Why I Hate GPA Systems

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i agree. but it also makes you work harder for that A. gotta love it lol
 
90 = A- = 3.7
89 = B+ = 3.3

|- 1% class average = 11% GPA difference

Anyone else agree that this is problematic?

Not really... it just means a slightly lower resolution view of your grades. Sure, at times it'd be nice if it weren't the case but averaged over 120+ units (~40 classes) it's really not that significant. Just get the A or A-. The cutoffs have to be drawn somewhere so stay as far away from them as possible and you'll be safe. At least it's "better" than A=4.0, B=3.0, etc... actually, most people like the latter better but that's even lower resolution!
 
OP, don't stress about it too much. It is like that at most other schools, so everyone else is in the same position. The problem is focusing on one grade too closely, as some one else said, it will all average out in the long run.
 
I agree, but what about 90=A=4.0 and 89=B=3.0

That's how it is at my school. You'll have that wherever. It's life, it happens.

ouch dude. that makes me cringe lol.

might i add..my school 90=A=4.0 but a 89=B+=3.5

it makes no sense, because my school gpa is not representative of my AMCAS gpa.
 
ouch dude. that makes me cringe lol.

might i add..my school 90=A=4.0 but a 89=B+=3.5

it makes no sense, because my school gpa is not representative of my AMCAS gpa.

That's... strange. To say the least. Why would they do that? Which school is this?
 
ouch dude. that makes me cringe lol.

might i add..my school 90=A=4.0 but a 89=B+=3.5

it makes no sense, because my school gpa is not representative of my AMCAS gpa.

that B may not be representative but that A is pretty bad ass👍
the world should do away with the A- XD
 
This goes both ways. If you had an 89 and managed to get one extra point, your GPA would improve by 11%.
 
my friends are all celebrating not having to take tests anymore and graduating with 2.5's while I sit at home studying meaningless bullsh*t hoping that I will have the honor to be tested for the rest of my life.
 
let's just try to remember how lucky we all are to be in a place in life where our most pressing worries can be our GPAs.
 
90 = A- = 3.7
89 = B+ = 3.3

|- 1% class average = 11% GPA difference

Anyone else agree that this is problematic?

Just to clarify, the following arguments are invalid, stupid, and in some contexts, dangerous:

"That's life."
"**** happens."
"It happens in other places, so it's okay here."
"Everyone else has to deal with it, so it's fair."

Lemme guess, you got a 89% B+.
 
I'm confused. Are you saying only 1% of the class gets a proper A or A+????

That's really sucky. Should be at least 10% of the class if a normal bell curve.

No, he's saying that a 1% decrease in your actual grade results in an 11% decrease in the "grade" that counts for your GPA.
 
This goes both ways. If you had an 89 and managed to get one extra point, your GPA would improve by 11%.

Exactly.

I'm not going to complain right now, since I don't mind my GPA.🙄

But, I do agree with you that it is a little unfair. In fact, the entire American college system should/needs to make some serious changes in a lot of areas. The GPA issue is just the tip of the iceberg.
 
Let's look at it in the sense that it seems unfair.

Why is it a 90 = 3.7? Looking at it in the scale sense the OP brings up, a real 90 would be .9 * 4 = 3.6. Yet some schools grant a 3.7. And only a 100 would be a 4.0. Of course then this scale would just be your average out of 100 in a 4 point range.

The point is, you gain some and you lose some. Though I agree, there are a few jumps in the system that are annoying.
 
My school also does 90-100=A=4.0 and 80-89=B=3.0...It kind of sucks but really I think it events out...Any Bs I got would have been B+'s and a few of my As would have been A-'s had I gone to a school that used the +/- system.

Most of my friends who attend different colleges don't go to schools that use the +/- system even though it seems to be the norm at most schools...Strange...
 
At my university we use a slightly different GPA scale. An A constitutes 90-100% and the entire range is a 4.0

Likewise, a B is anywhere from 80%-89% and counts as a 3.0

No pluses or minuses. Great when you get a low A which would traditionally be counted as an A-, but sucks a lot when you get a B (or B+) and have it count as a traditional B-
 
At my school, a 90 is a 4.0 and an 89 is a 3.0. Personally, I like it.

