said he got quite a bit of pressure to not list the books online with the rest of course outline, until 1 week before classes started. And the bookstore manager would complain that not enough students in his classes bought textbooks from the bookstore – he would call the professors supervisor and make this complaint to him. Funny, we are required to list book isbn numbers within the online schedule specifically so students can shop around. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952/59 "2010-12-28T17:00:55Z")
I went to a college that specializes in degree programs for working adults. I travel a bit for a living. I’ve been known to work more than 40 hours. I started when I was doing IT Operations - server down and I might be at work 26 hours straight. I’m not the only working adult who might be required to work the occasional evening, or travel. Attendance counted towards grades. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952/60 "2010-12-28T17:06:10Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > Did you try to get this waived, or did you just take the easy A? We all tried to get it waived. We had senior projects and labs to complete and were way too busy for the bullshit. I also had a part time job. In addition, I was already accepted into grad school and didn’t need the easy A. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-by-college-professors-administrations-share-your-experiences/564952.md?page=4)