...Prof just now decides to disclose that only >95 is an A..I've never heard of a single class that grades like that 
What's an A at your college? I got a 94 average and got an A-..
- Thread starter premedked
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2011
- Messages
- 1,114
- Reaction score
- 8
Typically, >93% is an A at my University, although some professors have variations listed in their syllabus (e.g. >80%....love those Canadians....)
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2011
- Messages
- 59
- Reaction score
- 3
At my college, certain classes do state at the beginning of the semester that 95-100 is an A, 90-94 is an A-. You should refer to the class syllabus and see what's written there. If the professor decided to make a 94 an A- on a whim against the syllabus, then you could technically report that to Student Affairs and get it sorted out.
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2009
- Messages
- 3,470
- Reaction score
- 2,370
Most of my classes were >94 for an A. 95 is a little high, but not unheard of.
Wish the prof told us about his grading.. wouldn't have signed up otherwise. It was a class of 23 students and he said I was "one of the best"... I got a 97, 99, and 97 on the midterms and final and for the last assignment which he graded subjectively (not a science class) he gave me a 84...i'm pissed
(at my college 99% of the time a 92 or 93 is an A)
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2012
- Messages
- 1,157
- Reaction score
- 110
For us it's a 95% most cases. All my processors would probably bump up though to an A
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2011
- Messages
- 223
- Reaction score
- 9
Usually 93% for an A but it depends on the class. I have heard of some classes at my school that make the cut off 95% for the A so it's not really unusual I suppose.
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2009
- Messages
- 4,830
- Reaction score
- 2,702
Completely dependent on prof, at least at my alma.
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2011
- Messages
- 1,113
- Reaction score
- 6
That's just ridiculous. I've never heard of a professor blatantly stating they won't hand out A's. I mean, I know some are more reluctant to give them, but never a person who just wouldn't give them at all. They need to be fired/sacked. Too bad tenure exists.
- Joined
- May 18, 2012
- Messages
- 44
- Reaction score
- 2
Usually at my university a 93+ is an A; however, the professor decides the scale. My first semester I had a 94 in my calc class, but the professor gave me an A-. Then again in bio first semester, I had around a 90 and got an A. It really varies a lot. Kind of sucks, but nothing sucks more than .4 land (i.e. 89.4 and getting a B+).
- Joined
- May 17, 2009
- Messages
- 1,354
- Reaction score
- 761
It varies by class at my school....Prof just now decides to disclose that only >95 is an A..I've never heard of a single class that grades like that
Most science courses set an A to be >93
But other non-science classes have set an A to >95
Sorry to hear about that, most profs should state the grade cutoffs on the syllabus at the start of the semester, or make it clear that they haven't set any cutoffs and it's liable to change.
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2010
- Messages
- 11,808
- Reaction score
- 2,807
Ah, gotta love the grading at my University, no +/- in my college (a few within the University have it, but most don't) and never had a class with a higher A cutoff than 90%.
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2011
- Messages
- 1,113
- Reaction score
- 6
Ah, gotta love the grading at my University, no +/- in my college (a few within the University have it, but most don't) and never had a class with a higher A cutoff than 90%.
The trade off to this would be getting high 80s yields a B instead of a B+...
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2011
- Messages
- 15
- Reaction score
- 0
10 point scale, thankfully.
I do say, I find the whole +/- grading scheme to be way more subjective that a whole letter scheme. My undergrad was whole letter and you generally knew what the grading scale was and there was a curve or not, but usually a 90%=A. With this +/- thing, one professor could decide that 90-95 = A- and 96+ =A while for the same course in a different semester 90+=A and 87-90 =A-. Basically, some professors decide to split the A's evenly and some decide to use an A- as a booster to a B grade. I'm sure many people like it because you can now get a 3.5 or 3.7 in a class instead of a straight 3.0/4.0 but it makes the comparison value of grades even more meaningless.
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2010
- Messages
- 11,808
- Reaction score
- 2,807
Also means the greatest possible range for the highest possible grade. +/- vs straight letter grades is not a one-sided debate by any means, but I'd much rather have a 10+ point range for an A and know I have a greater chance of getting that grade from the outset than have to worry about an A-range half as large.
