Money for Grades Anybody?
In Brent Staples editorial “Why Colleges Shower Their Students with A’s,” he discusses the fact that the average college diploma is almost unsatisfactory for today’s society. The reality that the colleges are “faced with demanding consumers and stiff competition,” they now have “simply issued more A’s.”
The actuality that this is occurring in today’s society is an eye opener more than anything. Not only do individuals have to second guess the validity of a person in their profession but they also have to take a step back and look at the education they are or have received. In some cases “departments shower students with A’s to fill poorly attended courses that might otherwise be canceled.” Not only are the grades being handed out but the professors are doing it as a form of job security in that the students will give them a first-rate assessment.
The idea that many of the students are able to “appeal low grades through deans or permanent boards of inquiry” is an upsetting detail as well. Understandably many courses may be harder than others; some may think certain professors hold grudges against them due to opposing beliefs, but they still have to do the work. The problem is the generations that are currently going through college are practically being told that they have to go to college and they have had things handed to them their whole life. Not only are students complaining about the cost of the classes they are attending, they think they deserve a good grade when they do not produce the work.
Another topic that arises is a Duke Professor who proposed changing the way grade point averages are calculated to give harder classes more credit than others was shot down by not only the student government but professors as well. This goes to show that the students do not want to challenge themselves anymore and the professors with “easy” course curriculum don’t want to lose their jobs.
What are your views on this topic and would you rather be handed grades or earn them?
4 comments:
Personally, I feel there is nothing better than working hard for a grade that you want and then seeing how that work paid off. I feel that what Brent Staples is saying is true. I have never really heard of professors here just "handing" out A's but at some other colleges where some of my friends attend, they say it is a common practice, where if a student does not like his or her grade, he or she will argue with the professor until they just give in. To me, that is sad to see how lazy people are and that no one works for what they want anymore! After reading Staples essay, it does make me wonder how many people barely worked through college and got the degree they wanted.
If is was me in this situation, and as good as it sounds to have grades handed to you its not right. I would rather earn my grades knowing that i'm doing good in a class or that i need to step it up a bit! Only because when i graduate with a degree my employer is going to be depending n me to know how to do my job.
I think that at a college level an A should be something that is extremely hard earned. Considering that the people that graduate with these degrees are actually going to go out into the real world and practice their given profession be that a doctor, a lawyer, or a nurse.
If people are just simply handed grades they will not learn anything that is going to make them successful in their given field and they are going to do more harm than good later on in their careers.
Personally, I work for my grades. However, this does not mean that the situation outlined by Staples is not occurring- it is in many colleges. As a student this is discouraging. The colleges which give their students easy A's adversely bring down other colleges as well. I believe the quality of a degree is decreasing because of the depreciation of grades. This infuriates me. I am working my way through college and I do not like my money being wasted. However, this said I am not in college solely to get a degree (yes that is my long term goal). Yet, in the overall scheme for me college was a forgone conclusion. I love the academic world and school is where I thrive. Therefore, the wound being caused by 'slacker' colleges is only that much deeper to me.
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