Weiss
I’ll be the first to say I’m very protective of my GPA. Maybe that’s why every semester, on the first day of class, I hold my breath as I flip to the grading portion of the syllabus.
“Does this teacher use the plus-minus system? They DO?! @#$%&!”
I know I can work hard enough for an A, but sometimes, when that A minus slips in and steals away that precious three-tenths of a point, it can mess everything up. We are basically given more of a chance to score lower than a 4.0, and no chance whatsoever to score higher. Enough 3.7s, and I can’t make summa cum laude upon graduation. It’s the stuff of nightmares!
Can you tell I’ve thought about this a lot? Because I have.
My GPA will affect my getting into any post-baccalaureate programs, or receiving scholarships, fellowships and grants. It’s not just a number to me – it’s a future.
For these reasons, I feel justified to have a panic attack over a single exam grade. Sue me.
When I found out that some of our neighboring schools don’t use this system, I almost lost it. Why should my nearby friends be given a better shot at that admittedly near-impossible perfect GPA? What gave Emporia State the crazy idea to go with this system?
I understand that making a 4.0 more exclusive may make students work harder for it, but in the long run, would it not make more sense for the material to be more challenging instead? Maybe push us to work a little harder, then give them a nicer reward when they score a 91.2%? Wouldn’t that lead to a higher quality of education, as well as a less stickler-ish grading system?
If anyone else out there cares about this as much as I do, please let me know. Maybe we could all make a big stink about it and make a change!
Or maybe I just admitted that I hate A minuses to thousands of students who are now going to think I’m crazy. Either way, let me know what you think.
GPA counts for much less in graduate admissions than you seem to think. Writing samples, statements of purpose and good GRE scores are all much more important than one’s overall GPA when applying for grad school.