O Chem Prof. Awards only 1 A in the entire course??

[Global Warming]

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Heard this story from a friend who was ranked #2 in the entire class, but received a final grade of B+. The Prof. apparently awarded an "A" to only the top grade. Initially I thought that this person was lying, but has anyone else had this experience? Heard of anyone experiencing this?

 

[He2]

run .

 

[unique135]

I had such experience with my microeconomics professor who was old-style screwed by the "world" and pissed at everyone.

50% of student easily failed his class and A was a dream. Yet, I made it.

Point is nothing else could practically stop from getting A except extremely difficult questions. Prepare and challenge for the worst scenario. (That's if you really have to take this course*)

 

[Global Warming]

I already finished O Chem...just thought that this story was a bit unbelievable.

 

[JJMrK]

How many people were in the class. If it was like 10, that seems OK. If it was more, 😱.

(Unless your friend was ranked #2 with an 89% or something, which I can see getting a B+ if it's a straight scale. That would be normal.)

 

[Global Warming]

How many people were in the class. If it was like 10, that seems OK. If it was more, 😱.

(Unless your friend was ranked #2 with an 89% or something, which I can see getting a B+ if it's a straight scale. That would be normal.)

Class of 100+

 

[flip26]

Heard this story from a friend who was ranked #2 in the entire class, but received a final grade of B+. The Prof. apparently awarded an "A" to only the top grade. Initially I thought that this person was lying, but has anyone else had this experience? Heard of anyone experiencing this?

Take it somewhere else...

 

[MilkmanAl]

That sounds untrue to me. News of that sort would spread like wildfire, and nobody would take that professor's classes.

 

[ThaliaNox]

Class of 100+

This is ridiculous. I don't care where the school is, this wouldn't be allowed in a class of over 100. I have taken upper level physics classes where there was only 1 A in a class of 25, but even that is extremely rare, and there were a few A- grades.

 

[Global Warming]

This is ridiculous. I don't care where the school is, this wouldn't be allowed in a class of over 100. I have taken upper level physics classes where there was only 1 A in a class of 25, but even that is extremely rare, and there were a few A- grades.

That's what I'm thinking.

 

[JJMrK]

Class of 100+

I can see it happening one semester if a ton of people in the class have between an 85 and an 89 and the grading scale isn't curved. But I don't think this could be a repetitive event. I've been in classes of ~150 or so where the grading scale is straight up 90+ is an A, and only 8 or 9 people manage it. 1 sounds like a hard class, but I could see it happening.

 

[red10]

I had a prof who wouldn't give an A+ unless you got 100% of points. But it was still possible to get an A and an A-. Check out the syllabus if you're worried. But that sounds like an exageration

 

[sgtbrushes]

The OP and almost everyone else are talking about two different things. The OP implied that the second highest grade in the class, regardless of what total percentage of points he has earned, the Professor gives a B to. It sounds like everyone else is saying, "He grades too hard if only one person earns a 90 or above."

Either way, less than 1% of the class walks away with an A, then the class doesn't have a fair distribution of grades.

 

[red10]

The OP and almost everyone else are talking about two different things. The OP implied that the second highest grade in the class, regardless of what total percentage of points he has earned, the Professor gives a B to. It sounds like everyone else is saying, "He grades too hard if only one person earns a 90 or above."

Either way, less than 1% of the class walks away with an A, then the class doesn't have a fair distribution of grades.

Most of the time if a prof sets a grading scale like 900/1000 points is an A at the beginning of the semester, the have to give you AT LEAST the grade you earn. So if the #1 person gets a 999/1000 and the #2 person gets above that 900/1000, the prof has to give them both an A. If he doesn't set a scale in the beginning and just says it is curved, then he may be able to do w/e he pleases, but it's really hard for me to believe that a prof would give out 1 A and everyone else gets B+s or below.

Like I said. Check the syllabus

 

[RogueUnicorn]

i had an analytic chem professor who graded on a perfect bell curve a class of 25. one A, 2 A-. period.