Yeah, people do get grades like 89.5-89.9 in courses here and get the same 3.0 GPA value as someone who gets an 80.0, but unless you do away with letter grade ranges entirely you're always going to have that element of "unfair" grouping of variably similar scores.
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2011
- Messages
- 15
- Reaction score
- 0
I see why a lot of students would like it, and I don't think the +/- scale is a bad idea, but I enjoy the comfort of know that if I at least get a 90 then I will get an A, which is one of the most important things for students like me. I suppose it depends on how your professor grades your exams. If the test are very subjective (written responses is mainly the problem here) then there is a greater chance to not get an A+.
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2010
- Messages
- 624
- Reaction score
- 5
We are on the 10 point scale. >90 A, 80-89 B, 70-79 C, so on.
I like it, i wouldn't want to have to worry about anymore watermarks than i do. I know if I'm above a 90 I'm getting the best grade available. I don't want to have to worry about the A+.
I like it, i wouldn't want to have to worry about anymore watermarks than i do. I know if I'm above a 90 I'm getting the best grade available. I don't want to have to worry about the A+.
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2011
- Messages
- 318
- Reaction score
- 2
I think it really depends on the professor. I have had about 4 professors through undergrad who say >90 is an A (10 point scale ) and some who say >92, 93, or 95 is an A.....it should be stated upfront in the syllabus IMO
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2010
- Messages
- 624
- Reaction score
- 5
Not if you got the 80!
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2012
- Messages
- 662
- Reaction score
- 1,044
Most classes I took had 90% or 93% as the cutoff, or curved so 15% get an A. Funny enough, the classes at my school where the curve was really strict (95% or 97% to get an A !!!!!!) were from so-called easy classes like music lit or online sociology.
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2011
- Messages
- 1,171
- Reaction score
- 433
Most of my classes have taken had the A cutoff in the mid-high 80's though Chem II put the cutoff in the 70's.
Edit: That said, low cutoff =/= easy A. At my school professors write exams aiming for a 50-60% average so that they can have meaningful cutoffs for the top students versus the rest.
Edit: That said, low cutoff =/= easy A. At my school professors write exams aiming for a 50-60% average so that they can have meaningful cutoffs for the top students versus the rest.
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2011
- Messages
- 1,935
- Reaction score
- 51
An A at my university is a 89.5+.
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2011
- Messages
- 169
- Reaction score
- 1
That is some damn nice professors you got there. Most of my classes A range were at >93%, sometime 90%+ if im lucky. I am on the +/- scale.
I wouldn't say my professor was "nice" in terms of grading by any means. The average for both classes was in the 60s and the tests were as hard as it gets. Couple that with 250 other cutthroat premeds and you have yourself a very hard class lol.
- Joined
- May 14, 2009
- Messages
- 2,127
- Reaction score
- 3
I would take a 10 pt scale over +/- any day...nothing more annoying than an A-
Had a religion class taught by a religious guy. Grading was never stated in the syllabus but my grades were great so I never worried about it. ended up with a 96 = A-. I didn't care at the time as I wasn't originally planning on med school so I didn't argue nor attempt to find out what an A was in the class.
Bet it was highest grade = A, next 3 highest = A-, and so on.
Bet it was highest grade = A, next 3 highest = A-, and so on.
- Joined
- May 13, 2012
- Messages
- 242
- Reaction score
- 0
A lot of my science classes have ended up being 88s and 89s. But at my school, that's just a B, just like an 80.0. A LOT of my non-science classes were low As. They show up as just 'A.' The point is, I would take A-'s in those non-science classes if that meant getting credit for the work I did in the science classes, i.e., getting a B+. I actually think my overall GPA would dip if we had +/- like I wanted, but that would be fine with me, since it would show I do relatively well in science classes. Oh well.
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2011
- Messages
- 1,375
- Reaction score
- 15
93 an A... but for some classes, like organic lab, at my uni. the average grade in the course becomes a C... my friend got at 81 in org. lab but sine the average was around an 81 he got a C.
