Bill had been teaching freshman biology for only four years now, but he knew exactly what type of student Kristen Parker was. She would show up for her appointment promptly at five, despite the fact that she hardly ever showed up for class. She would tell the story about the dead grandmother, and expect to be given an A. But the fact remained; she failed the first exam.
He wondered what they had been teaching these kids in high school. It seemed that by the time you got to college you would be able to handle a little upset in life, (assuming of course the upset was for real, and it seldom was). It was a tough situation. These were potentially good students, but they failed. He could offer a makeup exam, but she would probably fail that too.