5 ms·

I attended Virginia schools from grades 4-12, and my particular school district decided it would be a good idea to have a "prestigious" grading scale (A=93-100,

I attended Virginia schools from grades 4-12, and my particular school district decided it would be a good idea to have a "prestigious" grading scale (A=93-100, B=87-92, C=78-86, and so on). It seemed like a good idea at first: A public school system would be known for having "higher standards" than others. The problem? Colleges didn't give a damn what grading scale you used. Your GPA was the same as anyone's, which made it harder on every student without any real benefit. My question is what does this "achievement standard" do if the grading system stays the same? It doesn't really seem to affect anyone, except maybe takes another step toward eliminating "survival of the fittest"

sachingulaya 14y ago
My college had the same idea. To 'boost' the program they made the average GPA 2.8. The result? About 60%(instead of the usual 50%) of the graduating class was automatically denied interviews at company's that had a 3.0 minimum GPA requirement.
- tomjen3 14y ago
  Well that seems simple enough to fix. The average GPA is now 4. Here, go to all the interviews you want.
- abduhl 14y ago
  Since when is a B the 50th percentile?
  - sachingulaya 14y ago
    It doesn't matter what a B 'is'. Students and hiring managers both know B's are worthless.
hammock 14y ago
This is not exactly true. The best public schools (e.g. in Virginia, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology) will have a relationship with the admissions committees at the best colleges in the area and nationally. In these cases they really do know and care about how the grading system is applied. For good private schools, the effect can be even greater. This insight doesn't apply to all public schools, though. If you are a standout student in a terrible off-radar public school, you will have to work harder through other channels than the reputation of your school.

sachingulaya 14y ago

My college had the same idea. To 'boost' the program they made the average GPA 2.8. The result? About 60%(instead of the usual 50%) of the graduating class was automatically denied interviews at company's that had a 3.0 minimum GPA requirement.

tomjen3 14y ago
Well that seems simple enough to fix. The average GPA is now 4. Here, go to all the interviews you want.
abduhl 14y ago
Since when is a B the 50th percentile?
- sachingulaya 14y ago
  It doesn't matter what a B 'is'. Students and hiring managers both know B's are worthless.

hammock 14y ago

This is not exactly true. The best public schools (e.g. in Virginia, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology) will have a relationship with the admissions committees at the best colleges in the area and nationally. In these cases they really do know and care about how the grading system is applied. For good private schools, the effect can be even greater. This insight doesn't apply to all public schools, though. If you are a standout student in a terrible off-radar public school, you will have to work harder through other channels than the reputation of your school.