<p>Hello-</p>
<p>I'm a transfer student from Colgate, and I'm forced to decide between UPenn and Wellesley. I am strongly leaning towards Wellesley, but am quite concerned abour Wellesley's grade deflation policy (mean in 100 & 200 level classes must be <3.33). Is this policy always observed? I managed a 3.84 at Colgate while taking 5 classes/semester...would this be even remotely possible at Wellesley? Is there a lot of negative competition as a result of this policy? Is it hard to have the quality of one's work reflected in one's grade? How often does this policy result in grades being curved down?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Actually, the policy is a little different... while it is true that classes shouldnt have an average higher than 3.33, if a class does exceptionallly well, the professor can write a letter and make an exception. I dont think there is much negative competition... in fact, people here dont really talk about what grades they got. I wouldnt be too worried about this if i were you. hope this helps!</p>
<p>First, it isn't technically grade deflation--it's just anti-inflation. The point is that students' grades should reflect the quality of their work. As Hermione pointed out, professors can petition for an exception to the policy, and classes with fewer than 10 students or at the 300 level are exempt.</p>
<p>I cannot emphasize enough that the policy is not an artificial deflation of grades. Grades are not curved down to comply with the policy. It simply reminds the campus that A's are for work that exceeds expectations and shouldn't be given to work that merely satisfies the assignment. Your grades should accurately reflect the quality of your work: it is in no one's best interest to devalue students' accomplishments. Most of the professors who shared their opinions on the policy were adamant about never under-grading good work. Different professors have different ideas about what constitutes exemplary work, but this is true at any institution. A description</a> of grades is available from the Registrar's office. This is (in my opinion) stricter than the unwritten guidelines that most professors follow, but it is still a fair assessment of students' work.</p>
<p>Whether or not you can sustain your GPA is something only you will know. Relatively few students achieve that GPA at Wellesley, but that doesn't say anything about your own academic performance. As for competition, my classmates and I never talked about our test scores or grades; it was one of the things I liked most about Wellesley. Students were very concerned, when the policy went into effect, that negative competition would break out among students, but I don't believe it ever occurred--current students, please correct me if I'm wrong!</p>
<p>I'll echo Hermione: don't worry about the grading policy. What grades you get, you will have earned fairly.</p>
<p>I think Ringer's summed it up pretty well. As aren't supposed to be given for doing the work well, but rather for doing it extremely wekk,</p>
<p>When you think about it, there's probably a problem is the median grade is more than a B+, because otherwise anything less than an A means you've done a really bad job. At other schools, students works incredibly hard for Cs. Keep in mind that for many in the class, it is that one class that they can't stand and find hard.</p>
<p>I don't remember the exact numbers, but precious few Wellesley students graduated Summa Cum Laude. It makes it a bigger deal.</p>
<p>I've had semesters where I have gotten all Bs and semesters where I have gotten all As. I pretty much agree with every grade I've gotten.</p>
<p>GPA is most important if you are looking to apply to medical school. Other wise it's much less of a big deal. Wellesley sends out little pamphlets explaining the policy. I took a class at MIT last semester, and a Wellesley student was admitted to the department's graduate program that year. My professor must have been among those reading her app, because, unsolicited, he remarked on having read the little explaination Wellesley sent with the grades.</p>