 

[anonymousername]

when did the whole concept of learning material and being graded on it get so diluted?

At the risk of sounding naive:

I still have trouble swallowing the fact that a professor can be content with themselves after the class average is below 70%. They have obviously failed to teach the material and the class obviously did not learn it to a sufficient degree. As much as I hate to say it, the high school grading system is much more fair. You earn the grade that you get.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

when did the whole concept of learning material and being graded on it get so diluted?

At the risk of sounding naive:

I still have trouble swallowing the fact that a professor can be content with themselves after the class average is below 70%. They have obviously failed to teach the material and the class obviously did not learn it to a sufficient degree. As much as I hate to say it, the high school grading system is much more fair. You earn the grade that you get.

this is predicated on the flawed premise that the test grades are directly correlated with learning in a 90-100=excellent knowledge fashion.

 

[anonymousername]

this is predicated on the flawed premise that the test grades are directly correlated with learning in a 90-100=excellent knowledge fashion.

well if the exam that the professor writes is indicative of what the class is expected to know (from what has been taught in class and assignments) then yes, the grading scale should be fair.

on the contrary, if the professor writes an exam that the majority of the class fails with an average of 50% would you consider it a good indication of knowledge and understanding?

 

[s1lver]

Hate profs like this. Can they be reported? 😡

 

[akinetopsia]

There should be no reason why you cannot be that A, if you learn the material well and are able to take tests well. You have to play the game, and there just aren't as many options in a lot of schools now, sometimes sections are only taught in the fall, or two sections are taught but one is at night, and/or one is super early in the morning, which, depending on your schedule and responsibilities, may not be convenient.

Moreover, I find the opposite experience, that in a lot of places, grades are inflated. I've been in classes where exam averages are in the 60s, let say a 62 for argument's sake, and it gets normalized to 70 for it to be a "C". 70-79 = C, 80-89 = B, 90-100 = A, and some throw in minuses for fun. That looks way better than having the majority of the class get a D or F, I guess, but it also makes my mid-upper 90s work look less meaningful when I'm compared to someone that got a low-mid 80s the entire semester and ended up with the same grade as me. But.. I am not bitter, I promise.

I'm a nontrad, and it's annoying to hear people whine about grades now, or pray to the "I-hope-there's-a-curve" gods. You should prepare yourself for classes in such a way to put your best foot forward and give yourself the best chance to be successful, and not prepare yourself in such a way that you are at the mercy of the curve. PSA over.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Or you could dodge the system and take the class with someone else. 😛 Dodging the system is sort of what med school admission is all about anyway, so why not get started early?

 

[J ROD]

instead of complaining about the system, why not just pony up, hit the books hard and be the 1 student who gets an a.

 

[vin5cent0]

Yeah that's a bit ridiculous..

Our class of ~85, only 4 A's. I'm not one of them. Ouch.

 

[minicow]

my chem and bio prof do this whole drop-the-lowest-grade thing
chem-drop lowest test score and possibly lowest lab
bio-drops a few quizes

and then what youre left with is an A if 89.5+, B if 79.5+, etc

i think it works pretty well....

and hell theres still a nice bell curve in grade distribution!

 

[ChiDO]

Oh, the good ole days of college...haha. I once had to write a paper for an honors seminar class. Wrote a draft, talked to the teacher about it, re-worked it, submitted my final draft for a proofread, he worked out all the kinks, I corrected the parts he suggested...final grade on the paper...C-. HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH

Teachers who are dicks like that or grade the class that only 5 people get A's are just ******ed. I had another class...think it was literature or some english bull**** class needed for graduation requirements. Needless to say, here was our grading scale.

98-100: A/A+ (both earned you a 4.0)
95-97: A-
93-94: B+
90-92: B
88-89: B-

Ya...I wanted to punch him in the face when I saw the grading scale...like seriously. Also, my college decided to change the grading scales after my 2nd year, where they started giving out "-" and "+" grades that counted towards GPA (B- = 2.75 B=3.0 B+=3.25 A-=3.75 A/A+=4.0)....yay college!

