+/- system blows

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18 credits, 5 A's and 1 A- = 3.95 whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!

 

[Osakhomen]

18 credits, 5 A's and 1 A- = 3.95 whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!

3.95 is pretty amazing.

I like the +/- system... especially when it's a B+ instead of a B or B-.

 

[JESSFALLING]

I think the answer is going to vary for every individual based upon their transcripts. Some combinations of grades, like yours above, obviously favor a strict B=3, A=4 system; whereas, you will find many other examples that produce a higher GPA when considering +/-. TMDSAS doesn't consider +/-, so you can always apply in Texas 😎.

It's debatable, but 3.95 is as good as 4.0 for admissions purposes

 

[Stumpyman]

I always get A-'s.... thank God I'm in Texas

 

[TheGloaming]

18 credits, 5 A's and 1 A- = 3.95 whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!

Totally agree.... I've had 4 semesters all A's except one A-, for each semester. Ya, I realize this is far from anything to complain about but its just being that close to a 4.0 and one stupid A- has to blow it all.

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

WTF I'd be happy if +/- was 3.95. Ours is 3.7 without the extra .05. 🙁
Other than that, I usually get A's in the 92's or 93's so I don't like having to work extra hard to get a 94 or up to get a solid A when other people can get a 90.1 or even 89.7 and get the same letter grade.
It does blow.

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

I always get A-'s.... thank God I'm in Texas

Everything is bigger in Texas.... I mean better!

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Which is why I believe an A is an A. The +/- grading system should only apply to B's below.

 

[JESSFALLING]

Which is why I believe an A is an A. The +/- grading system should only apply to B's below.

That would be a nice change

 

[Whatyousay]

First world problems...

 

[Narmerguy]

I used to hate the +/- system, but in all honesty, it's fair. The difficulty between maintaining an 89 average and an 80 average should be acknowledged. Similarly, getting a 90 vs getting a 95 should be acknowledged.

 

[Ismet]

I used to hate the +/- system, but in all honesty, it's fair. The difficulty between maintaining an 89 average and an 80 average should be acknowledged. Similarly, getting a 90 vs getting a 95 should be acknowledged.

+1. Just scraping by with a 90 shouldn't give you a 4.0 A.

 

[blizzah]

18 credits, 5 A's and 1 A- = 3.95 whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!

What if your A- in the other system would be considered a B?


And jeez. Another OMG only a 3.9x GPA what will I do post. These need to stop

 

[ISUBird100]

Coming from a school without a +/- grading scale, I felt very fortunate to not have to deal with all that. I could think of several instances where I had barely made an A or a B; giving me a 4.0 or 3.0 for those classes. I do; however, know people that received an 89.x in their class, only to have that counted as a regular B.

 

[JRG]

My only gripe with the system is the lack of an A+. I know it doesn't work with the 4.0 system but it would be nice if acing a class did a little more for you. It also invites professors to make strict A/A- cutoffs, like at 95% in my anatomy class.

 

[gmcguitar4]

This happened my last semester..5 A's....and my jazz bass teacher gives me a freakin A-??? ended up with like a 3.98 for the semester. The class was only 1 credit.

 

[aranza]

I used to hate the +/- system, but in all honesty, it's fair. The difficulty between maintaining an 89 average and an 80 average should be acknowledged. Similarly, getting a 90 vs getting a 95 should be acknowledged.

At my school :

4.0: 85-100
3.7: 80-84
3.3: 77-79
3.0: 73-75
2.7: 68-72
2.3: 62-66

But the Professors' make it their duty to make sure only a couple of people actually get an 85+

 

[MedicHopeful]

First world problems...

lol. +1

 

[blizzah]

At my school :

4.0: 85-100
3.7: 80-84
3.3: 77-79
3.0: 73-75
2.7: 68-72
2.3: 62-66

But the Professors' make it their duty to make sure only a couple of people actually get an 85+

I assume U of T.

If by couple, you mean 10-15% minimum...

 

[akszp4]

18 credits, 5 A's and 1 A- = 3.95 whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!

I feel you big time! Physics was a A- and World History was a A-. I will be forever scarred.

 

[Stumpyman]

At my school :

4.0: 85-100
3.7: 80-84
3.3: 77-79
3.0: 73-75
2.7: 68-72
2.3: 62-66

But the Professors' make it their duty to make sure only a couple of people actually get an 85+

I assume U of T.

If by couple, you mean 10-15% minimum...

