<p>Hi! Some applications I’m filling out prefer the penn e-mail. I’ve got my pennkey and I remember while I was creating the pennkey, there’s this note that says “your username is most likely your penn e-mail”. So do I have a penn e-mail account now since I have a pennkey? If so, where can I access my account? If not, when will I get it? </p>
<p>Btw, I’m in SEAS and I tried clicking on (SEAS link> Email), filling out the username part with my pennKey and password with my pennKey password but it didn’t work. Thanks a lot.</p>
<p>I was wondering if you could give me the breakdown of grades at Penn. (ex: A=80+, etc) I know that they work on a curve system, but is there a general grading system??</p>
<p>doesn’t it depend on the class because of the curve? as in they will skew the grades to have a normal distribution. however isnt there some sort of general grading system? or is it really all just dependent on how you do in comparison to the rest of the class?</p>
<p>I have to register for Math 104 or Math 114 (depending on my Calc BC scores) and I wanted to know who the best profs were. I want a prof that isn’t dead boring, happy to take questions, give help after class, and just nice overall. </p>
<p>Also, do you know on average how many classes you should take related to your perspective major in your freshman year? I plan to be an Econ major, but I don’t have to take Intro Econ because of AP credits, and I can"t take Intermediate Econ classes because they require Math 114 as a prerequisite, so I can only take Econ courses AFTER I’m done with all these courses, which means I might not even be able to take a singe Econ course as a freshman! Is that correct, or is there still a way to take econ courses if I haven"t taken the basic, Intermediate Econ courses?</p>
<p>In terms of the grading system, it varies from class to class. 90-100 is an A, 80-89 is B, and so on, with +/- divisions within each letter grade. Smaller classes tend to grade based on your raw score and don’t curve (i.e. if you score in the 90s on your tests and assignments, you will get an A, even if everyone else in the class is getting marks in the 90s) Bigger classes, particularly science/math do grade on a curve, so your grade is determined largely by how you do in comparison to the rest of the class. Bio121 for instance I’ve heard has a hard curve, and only 10% of the class gets an A.</p>
<ol>
<li>I went to Penn the other day and stepped into 1920 commons. I noticed that the cafeteria was kind of messy and dirty but only campers were there. During the school year is it clean?</li>
<li>**Which are the courses without finals? I think it’s either freshman seminars or critical writing seminars.</li>
</ol>
<p>Some courses also have a midterm on the last day of classes. They tend to not be cumlitive. </p>
<p>@anj
You can take Econ 101 the same semester you take 114. You need to know partial derivatives (very easy) and lagrange multipliers (not tough to learn) for Econ 101. The econ courses you can take without Math 114/Econ 101 are courses intended for non-majors. I wouldn’t take them, but instead take Econ 101 second semester and fulfill some graduation requirements or pursue other interests first semester.</p>
Varies widely from class to class. In the Romance Lanugage department an A is 93%+, A- 90-93, etc. Some courses are curved so a 50% is an A. Other courses are curved so a 90% is a B+. Some courses only have two grades: class participation and final paper. If you participate in class and write a good paper, you get an A. Smaller courses aren’t curved, but it’s still the professor’s discression what constitutes an A.</p>
<p>Thanks, tenebrous. Your shrug is a bit disappointing however. What do you mean? When I went there people had to search to find a clean table to sit at. Is it like that during the year too?</p>
<p>All Wharton core classes are graded on the Wharton curve, which is (I believe) 30/40/30 for A/B/C&D respectively, so for that we’re talking about stuff like MGMT100, LGST101, FNCE100, etc. Most upper level Wharton courses are graded on a curve as well, but professors decide the curve based on what they believe is the most fair.
In the College, it is very dependent on the course. MATH104 and 114 are graded on a curve which depends on the professor. Same goes with ECON courses. Those courses have out-of-class midterms and final exams and are very numbers based. PSCI courses usually have a grade scale based on multiple factors, including class participation; some have curves with midterms and finals, some (specifically seminars) have no midterms or finals but do have papers and participation. For the most part large classes operate on a curve of some sort, but contrary to popular belief the curves at Penn are designed to help students, not hurt them! Languages usually have a hard line grade scale (the German program sets 92.5% as an A, for example).
I’m unfamiliar with Engineering and Nursing, but whatevs.</p>
<p>As for classes that don’t have finals, writing seminars don’t have finals, and many upper level social science courses also don’t have finals. Check the syllabus for each course for that information.</p>