 

[minicow]

why cant they just add (+)s to grade?

A=90+
B+=85+
B=80+
C+=75+

i mean daaaamn
since when was a 93 any less of an A?(unless theres extra credit that adds 5 points to your entire grade) 😀

 

[gibbons482]

Teachers who are dicks like that or grade the class that only 5 people get A's are just ******ed. I had another class...think it was literature or some english bull**** class needed for graduation requirements. Needless to say, here was our grading scale.

98-100: A/A+ (both earned you a 4.0)
95-97: A-
93-94: B+
90-92: B
88-89: B-

Ya...I wanted to punch him in the face when I saw the grading scale...like seriously. Also, my college decided to change the grading scales after my 2nd year, where they started giving out "-" and "+" grades that counted towards GPA (B- = 2.75 B=3.0 B+=3.25 A-=3.75 A/A+=4.0)....yay college!

THis was and still is the grading scale for my old university. It's a private school, doesn't curve or give extra credit, and the classes are challenging. You earn your grades there. Notice I said OLD university. I switched to a cheaper public college.

 

[beatsdre]

Why do that to yourself?

I found out the hard way.

I went the route where I go work my ass off for a crappy B, while all my friends went to schools that had easy ochem reps and got handfuls of A's.

Noone cares about your grade in the end. Admissions wont care either. Dont' be stupid and jeopardize your grade, and to akinetopsia, I suggest not taking that advice.

You can say all you want that you'll study the crap out of it, but theres always a big chance that the prof might screw you over- or that you just don't get ochem and get a B or lower. It's not worth the risk, take it at an easier university. You'll have more fun in college and still be just as prepared for medical school. Don't be stupid.You will probably end up with a B or worse and it's hella hard to pull that crap up.

 

[JJMrK]

when did the whole concept of learning material and being graded on it get so diluted?

At the risk of sounding naive:

I still have trouble swallowing the fact that a professor can be content with themselves after the class average is below 70%. They have obviously failed to teach the material and the class obviously did not learn it to a sufficient degree. As much as I hate to say it, the high school grading system is much more fair. You earn the grade that you get.

What's the "high school" grading system you're talking about?

 

[minicow]

What's the "high school" grading system you're talking about?

the one where they wont let you fail a lazy kid anymore!!

 

[ReptarBar]

youre being played. your friend is really a gunner thats trying to prevent you from taking an easy professor.

 

[anonymousername]

What's the "high school" grading system you're talking about?

professor writes 3 exams and a final worth 60% and 30% of the overall grade respectively.
student gets 84% on all 3 exams and final so student gets a B in the class

the average is irrelevant and neither the exams or overall grade are curved.

The fact that a curve will help a university level class is besides the point. I think it is unreasonable for the majority of a 600+ student class to fail an exam and for the professor to be satisfied that the majority of students understood less than half of what he put on the exam.

but hey, i guess that's just me and I can't do too much about it

 

[crasiman]

There should be no reason why you cannot be that A, if you learn the material well and are able to take tests well. You have to play the game, and there just aren't as many options in a lot of schools now, sometimes sections are only taught in the fall, or two sections are taught but one is at night, and/or one is super early in the morning, which, depending on your schedule and responsibilities, may not be convenient.

Moreover, I find the opposite experience, that in a lot of places, grades are inflated. I've been in classes where exam averages are in the 60s, let say a 62 for argument's sake, and it gets normalized to 70 for it to be a "C". 70-79 = C, 80-89 = B, 90-100 = A, and some throw in minuses for fun. That looks way better than having the majority of the class get a D or F, I guess, but it also makes my mid-upper 90s work look less meaningful when I'm compared to someone that got a low-mid 80s the entire semester and ended up with the same grade as me. But.. I am not bitter, I promise.

I'm a nontrad, and it's annoying to hear people whine about grades now, or pray to the "I-hope-there's-a-curve" gods. You should prepare yourself for classes in such a way to put your best foot forward and give yourself the best chance to be successful, and not prepare yourself in such a way that you are at the mercy of the curve. PSA over.

that's only really inflated if the exams/material covered are the same. Some professors just have a habit of writing very hard tests, harder than those of their colleagues. In that case I think it's appropriate for the grades to be normalized in some way.

