<p>There is no point even to try to get all A's in college. Why waste away some of the best years of your life for perfect grades? Not worth it (even if it was possible).</p>
<p>Yes, I was a straight A student in HS (just like the rest of us) but I got all Bs last semester and I'm on my way to all Cs this semester (only cuz of writing though)</p>
<p>The average GPA for my program at my school is about 2.6... so 4.0 is very very difficult (It could also have to do with the fact that it is engineering...)
But an A is still hard to attain in any program</p>
<p>A's are given out to easily in college, its a true problem in american society which is recognized by everybody but americans,</p>
<p>A harvard degree in Europe is not what its worth here. But a Oxford or cambridge degree is worth more here than it is there.</p>
<p>Thjeres a reason for this, America's top universities tend to give More A's to students who flat out dont deserve them, By doing this Schools like Harvard look better and America in general looks smarter, but you cant hide it from the educated, because theres a real reason why there arent as Many American Born Engineers as foreign born ones.</p>
<p>Heres a good eassy to read, </p>
<p><a href="http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/gi.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/gi.htm</a></p>
<p>ok. </p>
<p>(10 characters.)</p>
<p>I went to a really hard h/s, so it hasn't been any more difficult for me. It's all about time management, really. I had a 4.0 at my first school first semester and I seem to be heading towards one this time unless I mess up in the next month. All I'm taking right now are liberal arts gen eds, though.</p>
<p>UB-Vinny77, if you read the report to which your link leads, you would have noticed that the authors are not saying that grade inflation (or "grade compression," as they call it) is the problem, but that grades themselves are the problem. In fact, they would suggest that this very thread epitomizes the problems with grading ("It is surely revealing when someone reserves time and energy to complain bitterly about how many students are getting A's -- as opposed to expressing concern about, say, how many students have been trained to think that the point of going to school is to get A's").</p>
<p>As to your fallacious argument that the paucity of American engineers is evidence of an inferior education system in this country, may I point out that Americans make up less than 4.6% of the world population. Also, in cased you missed it, the EU is seeking to build a university modeled off of MIT. If their system produced such superior engineers, why would they seek to invest so much money based on an inferior way of doing things?</p>
<p>UB-Vinny77, not necessarily.</p>
<p>Many colleges, such as Berkeley have grade quotas on a bell curve where they only give out a limited number of A's.</p>
<p>Think A's are easy to get? Try some Cal EECS classes.</p>
<p>I think engineering in general tends to range in the c+/b- average (2.3-2.7) range - at least in this area, I doubt that grade inflation is really a problem.</p>
<p>;)</p>
<p>I guessed it really depends on your major too. An A in Engineering is harder than an A in Business. So if your friends compare while you have a different major than them, smack it in their face. (Sorry, I'm saying this because I have this problem with my roomate.)</p>
<p>USC is definitely one of those schools that do not inflate grades. In fact, I think we have too much grade deflation</p>
<p>I think it depends on what college you go. I go to a stupid college, so I got straight A's last semester without studying one minute for the entire semester. I just wrote papers, and I got my As. I am not complaining one bit.</p>
<p>So, an A- usually does not translate into a 4.0? Could someone provide a general score translation? Sorry, as a high school senior, I'm still naive in lots of respects when it comes to college grading.</p>
<p>an a- is a 3.66, b+ a 3.33, et cetera.</p>
<p>At UCSD, it's same as above, but rounded to two sig figs (;)) </p>
<p>3.66-->3.7, 3.33-->3.3</p>
<p>anyway, instead of doing my math homework im going to actually try to answer the question. at any good college where you arent SIGNIFICANTLY more intelligent than the average student (which is unlikely at any good college) you are going to have a very, very hard time getting consistent 4.0s. i had a class freshman year with 13 students and the two highest grades given were 'a-'s. my multivariable calculus professor awarded two 'a's to a class of ~30, where the average sat math score was probably in the mid-700s. only one 'a' was awarded in my intermediate macroeconomics course. so while at most schools there will be some classes that are relatively easy 'a's or 'a-'s, there are also quite a few where you will probably not be able to earn an 'a' regardless of how hard you work. thus, a 3.5 is often considered a very good gpa and a 3.8 is outstanding... at schools with grade inflation.</p>
<p>Right now I have straight A's and unless I blow my finals I shouldn't have any A-'s. If I do get one, it probably wouldn't knock me around a whole lot..as long as I get 3.75 (the GPA I finished high school with) or higher overall I'll be satisfied.</p>
<p>It is not hard to get good grades, trust me. I work hard every weekday, put some effort in on Sundays, and always take breaks during studying, which is key. Not only can I get non-academic work (like tech support via email) done but it also clears my mind.</p>
<p>My other trick is that I make practice tests a lot. I actually have a program called Teacher's Toolkit on my Mac that makes it easy. It's an old program so it's tough to find (I believe it's copyrighted 1992). The questions consist of review questions that some textbooks have, stuff I know I am struggling with (key terms or otherwise) that I make questions up about, and also a few critical thinking application ones I make up as well.</p>
<p>I often take these tests before I actually read the chapters in detail. This way I can pick and choose what needs read. Some people think my system is whack, but when you get results it obviously isn't too bad.</p>
<p>As for papers, the key is the buddy system. Find a guy who's a good writer and exchange papers with him. It is amazing what another person can find in your writing. I have had a guy who I've swapped papers with at both of my colleges, and we have both benefited in these cases, getting A's on most everything. It really works when someone is better at one thing than another--for example, I'm pickier about grammar while my friend is a better at word choice.</p>
<p>Of course, the little things factor in to any semester. I seem to be better academically when I have a good amount of social activity, yet when it takes up all my time my grades suffer. This was the case all throughout high school. Specifically, watch out for weekday nights and afternoons if you've got something big coming up. Use your weekends wisely, making sure you do something enjoyable (with or without friends). Also, if you are serious about your grades, don't consume alcohol or drugs. I watched a straight A student in middle school become a D and F student because of his addictions in high school.</p>
<p>Some professors grade harder than others, especially on papers. Talk to people who have already had the professor to find out how hard they grade. Tests can be curved or not depending on the professor, and this often helps if you are a particularly strong student. On my last psych test, I set a curve with a 79%, making that a 100%. However, the distribution of grades is really strange with this professor, and since the next highest was a 61% that person got a B+, making me the only A. This was to make sure the bell shape curve was there, with more C's than anything being handed out. Even if you know there's a curve, work your butt off so you can set it!!!</p>
<p>
[quote]
It is not hard to get good grades
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This depends entirely on the school, the major, the person, and the definition of good grades used by the person.</p>
<p>For example, an electrical engineering major at Berkeley who defines good grades as a >3.95 would find it very very hard.</p>
<p>Same student with a "good" cutoff at 3 might have an easier time.</p>
<p>;)</p>
<p>First off, I highly doubt you got straight A's in High school with that grammar...</p>
<p>And yes, it's VERY difficult to get straight A's in college.</p>