Tufts medical school

i_wanna_be_Brown
Tue, 18 Feb 2014 19:05:07 +0000

The difference is that in an upper level class, a professor is less likely to curve the course. In other words, yes, there is more material and the professor expects more of the students, but you don’t have to out do the students around you to get an A. Your grade is more heavily based on your own abilities rather than whether you are outperforming the people around you.

In a weeder class, the material might be easier, and the students more varied, but if an A is only being given to the top 15% of the class regardless of what that means, then you may know 99% of the stuff covered in class, but if 15% of people know 100%, then you’re not getting an A. It therefore means that doing well in the class is not only about mastering the material, but also about making sure you are mastering it more than the people around you.

So while it might not be easier to get an A, it’s a very different environment in terms of what it feels like you have to do to get an A and so for some people, it can be easier to get an A when you no longer have to outdo your classmates.

Also, this is a much more personal thing, but I’m far more likely to slack off in a class if I feel like I’m repeating things. So for me, skipping intro bio with AP credit was a no brainer since I wouldn’t have worked as hard in intro bio. Now not only am I not learning new things (the reason I went to college) but I’m hurting my GPA in the process. Literally no point to doing that.