 

[caseofthemndays]

I have heard that in large lecture classes, especially science, the professors write ridiculously hard tests (read: average 50%) or whatever so that the truly brilliant minds/hard workers will stand out. Then those who get 20% above the mean still get their A, but maybe not a LOR/research position...

 

[JJMrK]

professor writes 3 exams and a final worth 60% and 30% of the overall grade respectively.
student gets 84% on all 3 exams and final so student gets a B in the class

the average is irrelevant and neither the exams or overall grade are curved.

Probably half of my science classes have been some form of that.

 

[anonymousername]

you're lucky. most of my non science classes are graded like that but all the science classes I've taken (and plan on taking) have an adjusted grading scale

 

[JJMrK]

you're lucky. most of my non science classes are graded like that but all the science classes I've taken (and plan on taking) have an adjusted grading scale

To be honest, I always end up working much harder in straight-scale courses. There's no curve to bail you out.

 

[Snake Doctor]

To be honest, I always end up working much harder in straight-scale courses. There's no curve to bail you out.

Same here. You can make more mistakes when it's curved

 

[akinetopsia]

Noone cares about your grade in the end. Admissions wont care either. Dont' be stupid and jeopardize your grade, and to akinetopsia, I suggest not taking that advice.

You can say all you want that you'll study the crap out of it, but theres always a big chance that the prof might screw you over- or that you just don't get ochem and get a B or lower. It's not worth the risk, take it at an easier university. You'll have more fun in college and still be just as prepared for medical school. Don't be stupid.You will probably end up with a B or worse and it's hella hard to pull that crap up.

Not taking what advice? Not working hard or preparing yourself for your classes and actually understanding material? I agree that some curving is probably a good idea - as other people have said when the tests written are very difficult, and the class averages across a section, or multiple sections, are in the upper 50s or lower 60s, then yes, it is most likely a difficult test and accommodations should be made to normalize the scores. However, if there are several 100s or a bunch of people in the upper 90s, that can be indicative of something else, i.e. an apathetic section that is just doing enough to get by (and there's nothing wrong with that if all you are doing is just trying to graduate).

What advice did I give exactly other than saying you have to play the game? I think the only advice I gave was to prepare yourself for your class and do as best as you can, that way you aren't depending on the curve. Sometimes taking the easy way out isn't an option. Organic is a difficult class for most people, but it is doable. What's wrong with being prepared and consistently putting in time to do well in it?

Enlighten me if I said something different than that, or implied something different.

 

[Compass]

Talk about cut-throat.

 

[Danae00]

.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Enlighten me if I said something different than that, or implied something different.

To me, your post read as though you were saying "So what? Just get the A." which is a fairly absurd position, if that's really what you were trying to convey. You can work hard and understand everything just fine but still not be at the top of your class. If it's "playing the game" that you want to do, that would involve coasting to good grades as much as possible vs. clawing tooth-and-nail for them.

 

[chiz2kul]

Why do that to yourself?

I found out the hard way.

I went the route where I go work my ass off for a crappy B, while all my friends went to schools that had easy ochem reps and got handfuls of A's.

Noone cares about your grade in the end. Admissions wont care either. Dont' be stupid and jeopardize your grade, and to akinetopsia, I suggest not taking that advice.

You can say all you want that you'll study the crap out of it, but theres always a big chance that the prof might screw you over- or that you just don't get ochem and get a B or lower.

I'm with you on this one sir.

 

[CoffeeCzar]

Many of my professors have a serious disconnect with the needs of students in their classes. Yes, we all want to learn the material. But grades matter much more today than they were in the past and I feel many older professors either don't understand this or just feel like making a statement. I'm not arguing for grade inflation or awarding 4.0's to students who haven't mastered the material. I am, however, arguing an honest opportunity to do well in a course that is graded fairly and transparently.

