I think some people would give up an A to get a trip!

I would

Those are the people who don't get A's

didn't have to doesn't mean you couldn't have taken the final still and raised your grade even more op.. but if you're in college, an A is an A so taking the final would have done you no good in which case you should have known this and gone on your trip.

What in the **** did I just read

#33, Please be joking.

I bet animals judge you behind your back, 33.

33 is stupid. I can tell she has no friends. Wow... She pisses me off.

#33 except for the fact that finals are generally weighted heavier than other exams throughout the semester (more points), and if OP had a low A, their grade COULD be affected by not taking the final if their professor made them take it.

You don't know anything about education.. Chubby English bitch.

I don't think she chose it over! She didn't have a choice in the matter until she knew she had. Your conclusion is axiomatically incorrect.

The teacher was busy planning his/her trip to the Bahamas.

Because teachers are the Spawns of Satan.

the teacher did. check the syllabus. student messed up. ydi.

I too find it really weird the teacher never mentioned this earlier in class. She should've reminded the students of this a couple times and especially during the last class. That's such a huge waste of time and effort studying (not to mention the trip op missed) just because the teacher didn't mention this earlier. Why would any student want to take the exam if they didn't have to? Huge fail on the teachers part. Definite FYL op!

Many teachers purposely wait until the day of the test to exempt students so that they make sure everyone studies for the test. My math teacher used to do that all the time. He also made us do the exam half way so that he would see us freak out. One time he went as far as accusing me and my best friend of cheating before announcing that we were actually exempt.

48, that's horrible! And so unprofessional too. Exams cause a lot of stress and anxiety, and there is so much time spent studying that many students lose a lot of sleep staying up late through the night to study. Not to mention that there are probably plenty of other important things that someone could be doing during that wasted time. All that wasted studying time could have gone towards studying for another exam. Your teachers a jerk! I would've complained to the principle or dean.

As a teacher, I can't decide if I think he's a genius, or just a plain old douche... His private life must suck, though, if that's the kind of excitement that thrills him. Nope... on second thought, douche it is!

Lots of educational establishments allow students to exempt finals if they have an A and meet attendance requirements. Because if you have an A already you don't need the final to save your grade and you've clearly been learning all semester long. Some teachers will even ignore the attendance requirements and allow students to exempt with just an A.

You mean your final grade doesn't depend solely on the exams you take at the end of the year? Is this what the UK is doing wrong?

I've never heard of this before either. Usually the exam is a huge chunk of your mark, meaning if you fail it, it can bring the rest of your grade down. I actually prefer the being exempt though because most students can do great during all assignments and homework but have a hard time on exams due to memorization issues or anxiety and pressure, etc. Sounds like a cool rule that should be implemented in more places!

55 I know it's used *most* places in the states. I have a few friends that went to schools with no exemption policy and it screwed a lot of people out of good grades for that exact reason. I think the schools that have adopted policies like that have done so for students who are active and productive but not necessarily the best test takers.

Exams are great practice for the real world. In the real world you don't get to skip the high-stress single day that makes or breaks the deal just because you've done a great job prepping for it for days, weeks or months in advance.