One problematic class left for me to face

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I started taking this class last semester. The professor gave me the following troubles:

- 2-hour lectures with no break, making it very easy to fall asleep or just space out
- Absolutely no notes posted online or anywhere, meaning if you miss something in class, you have to read through a VERY wordy textbook to catch up. And the text includes a lot of stuff that does not show up on the test, making it nearly impossible to target study. All other professors have posted some kind of notes, at least.
- A wacky grading scale where 95% was A (with no extra credit), 90% was A-, and the B/C grades had as large a minus range as the straight and plus together. The professor "reserved the right" to lower the percentage cutoffs, but it was nerve-wracking having no guarantee even if the whole class was doing terrible and the curve was actually needed.
- No scores given in the class until the freaking MIDTERM EXAM

Well, I got a D (somewhere in the 60's in %, all the way down to 50% was a D) on the midterm immediately knocking me out of the mathematical running for a full A with no curve. Nor could I finish any of the homework because of the difficulty catching up on material I miss in class. It was very advanced and a HUGE jump in complexity from my previous classes. When the guaranteed-W drop deadline neared, I dropped not wanting to risk a D or F.

The thing is, I've gotten close to straight A's otherwise the last several years and have a 3.7 GPA. I want to hang onto 3.65 at least to graduate with distinction, and I KNOW I'm capable of it. That was why the prospect of a D or F horrified me enough to drop rather than risk it. I will have to take it again not this semester, but the next one.

I should also mention that I've RELIGIOUSLY tracked my grades in classes the last several years, as well as the upper/lower bounds on what I can get, and grading in school is sort of an AS specialist subject for me. A class that automatically grades on a curve or where one is really looking necessary FRIGHTENS me, since I have no idea where I truly stand.

Any tips on getting through a class like this, or getting the professor to do more than just tell me to read the book to make sure I get the material? This professor is alone in that kind of behavior at my school. The class is literally standing between me and an easy graduation with distinction.

I have no advice, sorry about that, but I have to say I'm happy that someone else is obsessed with grading systems. I can spend hours reading/thinking/calculating about them, even the ones that I have nothing to do with (IB, GCSE, etc.) - although I spend most of it on the ones relevant to my course.

Lol, the German grading system is the easiest to go "off the scale" with, because it uses the numbers 1-4 like A-D, and 5-6 like F. So all you have to do to express something really awesome is to give it a 0, -1, -5, -9,001, etc. while something unimaginably awful could get 7, 8, 9, 15, 9,001, etc.

I would get documented with a disability if possible, which could get you accommodations. My following "Plan A" may or may not be doable unless you get proper documentation. It usually depends on the school policy and the professor.

-Get a recorder and use these to make detailed notes of what you need to memorize/understand.
-Go to tutoring, the teacher's assistant, or whatever additional help is available outside of class, no matter how well you think you're doing.
-Write what you need to know on notecards and memorize the information.
-Talk to the professor beforehand and ask him/her for suggestions (they like that and it should give you good tips).

This next one is Plan B: If you really think you're going to screw it up, or you just don't want to deal with the professor, I'd see if there is an equivalent class at another college and if taking that class somewhere else would come over as a "T" (transfer credit) instead of a real grade.

I've done both of these things for hard classes and I graduated Summa Cum Laude both for my BA and for my BS.

I've known people who would go to the prof's office during office hours at least once a week for the sole reason of presenting themselves to the prof as serious students. Of course, make sure that the questions you ask show that you actually read the material and listen in class. According to one person who did this, going to the prof's office once a week was often worth a letter grade higher.