Emory - behind the times?

[surjski]

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Are they really still grading A-F? Seems odd for such a good school - does anyone know if they're planning on changing this? Or if it creates a competitive environment among the students? (I feel like it'd be pre-med reincarnated....)

 

[Ashanti Rock]

I know University of Wisconsin is on the old system too. I don't know if either schools plan on making any changes. Would anyone not enroll in a school who was on this sytem....you know, a less competeive atmosphere. Oh wait......I forgot where I was ...nervermind

 

[jbrice1639]

A = high pass
B = pass
C = marginal pass
F = fail

hmm...not so different after all...

😉

 

[surjski]

ugh.... sounds like a BAD option with all the P/F schools available...

 

[MrBurns10]

Are they really still grading A-F? Seems odd for such a good school - does anyone know if they're planning on changing this? Or if it creates a competitive environment among the students? (I feel like it'd be pre-med reincarnated....)

They said they might possibly change their grading scale, but they followed that up with "but then again, every year we re-evaluate it." The good news is that they don't curve, so there's no limit to the # of A's they give out. I have a couple friends who go there and they said it's a pretty supportive environment because of this. All the students seem to get along well with each other, and I guess that's what counts.

 

[Wahina]

Here's their line: Not competitive because there is no curve. So at a school where it is only Honors/Pass/Fail, it could be more competitive because only 10-15% can make honors. At Emory, 100% can make A's if they all do that well. So they make it sound happy. I met with plenty of students, and they all seemed much happier than I had expected. They have joint exams, which means all subject exams are on the same day (8 hours worth of tests), but after that you have like 5 weeks off until the next test so you have some relaxation time.

 

[tigress]

A = high pass
B = pass
C = marginal pass
F = fail

hmm...not so different after all...

😉

Actually, that's not how most honors/high pass/pass systems work. At Drexel, for example, honors is something like 92+, high pass is 87-92, pass is 70+ for most courses. Some courses do have a system by which a certain percent of the class gets honors, high pass, etc. I know many other schools have a similar system. So at Drexel, if you get an 86 that's still just a pass, same as if you get a 70.

I don't think letter grading would be too bad, really. I think I'd be more motivated with letter grades than just a pure pass/fail sytem. I do like the honors/high pass/pass/fail system, though, because it doesn't have the associated anxiety like letter grades but you still have an honor to work towards.

 

[menemotxi]

Here's their line: Not competitive because there is no curve. So at a school where it is only Honors/Pass/Fail, it could be more competitive because only 10-15% can make honors. At Emory, 100% can make A's if they all do that well. So they make it sound happy. I met with plenty of students, and they all seemed much happier than I had expected. They have joint exams, which means all subject exams are on the same day (8 hours worth of tests), but after that you have like 5 weeks off until the next test so you have some relaxation time.

Most of us are actually quite happy with both our grading and joint test system. The test isn't actually 8 hours long, more like 4 hours of written portion followed by a 2-3 hour break before a 25 minute lab practical. And it is great to have a couple weeks off to relax before you gotta get down to business again for the next test. That means we get time to go on roadtrips, or hang out around Atlanta and meet some non-med school folk, which is always nice. Some teachers tell us that historically, roughly 45% of the students get an A in their classes. So there is definitely no problem with any curve skewing the grades.

Our class is not competitive at all, I actually never have to complete any study guides or objectives because people in our class will do them and send them out to the entire class. Big time saver there. People always seem to fear the traditional grading system, but it's honestly not an issue whatsoever. At least for me and my classmates.

So there's my two cents.

M

 

[Orth2006]

Are they really still grading A-F? Seems odd for such a good school - does anyone know if they're planning on changing this? Or if it creates a competitive environment among the students? (I feel like it'd be pre-med reincarnated....)

Competition is not that bad if it is constructive. There is usually more motivation to excell when you want the highest honor. Admittedly it can get out of hand especially when pre-meds are involved but I still think some competition is good/health. Not necessarily to be better than someone else but to push myself to achieve. And if you really think about it everything in life is a competition. Its all relative to something or someone else. For us - its the American way. I see it as a tool for self improvement. So I prefer the A-F or Honors-Fail grading system than just the Pass or Fail one. Pass/Fail ignores the quality of effort put into succeeding while A-F somewhat justifies and rewards it.

OK no more essay prompts!!! 😀 -