Having learned nothing from The Social Network, I'm posting a censored transcript of our correspondence at the risk of sounding melodramatic. The following is a series of e-mails in chronological order.
Professor -----,
I just received an invitational this morning for an off-campus second-round interview from 10/27 - 10/29. The ----- prelim is Thursday, October 28. I am wondering if I can work with you to schedule a make-up exam. I wish I was notified of their decision earlier than this morning; I'm sorry for the inconvenience.
Thank you,
-- Kevin
Kevin:
Sorry - I cannot do a make-up.
The class is mostly made up of seniors and MEngs, all looking for jobs - it would be logistically impossible for me to schedule make-ups for everyone. So, I ask that you all (first day of class, in the syllabus) to schedule around the several quizzes and prelims in the class.
Regards.
-----
Ironically or not, I received this e-mail while doing the homework due for this class next week.
Prof -----,
I understand that the syllabus says that potential conflicts need to be reported by September 28th for Prelim 1 for "exceptional circumstances, such as religious holidays." The problem I'm facing is that I wasn't aware of any conflict until after the specified date.
If I had known sooner whether I was accepted for an on-site invitational and interview, I would have definitely scheduled around the exam. Since my on-campus interview, I had followed up with the company on several occasions for their decision. I was only notified of my acceptance literally 10:20 this morning.
I hope I will not have to make the difficult decision of choosing between pursuing a potential career and dropping -----, a class which I thoroughly enjoy, a day after the Drop Deadline.
Thank you,
-- Kevin
Kevin:
I understand your situation. As I indicated, many students in the course are in a similar situation. My email reply to you did not refer to the timing of your request. I would have said no if you had asked me in September, as I do not feel that job interviews are exceptional circumstances (I said this on the first day of class). For several reasons. First, all employers that I have ever met with work within the students' academic program, especially with regard to exams. Second, I would estimate that I would have 20 request for make-up exams, and each would take me several days to make-up. This is not realistic.
Thus, I clarify (in many ways) the constraints of the course up-front so that students can plan around these. If you are organized in your job search, and communicate with employers about your academic constraints, then there should not be a choice to be made. I know many students in the course have organized their interviews around the prelim - I hope you can do the same.
Thanks.
-----
The second-round invitational and interview I mentioned above is a three day event with accepted students attending from all over the country. There is no question; there is no way I can miss this opportunity.
This will be the first class I dropped at Cornell ever. In four years, I committed to and completed taking every class I signed up for, including 21 credits across 8 classes in my first semester of senior year; 19 credits across 7 classes in my second semester of senior year; and 20 credits across 7 classes this semester. This will be my first, and it's not even up to me.
I completely understand where he's coming from, but my question is: Am I wrong? I will visit the professor on Monday, and we'll see how it goes from there.
EDIT: I sent the professor a final e-mail.
Professor -----,
I hope I may take another moment of your time to clarify my situation further. I understand that every potential exception is arguably "unique" but I feel mine is, especially.
Generally, I would agree with you that job interviews are not extraordinary exceptions. In most cases, it is true that individual, second-round, off-campus interviews can be scheduled with the employer on a case-by-case basis. In my case, however, and in response to your first reason, the event I was invited to is a three-day affair, which involves interviews, meetings, networking dinners, and case study presentations (one of which I will have to give) with second-round interviewees from all around the country; it is not a typical interview process and its schedule is inflexible.
I had my on-campus interview on October 1. I was only notified of their decision and the date of this three-day invitational this Saturday morning. I am not disorganized with my job search; it wasn't that I was unwilling to plan accordingly.
I apologize if this e-mail makes me come off as impolite or ungracious. I am extremely interested in learning the topic about feedback control systems and would prefer if I didn't have to petition to drop -----. I genuinely understand your position and viewpoint, and I hope I presented my argument well that this company's inflexible, second-round interview process is unlike most others in that it invites all second-round interviewees to its campus for a three-day event. If you are saying that extreme situations such as mine are somehow avoidable and do not warrant a consideration for a make-up exam, I will submit to your final decision.
Sincerely,
-- Kevin
Kevin:
Come to see me in person in my office hours if you want to discuss this further.
In all my years of teaching, I have never heard of a company forcing a student to potentially drop a class because of an on-site interview - in fact, it is against Cornell policies really. If you have informed the company that you have a previously scheduled, required exam that cannot be moved during that period (or else you have to drop the course), and their response was that the time period they have given you is the only path to you getting a job there, then I will consider a make-up prelim. Otherwise, I will adhere to the course policy (which all of the other students are also adhering to).
If this is the case, please also come with the contact information for the company. I will work with Career services to make sure that no other students are put in that position (now or in the future).
Finally, note also that I will not have time to make up another exam, so the terms would be a one hour oral exam next Tuesday.
