It’s the final countdown.
Just about everyone is feeling at least a little stress as we approach exam week in seven days. Most exams hold a lot of weight, and the results can make or break a final grade. If the plus/minus grading system is enacted, there will be more pressure on University students.
The way the proposed grading system works would make it advantageous to students on the plus side, meaning a student receiving a B+ could earn more than a 3.0 GPA granted by a general B. However, a student receiving a B- would be negatively impacted by earning just a 2.7 (0.3 points below what they would currently receive).
Those who suffer the most are likely to be straight A, 4.0 students—the already high achievers. Instead of being rewarded for earning an A, even a low one, an A- would ruin the chance at a 4.0.
When going into an exam, students are already feeling pressure when they have a low A, B or C, knowing they have to earn at least a certain grade to maintain that same letter grade.
With the plus/minus system, students will feel even more stress going into finals, knowing that an 82 percent won’t cut it to keep their final grade at a 3.0 needed for scholarships or to get into certain programs.
Instead of needing just an 80 percent on their exams to keep their 80 percent in the class and a 3.0 B, they may need to earn upwards of an 87-90 percent to raise their grades from a B- to a B to get the needed GPA.
Higher exam grades will be needed in many instances just to keep a certain letter grade, let alone to try to boost a minus into a plus. This is all depending on the weight of the exam in the class of course, and a higher weight means more stress.
A justification for the proposed system is that it will encourage students to do better, and while it will in the case of exams, it is just adding extra stress on students who are already taking advantage of the 24/5 hours at the library.
Dead week isn’t even a dead week for most students, since so many projects are due. Mental health is already at lows during “dead” week and finals. Students don’t need additional factors that pile onto their anxieties.
More to this whole story is that we all understand wanting to raise the overall GPA of the university to be more competitive. But at what cost? At the cost of losing high-achieving students to other universities where they may have better chances at a higher GPA?
College should not be all about GPA. Our students are worth more, and can be competitive in other ways, outside of GPA. The University has a lot to be proud of in its students. How typical to be diminished to just numbers.
