College Grade Inflation

trizz75
Sun, 30 Dec 2012 09:37:30 +0000

Bayou, I have to disagree with your CSOM statements. The 36 assumes that all you do are course requirements, pursue concentrations with the fewest classes possible, and take no additional electives. Additionally, assuming most students attempt to reach 120 credits, this leaves CSOM students with only 4 “open” class slots. Of course, many at BC have AP core exemptions. Even still, CSOM students will likely, at most, have 8-10 open slots the take courses elsewhere or double concentrate.

A&S, on the other hand, need to take 15 core (plus language proficiency needs) and obviously achieve a major. Most majors require around 10-12 courses. At worst, with no AP exemptions, an A&S major will have 10ish open slots to pursue another major, minor, or just general elective courses. This extreme minimum matches the CSOM absolute maximum.

In a nutshell, your 36 vs. 38 comparison is too simplistic. The above comparison is theoretical in nature. Practically speaking, no remotely motivated CSOM major would graduate with 108 credits. I would pay money to sit in on an JP Morgan interview with someone who has yet to explain the fact that he has 108 credits. For accounting majors, 120 credits is an implicit requirement in order to achieve the CPA. I would venture to guess that advisors in the other concentrations would highly discourage graduating with anything less than 114 credits.

Also, the class constraints of the CSOM majors, as explained above, make CSOM harder than you convey in this thread. There is less opportunity to take these “grade inflating” courses, as most of a CSOMers class schedule is consumed by required courses. An often overlooked item is study abroad, which universally offers easier courses. Because of course constraints, only about a quarter of CSOM students study abroad (which is much lower than the school-wide average) so access to these classes is limited. I mean, my A&S bud is doing a half semester of two classes and a half semester internship for 15 credits! As a CSOMer, I’m lucky enough to go abroad. Despite this, I’m going to a Spanish management school that requires 6 classes. Both get to the same amount of credits, but the freedom in what actually counts for these credits is an crucial factor that you overlooked. Furthermore, the opportunity to go abroad is much more limited for CSOM students.

As a side note, Portico is no walk in the park and is certainly an par with any of the intro A&S classes outside of the sciences. Three presentations, a paper before you even walk into fulton hall for the first time, and decently difficult case studies and philosophy excerpts makes it a pretty formidable intro class. Also, intro to information systems (not intro to excel) is one half semester excel and the other half intro to IS. The IS portion is actually one of the most difficult CSOM core classes I have taken at BC (and I have taken all except marketing and SP). Excel is extremely helpful, and the national management educational boards mandate Excel coursework. The Excel material and business applications you learn in that class have been extremely helpful both in my classes and my intern work. So to classify even the Excel portion as merely catchup work would defy the national management boards and shows a lack of understanding this class.

Sorry to ramble, but I feel like CSOM gets misunderstood both on here and on campus. We do just as much work as anyone else, and if anything our BC academic lives are much more constrained and just as stressful as anyone else’s (well, maybe except pre-chem!).