As the term begins to come to a close, there's a set of grades other than my own that I'm not looking forward to seeing the class medians. Unfortunately, there isn't a way I can avoid seeing them while checking my own grades since the two appear next to one another online. Even worse, I won't be able to hide them from graduate schools several years from now. This elevates the dilemma that Dartmouth students face when selecting classes whether to take the easy A or venture into a difficult but intriguing subject that truly interests them. Though the inclusion of median grades on transcripts may have been intended to combat grade inflation at Dartmouth, the reality is that it has furthered the rat race into post-graduate admissions, making students relive the disingenuous process of getting into college ("Living a Lie," April 15).
I still recall my first term at Dartmouth when my math professor asked, "How many of you have never taken calculus before?" Out of the class of 68, two other students and I were the only ones to raise our hands. But our lack of prior experience wouldn't be tacked onto our transcripts along with the median grades. Maybe we should have just taken an easier class and it's clear that some have already taken that initiative, whether or not they really needed to.
"You're taking what?" I asked my friend in disbelief as she told me she was taking Japanese 1. "But you speak Japanese." Perhaps it was not her intention, but she had already found a way to work the system to her advantage by taking a class in which she was already well-versed. I discovered that it wasn't uncommon for students to retake classes they had already taken in high school or were simply had a background in. While there might be nothing wrong with individual students wanting to strengthen their base in a subject they'll be majoring in, this works to a clear disadvantage to anyone who dares to compete with them after all, they'll have to explain to a graduate admissions officer why they couldn't obtain that median grade of A. Students should not be penalized for taking courses along with other students who are already familiar with the subject.
With median grades as high as As, and rarely below a B+, it doesn't seem like the policy implemented over a decade ago has affected grade inflation. It has changed the game of selecting classes, and to consider the competition they'll be facing. And with the level of competition to get into graduate schools amplifying each year, it's pushing more and more students to opt for classes where they are comfortable they can obtain a higher grade rather than that upper-level class they've been eyeing.
Placing median grades on transcripts may have been intended to serve as benchmarks for students as well. But when the median grade is an A, it gives students no room to perform above average. Additionally, median grades do not take into account a variety of other factors. How many of the other students participate in varsity sports or other time-consuming activities? How many of the other students have already taken this class in the past? Though there is no effective way to prevent students from retaking a class they have taken prior to college, the use of median grades on transcripts hardly accounts for unfair competition. Graduate schools admissions officers are selected because they are keen to these facts, and have a strong ability to see more than the letters and numbers scattered across a student's transcript. That being said, it's not easy to look past a summary of a student which indicates that they have never scored higher than the median grade in the class.
If our administrators are looking to fight grade inflation, our current system provides them no reason to rest on their laurels. They should find a more effective method to prevent inflated grades. The current transcript policy is doing more harm to students than good, and they should look to other methods and ways to deter grade inflation that does not increase the stakes of adventurous learning.
Maybe there's another solution. I spoke to one graduating senior who determined early on that he would be making the best of his Dartmouth education without constantly comparing himself to others.
"It wasn't about the grade I would be taking from the class," Alexander Assaf '10 said. "The skill set I developed in each class I took was far more important." If only we could all think the same way and it would be a lot easier to if our transcript policy was repaired.
