A mathematician friend of mine recalls the following encounter (paraphrased here) with a foreign student (the student's lines should be read with a thick accent): Student: I have come to tell you that I must get A in your course. Professor: From looking at your records, Mr. Student, I see that your attendence was spotty, your homework was very poor, and you bombed the final. By the most generous grading policy, you get an F. Student: I must get A. It is forced by my scholarship. If I do not get A my scholarship will end and I must go back to my home country. Professor: I can't give you an A. The grades have been turned in. You deserve an F and you got an F. Student: But I have to get an A! Professor: Look, if I were to report grades dishonestly I could get fired from my job. I can't change the grade. ..some minutes later... Student: I must get an A or I will be deported. Professor: Can't you understand? You got an F, not an A! An F! A fail! Flunk! Zero! Goose Egg! Student: Ok, I take a B.
(From the "Rest" of RHF)