A+ grades

[JuniperTree]

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Does anyone else's school give out A+'s?

I work very hard and so far have a good average, with a few A+'s sprinkled in. (I really do more work than necessary for all of my classes... I aim for an A+ in every one.)

Recently, applying for an RA position, I was listing my grades and sent the app to a friend in another university to look over. This person told me it looks terrible with the A+s and I should change them to As, which I did.

Now I'm second guessing this decision. What do you think? Does it come across as showing off or grade inflation, or that I am a very serious student? Should I list them as such on my graduate school applications?

 

[FadedC]

In my current doctoral person I have no first hand information about anyone getting an A+, although I have heard rumors that it's possible. In my MA program I got 3 A+s, 2 of them were for stats courses where I just objectively got 99% of everything right and 1 was for a class I took with my mentor and that grade was rather biased.

I can only guess about how an A+ would be viewed on an application, in fact I've never even heard about listing grades there (but I've never applied to be a RA). But I certainly think that saying they look "terrible" would be a gross exageration. If it were me, I'd list them because they are honestly what I got, though I wouldn't expect any advantage from them either.

Does anyone else's school give out A+'s?

I work very hard and so far have a good average, with a few A+'s sprinkled in. (I really do more work than necessary for all of my classes... I aim for an A+ in every one.)

Recently, applying for an RA position, I was listing my grades and sent the app to a friend in another university to look over. This person told me it looks terrible with the A+s and I should change them to As, which I did.

Now I'm second guessing this decision. What do you think? Does it come across as showing off or grade inflation, or that I am a very serious student? Should I list them as such on my graduate school applications?

 

[Neuropsych2be]

Does anyone else's school give out A+'s?

I work very hard and so far have a good average, with a few A+'s sprinkled in. (I really do more work than necessary for all of my classes... I aim for an A+ in every one.)

Recently, applying for an RA position, I was listing my grades and sent the app to a friend in another university to look over. This person told me it looks terrible with the A+s and I should change them to As, which I did.

Now I'm second guessing this decision. What do you think? Does it come across as showing off or grade inflation, or that I am a very serious student? Should I list them as such on my graduate school applications?

In my doctoral program students can get an A+ for truly outstanding work. I have two A+'s on my transcript and this puts my GPA over 4.00. I think it makes me look weird 😳. However, if you received an A+ then all the more kudos to you. I know this sounds strange but Iam wondering if I should get a B or two so that my GPA would be a more reasonable 3.9. Of course grades are not really important in Ph.D. work. Instead, in a doctoral program its skill acquisition. For a grad school application though you should report your grades as they are. If you got an A+ for truly exceptional work then report it. I myself am in favor of ditching the whole A through F grading system in higher education and adopting narrative transcripts. That is an idea still practiced at some progressive liberal arts colleges. Grade inflation makes the current system less meaningful.

 

[nessa34]

Does anyone else's school give out A+'s?

I work very hard and so far have a good average, with a few A+'s sprinkled in. (I really do more work than necessary for all of my classes... I aim for an A+ in every one.)

Recently, applying for an RA position, I was listing my grades and sent the app to a friend in another university to look over. This person told me it looks terrible with the A+s and I should change them to As, which I did.

Now I'm second guessing this decision. What do you think? Does it come across as showing off or grade inflation, or that I am a very serious student? Should I list them as such on my graduate school applications?

are you an undergrad or a grad student? and does your school put them as A+s on your transcript?

 

[psychmama]

It seems to me that if your school gives out A+s then you should try to get them and should report them. My school had no such thing, but if I was looking to hire someone and knew their school gave A+s then I'd consider someone with just a 4.0 at a slight disadvantage over an applicant from the same program with say a 4.2. GPA is certainly not the most important thing once you're in grad school; it's a bigger deal as an undergrad. in either case though, I say why lie or diminish what you've gotten? 😀

 

[roubs]

I've never even heard of colleges giving out an "A+". What GPA would straight A+ grades correspond to?

Does this mean that an A+ would drag up a B-grade so that potentially someone could have a 4.0 or greater with one or more Bs on their transcript? If that's the case it seems like naked grade inflation because it seems that someone who got 100% A grades could have an equivalent GPA to someone who did not. And really it makes comparing across students deliberately murky. Do they give an adjusted GPA on a 4.0 scale?

 

[FadedC]

Back in my MA program, an A+ was worth a 4.0 just like an A was. It was completely meaningless in terms of GPA.

Every school has their own grading system as well as standards for what grades mean so comparing accross students will always be somewhat murky. That's why many say that the difference between say a 3.75 and a 4.0 is largely irrelevent for applications.

I've never even heard of colleges giving out an "A+". What GPA would straight A+ grades correspond to?

Does this mean that an A+ would drag up a B-grade so that potentially someone could have a 4.0 or greater with one or more Bs on their transcript? If that's the case it seems like naked grade inflation because it seems that someone who got 100% A grades could have an equivalent GPA to someone who did not. And really it makes comparing across students deliberately murky. Do they give an adjusted GPA on a 4.0 scale?