I wish my school had that scale 🙁 ..... I've heard U of T is seriously hard to actually get A's in though

 

[patineurMD]

My only gripe with the system is the lack of an A+. I know it doesn't work with the 4.0 system but it would be nice if acing a class did a little more for you. It also invites professors to make strict A/A- cutoffs, like at 95% in my anatomy class.

This!

My high school actually had a provision for that where a 98-100 was weighted as a 4.5 - definitely missed having that in college.

 

[scarshapedstar]

+1. Just scraping by with a 90 shouldn't give you a 4.0 A.

Soooooomebody didn't go to an engineering school.

 

[kpcrew]

more like your studying blows

 

[Isoprop]

They should eliminate this grading system and just put down your final score on a 100 point scale.

 

[whatbout2morrow]

Blows when you're the guy with the A-.

Not so much when you're the guy with the B+.

 

[TheGloaming]

WTF I'd be happy if +/- was 3.95. Ours is 3.7 without the extra .05. 🙁
Other than that, I usually get A's in the 92's or 93's so I don't like having to work extra hard to get a 94 or up to get a solid A when other people can get a 90.1 or even 89.7 and get the same letter grade.
It does blow.

I believe he/she is saying his overall GPA is a 3.95 rather than a single A- being a 3.95. At first I thought the same thing.

 

[eHombre]

At my school :

4.0: 85-100
3.7: 80-84
3.3: 77-79
3.0: 73-75
2.7: 68-72
2.3: 62-66

But the Professors' make it their duty to make sure only a couple of people actually get an 85+

Jeez, that sounds like a grading system from high school. Unless you're taking a standardized test what does an 89 average even mean? As objective as they sound, those numbers are completely arbitrary. (Not criticizing your post, just a general rant against "objective" grading.)

Curved grades are an acknowledgement that both the testmaker and test-taker are human. In reality, when the professor writes up the exam, he or she doesn't actually know how hard of an exam it's going to be for the students.

As an example, my graduate advisor would often ask me to pre-take his undergraduate students' organic chemistry exams to check the difficulty. If I wasn't able to calmly finish the exam within 25-30% of the total time allotted to the students, he'd lop off a set of questions. This was pretty common practice in my department.

Grades were subsequently determined pretty arbitrarily by slicing up the exam grade distribution curve and setting the median to a B (this was an Ivy, so a bit of grade inflation there 🙄). Biphasic exam distributions made our lives easier, since there was a clear dividing line between grades. This all may sound horrifying, but my point is that it's no less arbitrary than saying that a "B+ = 77-79". I prefer it because it doesn't give the false sense of precision or objectivity.

 

[Mooglies]

I guess it depends where the A's get cut off for a -/+ system compared to a system that doesnt use plus and minuses. personally in texas and at a school that doesnt use +/-, and it's nice. But my primary app thingy-ma-jig for the texas system won't use +/- either, so it's kind of nice there too. Cool thing is when I blow the classes out of the water, use those profs to write me a LOR; so doing well will still show through in the process. If I really despise a class or subject like math, its when Id like the +/- system to be there. so instead of Bs, Id be getting B+s and A-s (might sound trivial, but I did bad my first year and its been following me around ever since. Real up hill battle.)

I do have a question. For those using the +/- what are the cut offs? Like whats an A-?? Please post! thanks.

 

[tiedyeddog]

I used to hate the +/- system, but in all honesty, it's fair. The difficulty between maintaining an 89 average and an 80 average should be acknowledged. Similarly, getting a 90 vs getting a 95 should be acknowledged.

I agree and I had maaannnnyyy A-'s during my undergraduate career. I would have hated making a 89.04 and then getting a B, while the a different person got the same grade with an 81.0.

 

[Mooglies]

I agree and I had maaannnnyyy A-'s during my undergraduate career. I would have hated making a 89.04 and then getting a B, while the a different person got the same grade with an 81.0.

Agree here. The gap for non +/- is pretty huge. Which can be frustrating sometimes. Which is why I wonder what constitutes an A-.

 

[Anesthetic]

Our school allows each professor to decide if they want to or do not want to use the +/- system. Typically a 94% or lower is an A-.

 

[Gigantron]

18 credits, 5 A's and 1 A- = 3.95 whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!

At least you didn't get 5 A's and 1 B (which would've ended up as a B+ or A- on the +/- system) *coughlikeme*

 

[Zealot111]

My university just started the +/- system about 2 years ago and since then my gpa has dropped about .05. Stupid A-

 

[scarshapedstar]

In Georgia the university system periodically threatens to institute +/- grading at Georgia Tech, solely to further deflate grades and drop more students from the state's HOPE scholarship program.

