Grade inflation sells Yalies short

Thoughts From Here
    By Sonia Lin

George W. Bush, DC '68—may all you good readers forgive me for even mentioning his name. Also, forgive me for daring to suggest that he's not a rich, privileged, dimbulb, former frat boy, wannabe heir to the presidential throne—as he's so commonly portrayed by pundits in countless idle columns and other media outlets.

I certainly don't doubt all the delightfully dirty traps they've laid for him. He used cocaine in college, but now he locks up the poorest, least offensive drug users in Texas! He doesn't know the leaders of any global hot spots! He scored a paltry 69 in astronomy at Yale! He got preferential treatment in Little League!

NAOMI PEASSE/YH

Of all the potshots we can take at George W. Bush, though, let's be a little more careful before scoffing at his college grades. Certainly, his cumulative average of 77 was much lower than we'd expect from a Commander-in-Chief. Nevertheless, Junior George's C+ performance increases in value when compared to our current grades, which have puffed up to such lofty heights that a B paper is now met with anguish and thoughts of transfer by the unfortunate student who dared turn in such lightweight scholarly work.

Around 40 percent of grades at Yale fall within the A range [YDN, 9/24/97]. For grades within the A to B range, the percentage balloons to around 80 percent. These numbers align with the Teaching Fellow's Handbook, which suggests that 34 percent of grades should be A's, 43.5 percent B's, 18 percent C's, and 4.5 percent D's and F's. This is amazing! Are so many of us doing the excellent academic work worthy of an A?

This must mean that between half and two-thirds of the people in my history section actually do the reading every week. And not only do they do the reading, they mull it over before class, sucking on all of Rousseau's intellectual treats like so much mind candy. This must be the case, given the generous distribution of A's and B's. And there must be another reason why we sit around the section table, eyes shifted away from the T.A., anxiously counting 50 minutes of guilty silences, fum-bled questions, and grasping answers.

Or perhaps in many classes at Yale it is simply too easy to get an A. Though it's tempting to pass ever-higher grades off to ever-better work by ever-smarter students, such a claim gives students too much credit. Grade inflation is happening in schools all over the country, and Yale certainly isn't immune. This "upwards homogenization" of grades can be traced to concern over competition with other college graduates for graduate school admissions, pressure on professors and teaching assistants to give similar grade distributions, and the vaunted expectations of students.

Increasingly generous grading, however, threatens to devalue good grades altogether. Why write a thoroughly researched, thoughtfully considered, carefully written A paper when you can write a solid but standard, hurried paper for an A-minus? Grades are certainly not our only incentive to produce excellent work, but considering the many hectic responsibilities of college life, the pure desire to do good work is easily compromised when we know what we can get away with.

This is not to suggest that Yalies cannot rise to the challenge of tougher academic standards—we can. Despite his reputation as a man waging a lonely (and harsh) war against grade inflation, Philosophy Professor Shelley Kagan annually fills the lecture hall for his introductory ethics class. By and large, students recognize that or purpose here is to learn and thus push themselves to think rigorously. This, and not grade-grubbing, is what will poise us for future success.

Unfortunately, aside from inflated grades, Yale's 36-course credit requirement often prevents us from putting in the necessary effort to achieve excellent work. Inordinately capable whiz kids notwith-standing, Yale students struggle to do good, consistent work in five classes at a time, even if one of them is often a gut. With 32 total courses and more stringent grading standards, however, we could see a change in the seriousness and ambition in students' attitudes toward their academics. We might see lower grades, but they'd be followed by better work and more meaningful distinctions between the A, the B, and the C.

After all, when George W. was in school, he was busy acting as DKE president, even while taking a total of 40 classes. He may have gotten a 69 in astronomy, but current overcommitted Yalies shouldn't be too quick to attribute his score to a lack of intelligence or hard work.

Recent Herald Columns by this Columnist:
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• U.S. bombing in denial, 11/5/99
• At Yale, we miss the great adventure, 10/22/99
• College teenyboppers, act your age, 10/8/99

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