@4kidsdad Yeah! If too many people get A’s, then the value declines.
Yeah! I’m not a traditional age student and a lot of my friends have gone back to school and have 4.0 GPA’s because they taking college seriously. Me other hand is struggling to keep A’s despite my greatest efforts. So I guess that is the main reason why I feel that way about my grades. My friends are going to community college, though, but I’m sure that the grading rubric is the same with the same lack of room of error as I have. I just have to figure this out.
Given that student evaluations are crucial to most professors’ tenure and raises, it’s in their interest to give out good grades. So your very premise - that professors “like to give bad grades” is wrong.
And consider grad school: any university where “As” are easy to come by will be known for grade inflation. And there’s nothing worse than having your hard-earned As - or A-minuses - suspected of being padded.
Be glad you have the demanding professors you have. It means they have integrity - and standards. Grad schools appreciate both.
Well, when you look at threads on CC where people ask about their (undergrad) college chances despite their “low” 3.87 high school GPA, you can see that the idea sets in early.
But yeah, like others have said on this thread, professors don’t “like” giving out bad grades*—in fact, it would be easier and more enjoyable just to give everybody an A, because then we wouldn’t have to deal with the grade-grubbers afterward. We give bad grades because students have earned them, and we are in a position where we are expected to judge achievement.
- Caveat: An A- is **not** a bad grade. If you think that, seriously, get over your own hype.
@katliamom That is true.
@dfbdfb People are saying that it’s not bad, but it only matters if the admission officers feel the same way. 
Oh wow. I can’t wait to use this line during my surgery rotation next year when I inevitably make a mistake. Should put that attending right in his place!
This is a good article that I have read. It nailed it just right.
On grad school admission: While most universities do have minimum GPA standards for regular admission to grad school (usually a quite minimal standard, like a 3.0 or even a 2.5 undergrad GPA), the actual admitting is done by the graduate programs nearly anywhere.
Look, I flunked out of undergrad, ended up with a 3.1, and still got fully funded in a top-20 (top-3, really) doctoral program in my field. Of course, I also had a 4.0 major and a 3.9ish last 60 hours GPA. But that’s one of the differences between graduate and undergraduate admission—graduate admission is more focused, and so more time can be spent on the details of each application. “Admissions officers” aren’t really a thing in grad school, either—it’s all faculty-run.
Caveat: This is for research-oriented graduate programs. Professional degrees don’t necessarily work this way.
Oh boy, my advice would be do not ever do this again. In fact, if you were anyway rude or inconsiderate or disrespectful or even entitled in this email (which it’s hard to believe you weren’t), then I think you should apologize.
It’s just a really bad habit to get into. There will always be someone who ticks you off, someone who does something that you think is unfair (regardless of whether it actually is or not), or someone you just want to “take your frustration” out on, but you can’t (or, I suppose, shouldn’t). What if this was your boss? Would you rant at them over an email? You also never know when bad relationships with professors can come back to haunt you. This professor could teach another class you are in or be in charge of a research project you want to get involved in or just be close friends with other professors in the department who could hear this story. This isn’t the kind of behavior that you want to get used to nor is it the kind of behavior that you want to be known for.
If you want to vent, do what everyone else does–complain to your significant other or a family member, rant to a friend, even post something (anonymously!) on the internet if you have to. Don’t complain to the professor who gave you a good grade that you earned for the work that you did.
This is actually something I tell a lot of high school students when they ask what makes college classes different. One of the reasons college classes can be more challenging is that many classes become more test-focused (or in some classes, your grade might be very dependent on a final paper or something similar). I would say the vast majority of my classes had 100% of the total grade determined by exams, usually just a midterm and a final (although, sometimes, there were two midterms and a final, and rarely, my entire grade was just based on the final exam). You’re absolutely right. There’s less room for error. You can’t expect to get an A when you only get B’s on the exams, like you might have been able to get away with in high school. You’re expected to perform on exams, and for many students, that can be really difficult. Not all classes are like this, but as you’re finding out, it’s much more common in college than it was in previous years of schooling.
It can also be frustrating when you miss the cutoff for a grade. I get that. But you have to draw the line somewhere, and you didn’t earn an A. That’s really okay. I had a class once where the cutoff for an A- was 93, so in that class, you would have gotten a B+ with your 92.4. Take your A- and move on with your life.
Don’t blame your professor for this. It’s really not their fault, and complaining to them over email is not going to make them want to do you any favors. It’s going to make them much less likely to help you in the future.
@baktrax it is good that you’re informing students on what to expect. I can understand why tests make up so much of the grade since knowledge and ability to apply that knowledge is important in the workforce. But it does seem like getting into graduate school is based solely on one’s test-taking ability. They look at GPA, standardized test scores, and other things. The GPA is dependent on how well you can take exams.
Actually, at most research-based programs I’m aware of, the personal statement (particularly the research plan part of it) is probably the single biggest part of graduate admissions. The writing sample is up there, too.
“I need good grades to go to grad school and to have grants and they want to give out the bad grades.I know grades shouldn’t be rewarded based on effort, but I work hard and I feel that I should get a good grade.”
You have to accept that what you want isn’t what gets you there. It’s how you produce. If you feel you need the full A, you have to work at that level. Don’t expect the teacher to ignore mistakes so you can advance a level.
“If you see a student getting frustrated by grades that will negatively affect his chance to accomplish something special…” Well, I’d suggest the student identify the real issue and work on it. It’s the mistales you make that affect your chances. Not the prof catching them. Don’t make them and you won’t have an issue.
“But in the real world when you have time to get it right, you should be good.” In the real world, I don’t want an electrician who takes more time and charges me for it. Or leaves me without electricity for longer than the next guy.
Grades can keep you out of grad school, but they won’t get you in. Research and fantastic LORs will.
You know what you’re not going to get with the attitude displayed here? Research opportunities and fantastic LORs.
Wow… “taking out (your) frustrations on her via email” has magically transformed into “a healthy email.”
And Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year right back to you.
I understand that you want good grades. I understand that you would like school to be less stressful.
And I would like to be 20 pounds lighter. But if I don’t make it happen, it’s not going to.
But here’s the thing: your professor isn’t Santa Claus. It’s not his job to look at your wish list and make your wishes come true.
It’s his job to grade your paper based on how well you exhibit knowledge of the material. By your own admission, you make lots of mistakes. So it would be wrong of him to give you an A, when those mistakes clearly indicate a lack of understanding of the material.
Well said @bjkmom (as usual you give excellent responses) and it doesn’t matter if one gets an A if they don’t actually learn the material–which is the whole point. I don’t want that surgeon who got an A because he/she memorized how to do a procedure, but never actually learned or mastered how to do it. Yikes.