<p>Is food science grade deflated? Is there a site where we can see how the teachers grade the courses?</p>
<p>Grade deflation is no where near as bad as people make it out to be. My intro courses this year were pretty steeply curved:</p>
<p>Bio 101 (lecture) - Curved to a high C+
Bio 103 (lab) - curved to a mid C+ (just my lab group, anyway)
Chem 207 - Curved to a B-
Math 191 (engineering calc) - curved to a B-</p>
<p>Here are my experiences in the classes- I have included my grade for each course, and the work necessary to achieve them:</p>
<p>Bio Lecture- A+ : I did all the reading and took notes, and never skipped a class. I had good preparation for the class. . .I got a 5 in AP bio, and didn't have to take it, but for med school admission it's good to take at least one semester intro bio in addition to upper level. My preperation was good prior to the course. Even so, I did have to study a good moderate before each exam (a couple afternoons worth), and attended review sessions weekly. My first exam, I made some stupid mistakes, and ended up just above the mean. My second exam, I scored very well, about one and a half SD above. . .and my final, I missed one question, somewhere around 2 SD above. This was enough to get an A+, even with average performance on the first exam. (There were other elements of this grade too, such as web quizzes and in class "clicker questions")</p>
<p>Bio Lab- A+ :In my opinion, more work intensive than the lecture. I put a lot of time into a research paper we had to write, and would probably consider this my most work intensive class. </p>
<p>Chem 207- A :Despite getting a C+ on the first exam and a B+ (almost A-) on the second, I did very well on all the labs and problem sets, and did very well on the final exam (nearly perfect). . I went to review sessions weekly all year. There were reading assignments for the class, but I started doing better in the class when I focused on the in-class examples and lecture notes rather than reading the text. My advice: Go to the professor's office hours. They really do help. I still don't know how I managed it, but after a rocky start, and some hard review for the final I ended up with an A.</p>
<p>Calc 191- B :My calc background was not as strong as many in my class. I scored very well on the first exam, mostly because AP calc AB covers most of the same material. Did just above average on the second, a bit below on the third. . though my homework score was nearly perfect. My final was kind of a crash and burn senario. . .I paniced when I couldn't get the first problem's solution to come out right, and that set the scene for the rest of the test. Not complaining with a B though, sometimes Bs look pretty good. . .and not bad by any means for a crash and burn senario.</p>
<p>Yeah, so from my experience, even with the most harshly curved classes, you will probably get at least a B if you put the work in, as a general rule. Tests were pretty difficult, and it can be deceiving. For instance at the beginning of the semester I would have thought that my chem grade was totaled. . .but the key is to stick with it. The courses are hard, but not so hard that effort does not pay off.</p>
<p>I mean, you can still easily end up with a 3.0 freshman average. . .but, don't worry, the intro courses for some of the intro classes are the harshest . . .Things get better.</p>
<p>here, merry christmas and happy hanukah</p>
<p>Could someone explain to me "curving" and what grade deflation actually is? my school and college classes have never curved to SD or anything, they have just simply added points to tests</p>
<p>Thank you very much! (I celebrate Flying Spaghetti Monster Day)</p>
<p>Simple: For each prelim, the mean and standard deviation is reported. For a class with tough prelims like genetics or orgo, the std. deviation will typically be around 15%-18% (easier tests will have smaller std. deviations). The mean is curved to a certain grade (for most science classes that grade will be a B or a B-). If you score one std. deviation above the mean you will receive a grade that's 3/4-1 full grade higher than whatever the mean is curved to.</p>
<p>Example:
Typical uncurved high school test: mean is 85%. You score 5% above the mean (ie you get a 90), you get an A-.</p>
<p>Typical curved high school test: mean is too low. let's say (gasp!) a 75! The teacher wants the mean to be 85 so he adds 10 extra points to everyone's score. You scored 80 raw so you end up with a 90. You still remain 5% above the curved mean and get an A-.</p>
<p>Typical Cornell prelim: mean is a 55. std. deviation is 17%. You score exactly one std. dev. above the mean (72). The mean is curved to a B so a 55 becomes an 85. YOU HAVE TO GET ONE STD. DEVIATION ABOVE THE MEAN IN ORDER TO GET AN A-. This means your 72 becomes a 90. So whereas before the curve you were 17% above the mean, after the curve, you're just 5% above the mean. Yup, sucks for the people trying to get A's.</p>
<p>Summary: Back in high school, you only needed to get 5-10% above the mean on tests (assuming the means on tests were in the low 80's) to get an A-. At Cornell you need to score 15-18% above the mean against smarter, more hard-working students in order to get an A-.</p>
<p>How tough is it to earn a 3.5+ in ILR, comparably?</p>
<p>what about hotel school, is it hard to get a very good gpa?</p>
<p>what is the point of grade deflation, im going to keep track of my grades and fight for what i get employers and parentys aren't going to listen to grades being deflated</p>