<p>My son is a junior at WPI. I remember when we went there for the info session they explained that the no record policy was also a good way to encourage students (usually very strong in math and science) to take some courses outside of their usual comfort zone. If they did poorly in the course is wouldn’t hurt their transcript or GPA (which a lot of these math/sci types are especially conscious of). Sorry if this is a little stereotypical but this IS often the case at these schools that are full of high achievers. Another policy that might also encourage students taking courses outside their usual comfort zone is the ability to elect a pass/fail option occasionally. I know Brown does this and I think the first term at MIT is all P/F. Anyway, maybe WPI could go to something like this if they get rid of the no record option.</p>