Same here. I much prefer this over other grading scales. Some professors at my school don't even round up if it's 89.9. Sometimes, it just is what it is.
 
Is a 3.66 considered a B+ or A-? Not according to any specifc school, just generally. If "Theory" is talking generally and not about his school's specific GPA system then nevermind.
 
Is a 3.66 considered a B+ or A-? Not according to any specifc school, just generally. If "Theory" is talking generally and not about his school's specific GPA system then nevermind.

B+ I think.
 
My school changed grading systems my sophmore or junior year (don't remember), but they added +/- in. Needless to say, many of my teachers decided to do their own thing in regards on how to give out +/-.

Physics:
90 - A = 4.0
86-89 - A- = 3.7 🙂
82-85 - B+ = 3.3

Some Literature Class:
95+ - A = 4.0
92-94 - A- = 3.7
89-92 - B+ = 3.3 🙄

So, my physics teacher helped out the class by moving the "minus" into the B range, because he felt that if you got a 90%, or an A you deserve the 4.0, so he moved the A- down to help more students out.

In the lit class, we just got owned.
 
My university is: GPA = (Average in class - 50)/15 or 16 + 1. Where GPA is rounded to the nearest tenth. So a 95% is either a 4.0 or a 3.8.
 
It's more frustrating to me that it varies so much, even within a university. Here, and A can range to the top of the curve to a 93 or even a 96, and that it's not necessarily consistent even between different sections of the same course. So an A student with the easy grader may have earned a B+ or A- with a tougher professor.

Then again, I have certainly benefited from the system. I didn't do well in physical chem or linear algebra, but my 80-85% averages actually earned me A's in both courses.

That's why the MCAT is the great equalizer, I suppose.
 
I have always thought that on a 4.0 scale

85%+ = A = 4.0


Then again, im in canada
 
At my school, a 90 is a 4.0 and an 89 is a 3.0. Personally, I like it.

I think I would too


Please come up with a better evaluation system and quit your whining.

Perhaps a sliding gpa where a 4.0 = 100, 3.9 = 99, 3.8 = 98 and so forth. Sure everyone's GPA will drop but it will be a lot more representative of how you did in a class than treating everyone from 100-93 the same. You could group it 4.0 = 100-99, 3.9 = 98-97 or anything but these random jumps and wild ranges. A 3.5 GPA wouldn't be so bad in the first case 😛 95% average. But this would severely require our perceptions of what a "good" gpa to change.
 
I think I would too




Perhaps a sliding gpa where a 4.0 = 100, 3.9 = 99, 3.8 = 98 and so forth. Sure everyone's GPA will drop but it will be a lot more representative of how you did in a class than treating everyone from 100-93 the same. You could group it 4.0 = 100-99, 3.9 = 98-97 or anything but these random jumps and wild ranges. A 3.5 GPA wouldn't be so bad in the first case 😛 95% average. But this would severely require our perceptions of what a "good" gpa to change.

Good thing you did not do my school's grading system, then. :laugh:
 
90 = A- = 3.7
89 = B+ = 3.3

|- 1% class average = 11% GPA difference

Anyone else agree that this is problematic?

Just to clarify, the following arguments are invalid, stupid, and in some contexts, dangerous:

"That's life."
"**** happens."
"It happens in other places, so it's okay here."
"Everyone else has to deal with it, so it's fair."

Am I the only one who sees it as a 1 percent class average increase will increase your GPA by 11 percent? Score!
 
In many cases, it evens out. In others, it doesn't. Every time I'm inclined to complain, I'm reminded that other students have it much worse than most of us. At Hopkins, if a 94 is average, the curve is based on that score. So if you get a 95, you may only be in the B range.
 
In many cases, it evens out. In others, it doesn't. Every time I'm inclined to complain, I'm reminded that other students have it much worse than most of us. At Hopkins, if a 94 is average, the curve is based on that score. So if you get a 95, you may only be in the B range.

Thus why I would never go to that school. Any environment that competitive can't be healthy.
 
I also hate profs that do not round off the final grade - 89.8 is a B+ and 90-92 is an A-

.2? Really?!? That's like half a question wrong on an exam!
 
Please come up with a better evaluation system and quit your whining.

yeah, it's too bad all of the arguments that the OP deemed as "invalid, stupid, and in some contexts, dangerous" are the most applicable here
 
Well a GPA system isn't that bad..

