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hey all
i was wondering if anyone had opinions on this topic, as its been something ive been thinking about
i learned that some schools grade A/B/C as 4/3/2. other schools make a distinction between plus and minus (i.e. B+ is a 3.3 and B- is a 2.7)
i understand that these two systems calculate GPA more or less equally, and that if there is a difference in the overall GPA that results from the 2 different calculations, the difference may not be very significant. However, they are different. I personally do not like the 4/3/2 system, and believe there should be a distinction for the plus and minus (high A/B vs low A/B)
secondly, i think that whichever grading system is used should be the same across all pod schools. For example, i believe DMU does pluses and minuses and scholl/kent do not. there should be a level playing field.
For schools like scholl and kent, a student who scores an 80% and an 89.9% will both receive a grade of 3.0. That's almost a TEN PERCENT difference there! Are you really going to look at these two students the same, and assume they both knew the material just as well? Im quite frequently a borderline student dangling between a B and a B+. If i DO earn a B+, I want that to be reflected! Personally, I would rather strive to do better, and if i don't do as well as i want, take the HIT for perhaps getting a B (3.0) or a B- (2.7). but at least that distinction is there. if i'm borderline between a B- and a C+, and if i drop down to a C+, I will be taking the hit of a 2.0 vs a 3.0, which just simply too great of a difference. Dropping down to a C+ may simply bet the matter of ONE question on ONE exam. if the distinction was made, however, and I dropped to a C+, i would be getting a 2.3, not a 2.0. again, not much better, at least that shows I did not get a C or a C-. in the 4/3/2 system , no one would even be able to make that distinction.
i also bring in the factor of motivation here. if an 80 percent and an 89.9 are going to get me the same grade, why should i strive to do better? ill be focused on just getting an 80 percent.
some may argue that having a 4/3/2 system eliminates competition and allows students to focus more on just learning the material. While i understand this explanation, we're in a field that is extremely competitive. these minute details CAN and WILL make a difference. there are people fighting tooth and nail to get residency spots. and if GPA plays a factor in this decision, i want it to reflect every ounce of my hard work. the difference between a 3.0 and a 2.99 may make the difference between getting a job and not getting a job.
obviously , a student's goal is to work hard and just always do the best that you can. if youre doing the best that you can, whatever grade you get is what you get, don't worry about these minute details as its more or less the same and balances itself out. but i still believe as students we work too hard for our grades, and our efforts should be accurately reflected. i also think GPA has greater weight for pod students than traditional DO/MD routes, another reason i'm making these points. if im correct, MD/DO residencies will look more upon one's board scores than GPA. but for podiatry, our board exams are simply P/F and are not scaled. so the only comparative value residency programs can use is GPA (in addition to class rank). This is another reason i think the distinction should be made
i was wondering if anyone else feels like this, and if there is anyone else thinks we should standardize this and change it to the "distincted" system. if theres anything we can do, what steps can we take to change this?
i was wondering if anyone had opinions on this topic, as its been something ive been thinking about
i learned that some schools grade A/B/C as 4/3/2. other schools make a distinction between plus and minus (i.e. B+ is a 3.3 and B- is a 2.7)
i understand that these two systems calculate GPA more or less equally, and that if there is a difference in the overall GPA that results from the 2 different calculations, the difference may not be very significant. However, they are different. I personally do not like the 4/3/2 system, and believe there should be a distinction for the plus and minus (high A/B vs low A/B)
secondly, i think that whichever grading system is used should be the same across all pod schools. For example, i believe DMU does pluses and minuses and scholl/kent do not. there should be a level playing field.
For schools like scholl and kent, a student who scores an 80% and an 89.9% will both receive a grade of 3.0. That's almost a TEN PERCENT difference there! Are you really going to look at these two students the same, and assume they both knew the material just as well? Im quite frequently a borderline student dangling between a B and a B+. If i DO earn a B+, I want that to be reflected! Personally, I would rather strive to do better, and if i don't do as well as i want, take the HIT for perhaps getting a B (3.0) or a B- (2.7). but at least that distinction is there. if i'm borderline between a B- and a C+, and if i drop down to a C+, I will be taking the hit of a 2.0 vs a 3.0, which just simply too great of a difference. Dropping down to a C+ may simply bet the matter of ONE question on ONE exam. if the distinction was made, however, and I dropped to a C+, i would be getting a 2.3, not a 2.0. again, not much better, at least that shows I did not get a C or a C-. in the 4/3/2 system , no one would even be able to make that distinction.
i also bring in the factor of motivation here. if an 80 percent and an 89.9 are going to get me the same grade, why should i strive to do better? ill be focused on just getting an 80 percent.
some may argue that having a 4/3/2 system eliminates competition and allows students to focus more on just learning the material. While i understand this explanation, we're in a field that is extremely competitive. these minute details CAN and WILL make a difference. there are people fighting tooth and nail to get residency spots. and if GPA plays a factor in this decision, i want it to reflect every ounce of my hard work. the difference between a 3.0 and a 2.99 may make the difference between getting a job and not getting a job.
obviously , a student's goal is to work hard and just always do the best that you can. if youre doing the best that you can, whatever grade you get is what you get, don't worry about these minute details as its more or less the same and balances itself out. but i still believe as students we work too hard for our grades, and our efforts should be accurately reflected. i also think GPA has greater weight for pod students than traditional DO/MD routes, another reason i'm making these points. if im correct, MD/DO residencies will look more upon one's board scores than GPA. but for podiatry, our board exams are simply P/F and are not scaled. so the only comparative value residency programs can use is GPA (in addition to class rank). This is another reason i think the distinction should be made
i was wondering if anyone else feels like this, and if there is anyone else thinks we should standardize this and change it to the "distincted" system. if theres anything we can do, what steps can we take to change this?
