<p>Here's an article from the Ram on Fordham's grading policy for anyone who's interested. It provides some fairly interesting insight..</p>
<p>Counterpoint: Is Grade Capping Beneficial To Students at Fordham?
Kaylee Burke</p>
<p>Rachel* is a junior here at Fordham University. In high school she was anything but average - she was an exceptional, diligent student. She took AP and honors courses and still graduated with a 3.8 GPA, placing her in the top fifth of her class. Admirably, most undergrads at Fordham can relate to Rachel's* academic performance in high school. Most Fordham students want their diligence recognized even if it means there is a rise in grade inflation.</p>
<p>According to the Princeton Review, the mean GPA of accepted students at Fordham is a 3.7. Thus, a new, higher standard must be established for an "average" grade, also known as a C. This standard should reflect the typical performance of the student body majority. </p>
<p>As concern over grade inflation grows, it is widely known that most institutions are not raising their standards. Across the board, GPAs are on the rise and, sadly, it is not because we are members of a genius generation. Why is this a problem? With a student body that is accustomed to getting A's and B's, a C is a near tragedy. When a student grows up being outstanding, it is hard to adjust to the fact that he or she is just your run of the mill student and thus deserves C's on much of his or her work.</p>
<p>Fordham administratiors, like many schools, supports the concept of raising the bar and preventing grade inflation (but that doesn't mean it is actually happening). One professor disclosed that Fordham issues guidance sheets to professors expressing the meaning of each grade. This faculty member noted that the sheet went something along the lines of, "A is outstanding/exception; B still strong; C a fine pass - the implication is that, at Fordham, a C is [a] perfectly okay grade."</p>
<p>Still, it seems, when students truly expect an A or B, it is difficult for some professors to give them otherwise unless their work is truly below the norm. Professor Kerry Sweet opined: </p>
<p>"I believe that some professors, clearly not all, may give students the grades that they - the students - want, rather than the grades that they deserve. Motivations for doing so may vary, but popularity cannot be discounted. No professor wants to get the reputation as a tough grader and therefore see enrollment in his/her classes dramatically decline. We are very aware that our grading tendencies are discussed among the student body."</p>
<p>Grade inflation would not be an important concern if it were not for the students who truly deserved A's and B's, despite the elevated standard of a selective institution. Professor Sweet went on to quote The Incredibles in saying, "When everyone is special, no one is special." Students who put in above average effort and encompass above average intelligence should be rewarded with above average grades. This is impossible when the standard is A or B.</p>
<p>While I am not a proponent of curving class grades or restricting professors from giving out a certain number of A's and B's, I do feel that we do need to revolutionize and reinvent the image of the C. C's, as Fordham tells its students, are not only acceptable, but respectable. Since below excellent GPA's are feared in the world of graduate school applications and job hunting, it is not so easy for professors to jeopardize the futures of their students by giving out C's when not-so-excellent students from other universities are rolling in with 4.0s. Therefore, we must universalize the idea (even other more and less prestigious schools) that C is not for Catastrophic. C is for Copasetic.</p>
<ul>
<li>Name has been changed</li>
</ul>