Think of it like this... everyone applying to medical school WANTS to become a doctor (for the most part at least). But what sets everyone apart?
Their drive, their determination ..... ultimately how much each individual "wants it" . That's the bottom line. If you want to become a doctor so badly, you WILL find the strength to go the extra mile and get the A , A- or whatever you think you can achieve.
 
In many cases, it evens out. In others, it doesn't. Every time I'm inclined to complain, I'm reminded that other students have it much worse than most of us. At Hopkins, if a 94 is average, the curve is based on that score. So if you get a 95, you may only be in the B range.

Now that's just ridiculous. Curving down? So just because everybody did well and/or the teacher made the test too easy, a 95% becomes a B?

I'm really not a fan of curves - I don't see why another person's performance should ultimately affect your grade that you earned for better or worse.
 
I'm really not a fan of curves - I don't see why another person's performance should ultimately affect your grade that you earned for better or worse.

Agreed, it does not encourage a good learning atmosphere.
 
Theory: The situation you describe is a common one across a broad spectrum of competitions. In some ways, school is a competition because not everyone will get to go to medical school, get admitted to the top law schools, etc. Think about sports where 1 point (or even 0.01th of a point in judged events) might separate a winner/winning team/champions from those we will never hear from again. It might even come down to a bad call from a referee, judge, etc. The GPA system you hate, for all its pros and cons, prepares you for "the way the world is" in many situations. That doesn't make it any easier, but it's hard to say that the GPA system you describe is going to hurt you in a major way. Medical school is no exception to this type of system of evaluation with its various "cutoffs."

For example, a small difference in ranking on a medical school application might translate into a big difference in medical school admissions. Let's say you were #201 out of a huge number of applicants to your top choice school. Let's also say they only admit 200. What the difference between #200 and #201? Applicants ranked #200 & 201 might even be virtually identical in terms of their ranked qualifications (same GPA, MCAT, school, activities, positions, interview ratings, etc.), and it came down to a mental coin toss to rank these two. Unfortunately, #201 isn't going to get in that year and perhaps never because there really are only 200 seats in the auditorium or whatever the more or less arbitrary basis for the exact cutoff count was.

Even if you fly past all the stages through life up through medical school, you might still just get edged out by just one applicant for a particular type of highly competitive residency (say Derm or Plastics) or maybe a particular program. Maybe your luggage was lost by the airline on your interview trip and you were more stressed than your nearest competitor in the interviews. The air conditioner rattled and you couldn't sleep a wink. Maybe you simply look a little too much like someone who was a very poor performer from years past, have the exact same name as the town drunk who ran over a 4th grader the day before or a wall street crook.

The redeeming feature in many of these situations is that you might have a handful of schools, programs, etc. you might want to go to and would be happy with. If you are that close to the razor's edge cutoff in one case, you could reasonably be on the "winning side" in other cases. If you are academically competitive (let's say you have mostly A's and some B's), do well on the MCAT, etc., you'll get into medical school, perhaps even to the school of your choice. It works out often enough, so to speak.

Life is often not "fair" in some sense. The situation you describe is perhaps much more objective than many other evaluations you face. You might get edged out for a position because your competitor is related to a famous person and other factors you have no control over.

However, chances are, everything is going to be OK in the end. In the off chance that this "B+" somehow bumps you off the track to the life of your dreams, you might find yourself on a new rail that turns out to be as good or even better in the end. It is very difficult to predict "what matters most" in a competition. The main thing is to focus on what you have control over and put your energy into those "high yield" areas where your efforts have the biggest payoff. Complaining about GPA systems is almost certainly "low yield" on the payoff scale.

Best of luck. I know these things can be very unpleasant at times, but it's sometimes better to simply keep moving forward, as difficult as that may be.
 
I also hate profs that do not round off the final grade - 89.8 is a B+ and 90-92 is an A-

.2? Really?!? That's like half a question wrong on an exam!

Fair enough. But then half the time, you need to get a B+ for your 90.2, because ".2 above the line, really?! That's like half a question right on an exam! You probably just guessed better on a multiple choice question than the next kid!" Why should you get an A- just because you were .2 above the cutoff?!?

