Upon receiving my transcript from the registrar this winter, I came to the conclusion that my academic record at Dartmouth has been median at best. Up to this point, I was proud of my grades. I worked hard for them and had never received a C+ or lower. Throughout my college years I have always felt that I have challenged myself intellectually.
Therefore, I was stunned by the registrar's policy of placing the median grades -- how the rest of the class did -- in shiny neon lights right next to my grade. It made my achievements seem "superior" or "inferior" to my other classmates, rather than what a transcript should be, a record of my own accomplishments.
To add more insult to injury, the registrar also writes on the transcript the number of times I "exceeded the median grade, equaled the median grade and scored below the median grade." As much as I would like to thank the registrar's office for doing those challenging statistics for me, they have only made me painfully aware that my grades (that I worked hard for) are sometimes below the grades of my fellow classmates.
This policy of posting median grades sends a harmful message to the students at Dartmouth. This message is: what is important is not the grade you received in a class; rather, if you scored "above" or "below" the other students. I am not sure why the registrar implemented this insulting policy, but it has only one effect: to foster competitiveness among the students.
If I am in an organic chemistry class, why should I help Joe Classmate learn a concept I know well? That just means he will get it right on the test and possibly take my "above-median spot" that the registrar highlights as important.
Later, medical schools, complements of the registrar, learn I was only a "median" student, and I hate myself for ever helping Joe Classmate take my spot on the "above median" list. The people who are above median can feel superior. Those at or below feel mediocre or average and begin to resent their "superior" classmates. This is not the academic environment the college should be actively fostering.
The College should be fostering a non-competitive environment where intellectuals want to share knowledge so everyone can receive grades that are about achievement, not about superiority. Dartmouth College should strive to become a college of intellectuals, where no one is superior or inferior. Where a student only competes with his or herself and strives to become the kind of academic that benefits everyone.
The registrar's policy of posting median grades on transcripts should not be allowed to continue. Information on median grades should be made available on a separate pamphlet or on the Internet and not on individual transcripts. Posting median grades on transcripts sends a clear message to students, potential employers and graduate schools that the grade one receives is only exceptional if it is above what everyone else in the class receives.
I disagree with the kind of value system that the registrar has implemented and hope the College changes its policy before it can have a significant impact on how classmates treat each other.
