• About
  • Masthead
    • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News
    • Residential halls experience maintenance issues
      Residential halls experience maintenance issues
    • Wellesley community grapples with ChatGPT’s implications
      Wellesley community grapples with ChatGPT’s implications
    • Students protest for trans and nonbinary rights
      Students protest for trans and nonbinary rights
    • News in Brief
    • Senate Report
  • Features
    • ES 300 Conducts Waste Audit
      ES 300 Conducts Waste Audit
    • Scholar-advocate visits Wellesley to discuss women and incarceration
      Scholar-advocate visits Wellesley to discuss women and incarceration
    • Diana Khoi Nguyen leads workshop and poetry reading
      Diana Khoi Nguyen leads workshop and poetry reading
    • Alumnae Spotlight
    • Faculty Focus
  • Opinions
    • Navigating Anonymity-Seeking Apps at Wellesley
      Navigating Anonymity-Seeking Apps at Wellesley
    • Trans people are not your culture war
      Trans people are not your culture war
    • The Silicon Valley Bank collapse has exposed how the government chooses to spend its money
      The Silicon Valley Bank collapse has exposed how the government chooses to spend its money
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Arts
    • Hozier stuns with “Eat Your Young” EP
      Hozier stuns with “Eat Your Young” EP
    • Diana Khoi Nguyen leads workshop and poetry reading
      Diana Khoi Nguyen leads workshop and poetry reading
    • “Cocaine Bear” indicates the return of camp movies
      “Cocaine Bear” indicates the return of camp movies
    • Books Before Boys
  • Sports and Wellness
    • No image
      What even is a BORG and why does it matter?
    • What even are BORGs and why do they matter?
      What even are BORGs and why do they matter?
    • What video games can teach us about self-care
      What video games can teach us about self-care
    • Athlete of the Month
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Miss Me With That Gay Shit
      Miss Me With That Gay Shit
    • Tower House Prez Emails
      Tower House Prez Emails
    • Worst Human Being You’ve Ever Met Validated by Stone Center Therapist
      Worst Human Being You’ve Ever Met Validated by Stone Center Therapist
By Victoria Angelova OpinionsNovember 6, 2014

Grade deflation emphasizes GPA over intellectual curiosity

Sitting nervously on your chair, you wait for your professor to hand you back your midterm. You wonder how you did and whether you survived grade deflation this time. You start considering what would happen if you did not get a good grade on this midterm: a lower GPA, no internships, no job prospects. You probably never consider that the value of the knowledge you have accumulated is more important than the grade you have received. How can you, with most employers and graduate schools placing such a heavy emphasis on college grades?

I had never encountered grade deflation or grade inflation before coming to Wellesley. At my high school, we had a centralized grade system that dictated the grade a student must receive based on the percent she got on her test or her paper. If you got above a 91.5 percent on your test, you received an A. If you got above 80.5 percent, you received a B. Every student knew the level of preparedness necessary to achieve the desired grades. Professors could not decide that the A for their class would start at a higher percentage just because there were too many excellent marks.

The most serious problem associated with grade deflation is the way students view their college learning experience. Imagine my surprise when I came to Wellesley and learned that one of the most common topics on campus is grade deflation. What struck me is that many students are more obsessed with the grade curve than with the knowledge they gain from class. Before coming to Wellesley, I thought that in college the focus would be shifted from getting a certain grade, like it was in high school to learning the material. Grade deflation prevents students from seeing the real value of education.

While Wellesley has implemented an official grade deflation policy, other more famous universities not only have refused to do so, but also have engaged in grade inflation. For example, the average student grade at Harvard University is A-.  The absence of a grade deflation policy at other institutions means that Wellesley students are competing with students that graduate from more famous universities with a higher GPA. It is not surprising that this results in a lot of pressure and frustration for the Wellesley population.

Another issue that is a result of grade deflation is that students are disincentivized to pursue majors in the social sciences — the spheres where grade deflation affects most people. A study conducted by economics professors Kristin F. Butcher, Patrick J. McEwan and Akila Weerapana showed a substantial decline of 30 percent in enrollment for courses in these departments. There is a sound logic behind their decisions; if you see that you will have a lower GPA, you are more likely to give up what you want to study if you are confident you can graduate with a higher GPA in another major. Grade deflation can have a detrimental effect on students’ pursuing their passion.

I am certainly not an advocate for grade inflation. I am not proposing that professors should start giving higher grades to students just so that the latter can perform better on the job market. I am saying, however, that there should be a comprehensive evaluation system that does not prevent students from receiving A’s just because there are already too many excellent students at Wellesley. Grade deflation often results in students giving up majoring in social sciences, applying to jobs they may wish to pursue and fearing their GPA is not good enough compared to students from other schools with grade inflation policies like Harvard. It is high time Wellesley College gave value to the grade a student earns.   

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleEgg-freezing policies are pathetic substitutes for family benefits
Next articleEbola quarantine reflect unethical health standards

You may also like

Sidechat and YikYak's logos on a teal background

Navigating Anonymity-Seeking Apps at Wellesley

Chalk art on Wellesley's Academic Quad Reading "Not Just Acceptance, Liberation"

Trans people are not your culture war

The letters SVB in red are crumbling to pieces

The Silicon Valley Bank collapse has exposed how the government chooses to spend its money

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

COPYRIGHT © 2023 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top