 

[kpcrew]

They should eliminate this grading system and just put down your final score on a 100 point scale.

agreed, i found out that i was ranked 5th out of like 60 in a class. i got an a- but i was so close to an a 🙁
happens but i've probably been the last guy at a grade before so i suppose it balances out in the end.

 

[akszp4]

Our school allows each professor to decide if they want to or do not want to use the +/- system. Typically a 94% or lower is an A-.

Same at my uni.

 

[mipp0]

What scares me more than this thread is the realization that you will all be my colleagues...


You have a 3.97. You are a shame to us all.

FWP. (First world problem).

 

[pfaction]

+1. Just scraping by with a 90 shouldn't give you a 4.0 A.

I hope you realize a lot of grading systems in graduate and medical fields go by
90=A
80=B
70=C

...

 

[Ismet]

I hope you realize a lot of grading systems in graduate and medical fields go by
90=A
80=B
70=C

...

The grading systems at most of the schools I have interviewed at are P/F for first 2 years and H/P/F for last 2 years, and I believe most medical schools are on some system of P/F or H/P/F.

I'm not saying the non+/- scale is entirely bad...my GPA would be higher if my A-'s counted as A's. But my GPA would be lower if it weren't for B+'s. To each his own.

 

[pfaction]

Oh. At my school, undergrad (pre-3rd year pharm) is 93=A, etc. Then we enter the real world where 90=A and scaled in such fashion.

 

[alexandertg6]

18 credits, 5 A's and 1 A- = 3.95 whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!

whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy are you so neurotic????? focus on your ECs and living a normal human life rather than your horrific gpa 🙂

 

[Ismet]

Oh. At my school, undergrad (pre-3rd year pharm) is 93=A, etc. Then we enter the real world where 90=A and scaled in such fashion.

the real world has grades? 😛

 

[STAT EKG]

They should eliminate this grading system and just put down your final score on a 100 point scale.

Definitely agree. It would be more fair that way.

I also think the MCAT shouldn't be scaled. Just give a raw score on each section. For example - Missing 6 and missing 12 on a section might both give someone a 10, meanwhile - missing 5 grants an 11. It's silly. Just add the raw scores.

 

[aranza]

I wish my school had that scale 🙁 ..... I've heard U of T is seriously hard to actually get A's in though

One of my professor's said UofT students have one of the lowest graduating GPAs in the country...from what I see I guess it could be true but I haven't seen proof

I assume U of T.

If by couple, you mean 10-15% minimum...

Only 38 people out of a class of 380 is kind of harsh...plus it depends on the Professor as well. One of my classes the average was a 3.0 (which apparently is too high for UofT) and the office of registrar told the Professor to bell-curve everyone down, but he didn't.

 

[lat3ralus65]

Well, you'll never get into medical school with A-'s on your record... 🙄

 

[MyBffPutin]

There is nothing more frustrating than getting an A- when you think you have an A. Especially when you total up your points and were only like 0.5% from an A.

 

[gettheleadout]

I used to hate the +/- system, but in all honesty, it's fair. The difficulty between maintaining an 89 average and an 80 average should be acknowledged. Similarly, getting a 90 vs getting a 95 should be acknowledged.

But then it's only fair if you acknowledge the difference in every direction and make an A+ a 4.0 and an A worth less.

One of my classes the average was a 3.0 (which apparently is too high for UofT) and the office of registrar told the Professor to bell-curve everyone down, but he didn't.

WTF? That's pathetic. 👎

Props to the professor for understanding the purpose of grading though. 👍

 

[kpcrew]

Definitely agree. It would be more fair that way.

I also think the MCAT shouldn't be scaled. Just give a raw score on each section. For example - Missing 6 and missing 12 on a section might both give someone a 10, meanwhile - missing 5 grants an 11. It's silly. Just add the raw scores.

and how does this system account for the differences between tests? the scoring shows how you rank against everyone who takes the test so it helps people who attend schools that have more rigorous grading standards

But then it's only fair if you acknowledge the difference in every direction and make an A+ a 4.0 and an A worth less.

WTF? That's pathetic. 👎

Props to the professor for understanding the purpose of grading though. 👍

how is a b average low?

 

[anbuitachi]

here in medical schoo... 68 to <85 = Pass... so getting a 68 and 84 is the same thing since they only keep track of letters and not numerical grade. 85-<90 = high pass... 90+ = honors