Besides a flaw in human nature known as entitlement, I never got the whole "I'm only x% below the cutoff, so I should be rounded up" when those same people would never accept being rounded down a letter grade for barely scoring above the cutoff. :laugh:

Com'on OP (and everyone else who thinks their 89% deserves to be rounded up to a 90% despite being below the cutoff), are you that entitled?! Are you 2 or 22?!

Overall integrity of the grading system and your instructor >>>>>>>> your grade.

OncoCaP also makes some good points. This is simply how the world works. Stop whining. You got an 89.x%. That's a B+. Congratulations! ...And case closed. Try harder next time if you want an A. Sometimes in life small differences end up being the ones that get you booted or turned down. Playing "victim" just makes you look immature. Get on with life and try harder next time.
 
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ouch dude. that makes me cringe lol.

might i add..my school 90=A=4.0 but a 89=B+=3.5

it makes no sense, because my school gpa is not representative of my AMCAS gpa.

Hey I think I go to the same school as you. So AMCAS recalculates our GPA? how does that work?
 
Theory: The situation you describe is a common one across a broad spectrum of competitions. In some ways, school is a competition because not everyone will get to go to medical school, get admitted to the top law schools, etc. Think about sports where 1 point (or even 0.01th of a point in judged events) might separate a winner/winning team/champions from those we will never hear from again. It might even come down to a bad call from a referee, judge, etc. The GPA system you hate, for all its pros and cons, prepares you for "the way the world is" in many situations. That doesn't make it any easier, but it's hard to say that the GPA system you describe is going to hurt you in a major way. Medical school is no exception to this type of system of evaluation with its various "cutoffs."

For example, a small difference in ranking on a medical school application might translate into a big difference in medical school admissions. Let's say you were #201 out of a huge number of applicants to your top choice school. Let's also say they only admit 200. What the difference between #200 and #201? Applicants ranked #200 & 201 might even be virtually identical in terms of their ranked qualifications (same GPA, MCAT, school, activities, positions, interview ratings, etc.), and it came down to a mental coin toss to rank these two. Unfortunately, #201 isn't going to get in that year and perhaps never because there really are only 200 seats in the auditorium or whatever the more or less arbitrary basis for the exact cutoff count was.

Even if you fly past all the stages through life up through medical school, you might still just get edged out by just one applicant for a particular type of highly competitive residency (say Derm or Plastics) or maybe a particular program. Maybe your luggage was lost by the airline on your interview trip and you were more stressed than your nearest competitor in the interviews. The air conditioner rattled and you couldn't sleep a wink. Maybe you simply look a little too much like someone who was a very poor performer from years past, have the exact same name as the town drunk who ran over a 4th grader the day before or a wall street crook.

The redeeming feature in many of these situations is that you might have a handful of schools, programs, etc. you might want to go to and would be happy with. If you are that close to the razor's edge cutoff in one case, you could reasonably be on the "winning side" in other cases. If you are academically competitive (let's say you have mostly A's and some B's), do well on the MCAT, etc., you'll get into medical school, perhaps even to the school of your choice. It works out often enough, so to speak.

Life is often not "fair" in some sense. The situation you describe is perhaps much more objective than many other evaluations you face. You might get edged out for a position because your competitor is related to a famous person and other factors you have no control over.

However, chances are, everything is going to be OK in the end. In the off chance that this "B+" somehow bumps you off the track to the life of your dreams, you might find yourself on a new rail that turns out to be as good or even better in the end. It is very difficult to predict "what matters most" in a competition. The main thing is to focus on what you have control over and put your energy into those "high yield" areas where your efforts have the biggest payoff. Complaining about GPA systems is almost certainly "low yield" on the payoff scale.

Best of luck. I know these things can be very unpleasant at times, but it's sometimes better to simply keep moving forward, as difficult as that may be.

This is actually kind of a good way at looking at it. Although the whole, "life isn't fair" argument is a bit redundant, it's true. Grading can be subjective, harsh, and unfair, but so is life. The argument that one can learn from this and find skills to deal with it is valid.
 
i hate it too but it makes sense..but it has to do with rounding to 2 significant figs but yeah B+/Bs destroy the GPA

A = 4.0
A- = 3.6666 (gets rounded up to 3.7)
B+ = 3.3333 (gets rounded down to 3.3)
B = 3.0
 
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