<p>…not comparably, but specifically at Brown. What does it take? Any experiences or advice is appreciated.
Thank you.</p>
<p>It takes A level work.</p>
<p>This question is kind of impossible to answer considering that every class is completely different and that each year a class is different because the quality of students can vary. Most classes are on a curve where the top 20-30% get As (in my experience), but this may be very easy or near impossible for a student to reach depending on work habits, ability, and how that particular subject or professor speaks to them.</p>
<p>So the best answer I can give is that I've only felt that one class of the 8 I've taken I could not be in reach of an A (whether I earned one or not), and hte truth is, I had no business being in that class.</p>
<p>I suppose I was asking what exactly is "A" level work at Brown? Is it more than receiving 90+ on the exams/labs? Is the student expected to go the extra mile somehow and, if so, how?<br>
When you say "within reach," what does that mean?
Thanks, Melody.</p>
<p>well put, modestmelody.</p>
<p>However, I disagree that "most classes are on a curve." This may be true in the sciences, but in social sciences (except econ) and humanities, most profs are more likely to grade individuals independently. Therefore, if a class is really good one year, half the class might get As, and if it happens to have a lot of slackers in another year, only a few people will. Some profs will do it kind of like high school classes, where every test / paper / project is worth a certain number of points, and you know exactly how many points you need to get an A at the end of the class, regardless of how well other people in the class do.</p>
<p>Some social sciences and humanities profs don't have a specific curve, but they may have some idea of how many A's they'll give, just to keep the class reasonable.</p>
<p>Lawyerdad, I don't have an answer to your question ---yet. But I was wondering, what makes you ask it? Are you a parent of a current Brown student or of an incoming student? Or are you just interested in the question of grading? Thanks!</p>
<p>in the sciences the A range cutoff is usually in the mid to upper 80s</p>
<p>I_wanna-- what science are you taking? Most of my science classes As have been more lower to mid 80.</p>
<p>This should help:</p>
<p>Find "Percentage Distribution of Undergraduate Grades by Area: Selected Years."</p>
<p>Since 46.7% of students received As last year, and at least 22% of those courses were taken S/NC, over half of all grades given in classes taken with the A/B/C option were As. In Humanities, it seems that about 70% of all A/B/C classes result in an A.</p>
<p>Oy, do I really have to explain this again?</p>
<p>Iwastypo, you 100% completely don't understand how to properly analyze those statistics like most people. Assume I take 4 classes all of which the top 25% get As. In two classes I am in the top 25% and get As, in two classes I get Bs. Fifty percent of grades awarded would therefore be As even though only 25% of the members of that class received As.</p>
<p>Not only that, but there are many seminars of 10 or less students where if everyone gets the work, they all get As, and there are many classes where only 5 students will get an A out of 20. It's really dumb to look at a cross section like that due to the fact that some seminar classes and other things can seriously skew results.</p>
<p>Also, depending on your major things change.</p>
<p>AND you're making a leap that you can't make stastistically anyway.</p>
<p>Lawyerdad, perhaps if we knew why you're asking the question, what your concern was, etc we can far beter answer teh question than with these ambiguities and anecdotes.</p>
<p>Because you ignore the results of all the other students. Brown publishes the summary statistics for all the students. Of course any individual can get A's at a rate lower or higher than the mean. But, if 46% of grades are A's, then that is the result. </p>
<p>You choose an example based on a low A percent of 25%. If that were typical, then the overall A rate would be 25%, but it is not.</p>
<p>
[quote]
It's really dumb to look at a cross section like that due to the fact that some seminar classes and other things can seriously skew results.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That is why one looks at the overall results, they include the large lecture classes, the small seminars, and everything in between. And it is not "dumb".</p>
<p>As for what it takes to get an "A", how about "It takes hard work from the sort of top students who enroll at Brown"?</p>
<p>Yeah, modestmelody, you suck at math. Afan is right. That first paragraph doesn't make any sense. It just makes you look dumb when you're unnecessarily rude and an overweening b*tch and say things like "you 100% completely don't understand how to properly analyze those statistics like most people" when you're completely wrong.</p>
<p>Thanks for the support, but can we maintain civility, and stick to the question at hand?</p>
<p>A very rough approximate answer would be-look at the entrance qualifications of the students (grades, test scores), then see that most students get something less than an A in most classes. So an A is somewhat above the mean among a group of highly selected students. Absent testimony from people who have been undergrads at Brown and elsewhere, or faculty who have taught there and elsewhere, it will be difficult to find a more precise answer.</p>
<p>I dont feel like going further and understand that what I sia doesnt make sense as I reread it. I went through it in another thread here, but basicaly, just because 46% of grades awarded are As does not mean that that's the average percent you need to be compared to teh rest of the class in order to get an A is what I am implying.</p>
<p>Believe me, I don't suck at math, just explaining things ont he internet when I'm in a band mood and burnt out. I've got As in all of my math classes thus far at Brown, but I guess that doesn't mean much.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, I never attended Math 18 also, though I did go to 17...</p>
<p>iwastypo, according to the table you cite, it would appear that 46.2% of humanities grades are As.</p>
<p>I can speak best for the sciences, and it is very tough, but achievable to get A's. If you try to study by memorizing and brute force, if you know what I mean, I would say you would have an extremely difficult time. If you work on critical thinking and understanding the concepts, then you will do well. </p>
<p>I think that it is much easier to get A's in the humanities, because in the sciences I haven't had a class with 50% A's. But what is really the difference anyways? Come, learn, do your best and what happens, happens.</p>
<p>Yes, but many people take the humanities classes S/NC. Among people who take the class with the A/B/C option, approximately 0.7 get As.</p>
<p>A lot of people take tough science classes s/nc too -- probably not a class like Orgo, where most people in the class are taking it because they need an A in it to be premed or whatever, but a lot of people do take curved classes like Neuro 1 S/NC.</p>
<p>modestmelody, the way I understood that statistic was in the way that iwastypo seems to have interpreted it. What makes you think you're right?</p>
<p>I'll concede I'm wrong to make these people happy until I get the patience to explain it as I read it. I'm so ****ing tired right now I can't be bothered.</p>
<p>Modestmelody, you're definitely wrong. Obviously not 46% of the people in every single class get As, we know that.</p>
<p>But what you tried to say in your first post was that I interpreted the statistics fundamentally wrong and that "Fifty percent of grades awarded would therefore be As even though only 25% of the members of that class received As": that's mathematical nonsense since it ignored the grades that people other than you get. You're wrong; stop saying that you can't be bothered to explain it and just admit you're wrong.</p>
<p>This statement:</p>
<p>"Since 46.7% of students received As last year, and at least 22% of those courses were taken S/NC, over half of all grades given in classes taken with the A/B/C option were As. In Humanities, it seems that about 70% of all A/B/C classes result in an A."</p>
<p>is 100% accurate.</p>