<p>hello people, i'm a new transfer student at ucla and need some help understanding the grading system used there. i understand that we have letter grades and then we have the p/np or s/ns grading basis. what is the real difference between the two. is the p grade something that you want to have a lot of on your transcript (because it is clearly easier to achieve than say an A), or is it something you want to avoid as much as possible and opt for only when you are not getting a good letter grade. is it possible to satisfy the major requirements with a p grade or do you absolutely have to get a letter grade in a required class such as Chem 153A? any response/advise would be appreciated.
by the way, i am a pre-med/pre-pharm student. thanks</p>
<p>For Chem 153A, you may want to check with Med/Pharm schools to see if they allow p/np grading. If they don't then you're stuck taking it for a letter grade. Other than that, if a class is a requirement for your major, you MUST take it for a letter grade. And I believe overall, the rule of thumb is to avoid taking p/np if a letter grade is possible as much as possible especially if you're going on to graduate/professional school.</p>
<p>ckings86, thanks for the reply but according to UCLA</a> General Catalog 2008-09: Academic Policies GRADES a P does count and doesn't necessarily have to be repeated:
"Courses in which students receive a P or S grade may count toward satisfaction of degree requirements, but these grades, as well as DR, I, IP, and NR, are disregarded in determining the grade-point average."
any thoughts?</p>
<p>I didn't say that a P doesn't count or has to be repeated. I said that if it's a class for your major, (i.e. pre-req or upper div,) I'm fairly certain you have to take it for a letter grade. If that weren't the case, why would anyone take the classes for letter grades if you merely had to pass? Anyone want to disagree with this? </p>
<p>I also said that if this class is for graduate/professional school - you may want to check to see how they feel about p/np grades. Most likely you'll have to take their requirements for letter grades also. </p>
<p>I also said, that you probably want to avoid taking too many core classes for p/np if you're continuing your education. It doesn't take as much work to merely pass a class as it does to get an A or B and admission committees know this. I would only take a class as p/np if it were 1 or 2 units, not part of my major, or if it was merely a fluff class that doesn't count for anything but units. </p>
<p>What you pulled out of the Academic Policies means that SOME classes MAY count toward satisfaction if you take them as p/np. So, yes you can take some classes and still get credit but, not MAJOR classes. If you're still having trouble with this, go see your department counselor for more clarification. </p>
<p>Anyway, it sounds to me, you just want an easy way out of Chem 153A... and if that's the case, you really don't belong in medicine.</p>
<p>While p/np does get you credit for a class, it is generally frowned upon if you can otherwise make an A or B in the class. </p>
<p>Grad school or job employers will see the P as average, or something like a 'C'. You'll get credit for it, but they will wonder why a student would choose p/np unless they are not strong in the material</p>
<p>ckings is right...classes that are required for your major, especially upper division courses, have to be taken for a letter grade. Generally speaking, universities offer students the option of taking a course P/NP so they can spend less time on general education and elective type classes and more time on their major studies.</p>
<p>ok i just talked to a counselor and confirmed the fact that major courses need to be taken for a letter grade. however, an upper div class CAN be taken for P/NP but will not satisfy major requirements. thanks again for the replies.</p>