 

[JuniperTree]

Sorry everyone - I assumed an RA position is only for undergraduate. I am an undergraduate, pre-psychology.

In my doctoral program students can get an A+ for truly outstanding work. I have two A+'s on my transcript and this puts my GPA over 4.00. I think it makes me look weird 😳. However, if you received an A+ then all the more kudos to you. I know this sounds strange but Iam wondering if I should get a B or two so that my GPA would be a more reasonable 3.9. Of course grades are not really important in Ph.D. work. Instead, in a doctoral program its skill acquisition. For a grad school application though you should report your grades as they are. If you got an A+ for truly exceptional work then report it. I myself am in favor of ditching the whole A through F grading system in higher education and adopting narrative transcripts. That is an idea still practiced at some progressive liberal arts colleges. Grade inflation makes the current system less meaningful.

Thank you. I will do so on my grad school applications.

are you an undergrad or a grad student? and does your school put them as A+s on your transcript?

Undergrad. I'm not sure - they're on my printout transcript, I'm not sure if they're on the transcript sent from the school but believe not as the maximum GPA is 4.0.

It seems to me that if your school gives out A+s then you should try to get them and should report them. My school had no such thing, but if I was looking to hire someone and knew their school gave A+s then I'd consider someone with just a 4.0 at a slight disadvantage over an applicant from the same program with say a 4.2. GPA is certainly not the most important thing once you're in grad school; it's a bigger deal as an undergrad. in either case though, I say why lie or diminish what you've gotten? 😀

Thanks! I really do try to get them. But we don't get a 4.2 so I'm not sure what the point is!

I've never even heard of colleges giving out an "A+". What GPA would straight A+ grades correspond to?

Does this mean that an A+ would drag up a B-grade so that potentially someone could have a 4.0 or greater with one or more Bs on their transcript? If that's the case it seems like naked grade inflation because it seems that someone who got 100% A grades could have an equivalent GPA to someone who did not. And really it makes comparing across students deliberately murky. Do they give an adjusted GPA on a 4.0 scale?

Dunno, my GPA is 4.0 even though I have several A+s (mostly in psychology related courses.)

In my current doctoral person I have no first hand information about anyone getting an A+, although I have heard rumors that it's possible. In my MA program I got 3 A+s, 2 of them were for stats courses where I just objectively got 99% of everything right and 1 was for a class I took with my mentor and that grade was rather biased.

I can only guess about how an A+ would be viewed on an application, in fact I've never even heard about listing grades there (but I've never applied to be a RA). But I certainly think that saying they look "terrible" would be a gross exageration. If it were me, I'd list them because they are honestly what I got, though I wouldn't expect any advantage from them either.

Thanks. Oh well, for next time.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

The first undergrad institution I attended (I transferred a few different times before finally graduating, but that's another story entirely) handed out +'s and -'s for all grade levels (A+, B+, etc.). Essentially, the + grade equated to the standard GPA value (e.g., A+ = 4.0), while the non-plus or - version was .3 points lower (e.g., A = 3.7, A- = 3.2 or 3.3, I forget which). Thus, in order to earn a 4.0, you actually had to make straight A+'s. Was an interesting system that took some getting used to.

As for reporting, I'd say if it shows up as A+ on your transcript, then that's what I'd list.

 

[JuniperTree]

The first undergrad institution I attended (I transferred a few different times before finally graduating, but that's another story entirely) handed out +'s and -'s for all grade levels (A+, B+, etc.). Essentially, the + grade equated to the standard GPA value (e.g., A+ = 4.0), while the non-plus or - version was .3 points lower (e.g., A = 3.7, A- = 3.2 or 3.3, I forget which). Thus, in order to earn a 4.0, you actually had to make straight A+'s. Was an interesting system that took some getting used to.

As for reporting, I'd say if it shows up as A+ on your transcript, then that's what I'd list.

That sounds complicated (and really tough for all the perfectionists.)

Got to find out what it shows up as on transcript, then. Thanks.

 

[cara susanna]

My undergrad used A, AB, B, BC, C, CD, D, and F. A was a 4.0, AB was a 3.5, and so on.

 

[phillips101]

My undergrad also gives out A+'s, however, they are reserved only for 99-100% (or just 100%), AND on the 4.0 scale, both A's and A+'s get a 4.0, so really, it doesn't make a difference other than showing you're an over-over-achiever. Anyways, check what your official transcript says. If it actually states A+, then put A+, there's nothing bad about it. Then if you want, you can just convert the grades to a regular 4.0 (aka non inflated) scale. So for example, if your GPA is a 4.3, what is that on a 4.0 scale? That way, 1) it showed you really excelled in some classes, and 2) you're not trying to "cheat" anyone by making an A+ a 4.3 for example.