- Joined
- May 13, 2010
- Messages
- 253
- Reaction score
- 0
...Prof just now decides to disclose that only >95 is an A..I've never heard of a single class that grades like that
I don't understand how your prof could just 'decide now' instead of at the beginning of the term? That seems unfair. Eh unless this is the beginning of the term, summer I? I have been out for almost a year
I only had two classes where the requirements for an A were 93% (Microbiology) and 94% (Engineering Statistics). The rest hovered around 92%, but organic chemistry usually is 90%.
And I never had any kind of curve for my classes.
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2010
- Messages
- 155
- Reaction score
- 1
90-100 a
86-89 b+
80-85 b
86-89 b+
80-85 b
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2011
- Messages
- 213
- Reaction score
- 80
Yeah my school it's >94 is an A. We don't give A + or A -, but there are pluses and minuses for B's, C's, etc.
While it does suck sometimes, it also helps to separate you from the rest of your classmates if you put in the work...if it was a ten point scale, it'd be easier for more people to get an A.
While it does suck sometimes, it also helps to separate you from the rest of your classmates if you put in the work...if it was a ten point scale, it'd be easier for more people to get an A.
I think these borderline grades are the most important reason to be active in the class. I knew a girl who was constantly talking in class and generally disruptive who got an 89.7 and she ended up with a B. I was stressing after a couple of mid-80s tests in another class by the same teacher the following semester and was worried I'd end up with a 89.x and she told me not to worry about it if it happened, she would round up if it did. I ended up killing the next two tests (97 and 96) so it was a moot point, but it really emphasized for me how important it is to be an active, productive member of the class on a daily basis.
2
235788
...Prof just now decides to disclose that only >95 is an A..I've never heard of a single class that grades like that
What was the mean/median grade for the class? I'm guessing it was VERY high (perhaps the prof made the tests too easy). The prof probably wants to maintain a certain number of A's, B's etc. So, maybe top 10% get an A, next 10% get an A-, etc.
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2011
- Messages
- 114
- Reaction score
- 0
The mean in school was supposed to be a C+. Half getting over, half getting half. It was more like a C- though because a lot of people drop when the think they're failing.
Professors didn't always stick to this. I had the 3rd highest grade out of lecture of 112 (started out with 130) and got a B+. 1 person got an A, 1 an A-, and two of us got a B+. Most of the class got Cs.
Professors didn't always stick to this. I had the 3rd highest grade out of lecture of 112 (started out with 130) and got a B+. 1 person got an A, 1 an A-, and two of us got a B+. Most of the class got Cs.
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2011
- Messages
- 175
- Reaction score
- 2
Must be nice. My exam scores for Orgo II were 95%, 94% and 92% and then a 93rd percentile on the ACS orgo exam (was our final exam) and I ended up with a B+ in the class. My school doesn't curve the ACS exam (just takes your raw score). I got 58/70 which was 93rd percentile but 82% raw. Knocked me from an A to a B+. I'm still pissed about it after a year and a half. Especially considering I missed an A- by 1 point.
2
235788
lol thats horrible. Thats about what I got and I got an "A-"; but had one exam grade of a high B
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2008
- Messages
- 735
- Reaction score
- 203
Depends on the professor at my school. Most classes outside of the sciences do have strict cutoffs based on a ten point scale (93 or 94+ is an A, 90-93ish is an A-, etc). In the sciences, my experience is that about half of the professors established a grading scale and the other half did not.
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2006
- Messages
- 1,942
- Reaction score
- 166
That kind of crap is irritating. What kind of curve is that? What is the professor trying to prove?
Nonsense like this "curve" is why being smart in choosing the right professors is often important (assuming theres multiple profs for a class), either by word of mouth, ratemyprofessors, or school evals.
- Joined
- May 22, 2011
- Messages
- 151
- Reaction score
- 0
top 10 usnwr school
most premed classes curved to b-/c+
otherwise, if grading was based on numeric scale and not curved, i've only seen 93 at my school.
most premed classes curved to b-/c+
otherwise, if grading was based on numeric scale and not curved, i've only seen 93 at my school.
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2009
- Messages
- 16,404
- Reaction score
- 7,618
This is how it should be.
Similar threads
