getting a B+ in Phd

[Neel]

I am in a Phd program in a top tier school. I just saw that for my adviser's class, I received a B+. My other grades for the semester are A and A-. I know there are other threads on this topic in this site, I also know that the B+ matters and does not look good.

My question is this:

Should I speak to my adviser about the grade?

This is my first semester so i need all the advice I can get.

I know the paper was not upto mark and am aware of its failings, but had to submit it within the deadline that i agreed to. My adviser is not the easiest to talk to. He is quite a confidence crusher....and since I know what the faults of the paper are, I am trying to find ways to avoid confrontation.

On the other hand, I know meeting my adviser about the paper will help him know I am keen to work hard.

I know this has been discussed but does a B+ really mean the professor is sending a message? Also is it common to want to avoid your adviser like the way I do.. in my world it does not read as a good sign, not in a Phd program.

[Eigen]

I wouldn't speak to the advisor about the grade, per-se, but I would speak to them about the paper, and how you could improve on it.

In my program, a B+ would definitely be sending a message, especially if i was from an advisor to advisee. And I would also say it wouldn't look great if the person who received that grade didn't seem to want to know how they could improve on their work.

Also, don't avoid your advisor. It might be common to want to, but you shouldn't.

Advisors can often be crushing to your confidence- but that's partly their job. They aren't there to provide moral support, encouragement, or boost your confidence. They're there to help you become a better academic.

Sometimes you can find an advisor who is helpful as a mentor and someone to lean on, but that's a secondary role, if anything. It's also one of the reasons that people suggest finding a secondary mentor who is not your advisor.

[Neel]

Thanks for the reply. I will write to him about the paper.

Elsewhere I read that a B+ is a subtle message that wants to ask you to drop out of the program...I personally think that if there was a need to ask a person to drop out, they would do that rather unsubtly. Is that true? I have never heard of anyone in my peers ever mention a grade under A-, and that makes me very worried. Is a B+ not that uncommon.?

[TakeruK]

I don't think a single B+ is a sign that you are being asked to drop out. If all your grades are "minimal pass", then that's one thing, but just one B+ might just mean that your advisor thought you should have worked harder on that course.

I also don't think the fact that no one ever mentions a grade below A- means that no one ever gets below A-. People are less likely to share grades they aren't proud of.

[Eigen]

I've never heard of a B+ being a subtle request to drop out. As mentioned, people are usually pretty blunt about that.

Any grade lower than a B- is automatic dismissal in my program, however.

[Dal PhDer]

I think you've gotten really great advice. I have known students to get B's and B+'s on projects and/or final classes. They've turned out to be REALLY successful students in that same program. I wouldn't say that the grade is a subtle way of getting you to leave the program, I would say (and from your comments above about the paper) that sometimes a student's work quality deserves that grade.

I would go to the professor and ask what you could have done to get a better mark. I wouldn't ask them to change it, but I would show that you're not pleased with yourself for attaining such a mark, and want to improve your skills/ability so you can produce A+ quality material in the future.

I believe grad school is all about learning, and showing the motivation to change and improve. It can't be expected that every student will enter the program as an A+ student. You will have learning curves and bad days. Showing that you can pick yourself up and handle the criticism is a great skill that professors like to see.

I wouldn't worry about this being a means of trying to get you to leave the program, I would look at this as an opportunity to show your program that you want to stay and improve by learning.

[emmm]

I think it also depends on the program. From what I have heard, grading in my department tends to be on the stingy side -- no automatic As for acceptable work. I have heard that as long as the overall average is higher than 3.2, we're considered to be doing OK. It can be frustrating at times, such as when all work handed back is graded higher than 95%, and the final grade given ends up being an A- (I have heard of this happening to people). In my experience, often there is not enough feedback during the term for me to predict my final grades, which leaves me a bit in the dark at times with respect to what I should be trying to improve...