Out of all the confusing scenarios we may encounter in our college career, our grades — and what they mean — should not be one of them.
Many professors at the University of South Carolina have different ideas as to what the college grading scale should be, abandoning the generally accepted 10-point scale and crafting their own to fit their personal standards for students. While some professors believe that an 85 percent or above should warrant an “A,” others believe that only those students who score higher than a 95 percent deserve an “A.”
While we understand that different professors have different styles and appreciate that each professor’s instruction and class is original and unique, we don’t believe that our grades should be.
True, some classes are more difficult than others, and making a wider grading scale seems justified in order to protect the grades of the students. But that’s what curves are for, and rather than readjusting the grading scale entirely, professors should instead apply the necessary curved grading.
Moreover, when graduate school admissions officers and work force employers look at a college transcript, they should be able to know that an “A” means a 90 or above without having to question the context of the grade or if that one “C” came from Professor Impossible’s class. Because chances are that they won’t question it at all, and we will suffer the consequences.
Don’t get us wrong — we’re not trying to restrict the professors’ ability to grade how they want. That, ultimately, is still their decision. But we could all benefit from uniformity in places where it matters the most, and for students, grades are a priority ... at least most of the time.