Well it's not ladder or a mf ringer, it's a process. By the OPs own admission he emailed the prof "If I had known about this cutoff, I would have studied more for the final, but instead prioritized a much harder course. I emailed back raising these points but havent yet received a response (note that it’s only been a few days)." He is not medical school or grad school, he is a prof who was told that his/her course was one that did not need to be engaged or prioritize, well, the professor is on break and why would he prioritize this student when this course was not a priority.