<p>Perhaps this has already been addressed…if so I’m sorry.</p>
<p>Duke’s grading system… is it an A/B/C deal, or are there +/- grades too? If so, how does that figure into your GPA?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Yes, there are +/- grades, also. See this information on grade points including the calculation for .5 classes:</p>
<p><a href=“http://registrar.duke.edu/registrar/studentpages/student/gpa.html[/url]”>http://registrar.duke.edu/registrar/studentpages/student/gpa.html</a></p>
<p>Also, be aware professors are not infallible. My D received a lower grade in a class than she expected. About two weeks later her professor e-mailed her saying there was a calculation error in the computer generated worksheet used for final grades and a correction would be submitted to the registrar. So, if you receive a grade that is lower than you expect definitely contact your professor as mistakes have happened.</p>
<p>Thanks !</p>
<p>really? I heard somewhere that B+ was 3.33333 and A- was 3.6666667 oh well</p>
<p>As a student, I’ve found that the “A- is 3.7 but A+ is still just 4.0” thing is pretty irritating, particularly because it accords a special status to the “4.0” (no A-s; A+s can’t bring it up) that causes the more OCD among us to worry a little too much about avoiding A-s.</p>
<p>DeltaRoyale - NC State has a system of “perfect thirds” for +/- grades, including a 4.33 for an A+. </p>
<p>randomperson - I, personally, am thankful for <em>not</em> having at A+ gain additional value to a 4.33, specifically because of the pleadings of the OCD among you that would result :)</p>
<p>I agree with the 4.0 instead of 4.3 system. Even though there’s the loss of the 0.3 point buffer, it does give me a peace of mind to settle for a 94 instead of killing myselg for that 97+. :D</p>
<p>But you still need to kill yourself for the 94 instead of a 92. Personally, I don’t think it’s ‘fair’ to be penalized (well, relatively) for an A- but not be rewarded for an A+.</p>
<p>I’d be horrified to be in a class with neurotic Duke students with a 4.33 max.
Yeah it may ‘suck’ to not get anything bumped up for an A+, but if you get one (a lot of professors don’t give them - plain and simple) it’s still on your transcript – and that’s what grad programs will see, some employers will ask for it, etc. It won’t go unnoticed in the grand scheme of things.</p>
<p>Actually I’m fairly used to the 93+ for an A thing. My high school did it, my local uni does it, my middle school did it. And most of the time <93 is a B at those places so I actually think the A- deal is pretty good.</p>
<p>There was a plan, a while back, to not only issue grades but also rankings in terms of where in the class someone was. So, for example, you could get a B, but if you were the best in the class, you would get a (1) as well. The rankings were to be used for what was to be called an “Achievement Index,” and the higher the collective AI of the course and the better your performance in it, the better your AI would end up being as a result. There’s actually a cool paper on it at [url=<a href=“http://www.unc.edu/~pcg/grading/AIPrimer.pdf]UNC[/url”>http://www.unc.edu/~pcg/grading/AIPrimer.pdf]UNC[/url</a>] - though this version seems to rank solely based on the grade distribution within the class.</p>
<p>I can’t even IMAGINE how irritated I would be having to field questions about the relative ranking of multiple people with the same letter grade…</p>
<p>^That would be nuts. Wow.</p>
<p>Bah, my HS does what Duke does in terms of grading, except it does give 4.33 max. I would’ve loved a straight A/B/C deal, but eh, whatever.</p>
<p>My HS gives extra points for class level (0.3 for APs, 0.2 for Honors, etc) which was kinda cool.</p>
<p>Haha, I would have loved my high school to have A+'s, but alas… can’t have everything! :D</p>
<p>How is the grading for Biology classes? Also for intro Chem and Physics classes? Is it crazy insane or still possible to get an A?</p>
<p>The AI system was considered and recently voted down by UNC-CH. Here’s a blurb in the Daily Tar Heel on the concept which was actually originally developed by a former Duke faculty member (now UT MDA professor).</p>
<p>It is an intriguing idea. UNC was the first and only university thusfar to consider some sort of AI system and it just barely failed to get the votes needed for implementation.</p>
<p><a href=“http://media.www.dailytarheel.com/media/storage/paper885/news/2007/03/23/University/Faculty.Mull.Grading.Change-2788695.shtml[/url]”>http://media.www.dailytarheel.com/media/storage/paper885/news/2007/03/23/University/Faculty.Mull.Grading.Change-2788695.shtml</a></p>
<p>Sucks A+s are only 4.0s … I wish they could counteract some A-s</p>
<p>albedo22 - the chemistry/physics/biology classes at Duke are different in some cases if you are in the school of engineering.</p>
<p>It is still possible to get some form of an A… it’s not that insane … I’d guess that the top ~20% would get A-,A,A+.</p>
<p>Also, if you are premed I would take Orgo as a Freshman (if you have AP credit to place out of Gen Chem) b/c I hear the grading curve is better</p>