Some classes are hard because you don't know what the teacher will test on or the materials for the class are underdeveloped. My favorite classes are ones that are hard, yet the teacher gives you all the materials you need to succeed. My biochem was like this. We had lecture recordings, detailed course packs, recorded reviews and old exams. You only had yourself to blame for doing poorly. This is the impression all teachers should leave on their students. Unfortunately, many upper level research scientists who teach give the impression that they have a bone to pick with our generation more than they want us to learn the material and do well.

 

[allinthecookies]

Makes me love my OChem class...we have a preset curve.
100-80 = A/A-
79-70 = B
69-60 = C
59-50 = D
49-0 = F

All the Ochem classes at my school have this, but some teachers curve on top of the curve...especially the ones whos class averages have been in the 40's 😵. I'm taking one of the more difficult professors and our averages are still in the high 60's each test, he's apparently very impressed by our performance.

 

[JJMrK]

Makes me love my OChem class...we have a preset curve.
100-80 = A/A-
79-70 = B
69-60 = C
59-50 = D
49-0 = F

All the Ochem classes at my school have this, but some teachers curve on top of the curve...especially the ones whos class averages have been in the 40's 😵. I'm taking one of the more difficult professors and our averages are still in the high 60's each test, he's apparently very impressed by our performance.

Wow, life is extremely good if you have a curve like that.

 

[StormingWynn]

Makes me love my OChem class...we have a preset curve.
100-80 = A/A-
79-70 = B
69-60 = C
59-50 = D
49-0 = F

All the Ochem classes at my school have this, but some teachers curve on top of the curve...especially the ones whos class averages have been in the 40's 😵. I'm taking one of the more difficult professors and our averages are still in the high 60's each test, he's apparently very impressed by our performance.

What school do you go to? I want in. 🙄

 

[TooMuchResearch]

Heard this story from a friend who was ranked #2 in the entire class, but received a final grade of B+. The Prof. apparently awarded an "A" to only the top grade. Initially I thought that this person was lying, but has anyone else had this experience? Heard of anyone experiencing this?

I got the only A in Organic II. The class had about 35 people, and it was the only section.

 

[avo]

Makes me love my OChem class...we have a preset curve.
100-80 = A/A-
79-70 = B
69-60 = C
59-50 = D
49-0 = F

All the Ochem classes at my school have this, but some teachers curve on top of the curve...especially the ones whos class averages have been in the 40's 😵. I'm taking one of the more difficult professors and our averages are still in the high 60's each test, he's apparently very impressed by our performance.

I'm surprised that other people are surprised by this curve. I'm a chem major, so I've had my fair share of high-level science classes. I go to a large public university and I'd say that curve is pretty much common for the science classes I've taken, if not even better. My second inorganic chem class, in particular, had the cutoff for an A at around 70 percent. Organic, iirc, ended up around 80 both semesters, and biochem was around an 85. The physical chem class in which I am currently enrolled has actually been the class with the highest exam averages, around 80 percent for both so far, although the class is a mix between undergrads/grad students. Furthermore, the professor's exams contain 120+ points, and only 100 are required for a 100 on the exam. At the start of the class, he stated a 90 would be required for an A, but said the standards might relax. Either way you look at it, you need basically a 75 for an A in this class.

 

[JJMrK]

I'm surprised that other people are surprised by this curve. I'm a chem major, so I've had my fair share of high-level science classes. I go to a large public university and I'd say that curve is pretty much common for the science classes I've taken, if not even better. My second inorganic chem class, in particular, had the cutoff for an A at around 70 percent. Organic, iirc, ended up around 80 both semesters, and biochem was around an 85. The physical chem class in which I am currently enrolled has actually been the class with the highest exam averages, around 80 percent for both so far, although the class is a mix between undergrads/grad students. Furthermore, the professor's exams contain 120+ points, and only 100 are required for a 100 on the exam. At the start of the class, he stated a 90 would be required for an A, but said the standards might relax. Either way you look at it, you need basically a 75 for an A in this class.

That sounds like grade inflation at its finest.