<p>Well, this is pretty bad news for me. That means if I get a 90, I'll receive a 3.6 ... instead of a 4.0. Apparently, UT decided to use this scale for the fall 08 class. At least, I think so (didn't really read all of the article). I guess I'll have to work even harder to get a better grade......
Please tell me I misread something. lol</p>
<p>Office</a> of the General Faculty and Faculty Council</p>
<p>I don't think its is fair. It only goes up to an "A" = 4.0. They should at least give credit for an "A+".</p>
<p>I think my son should take that scholarship to A & M or Texas Tech now. That way he has a better chance of getting into grad school. Grad schools care more about your gpa than where you went to undergrad school. They don't care if you went to UT or A & M or Tech. There's a big difference between a 3.6 and a 4.0 gpa.</p>
<p>Thank you for the info! He still has time to change before May 1st. </p>
<p>I'm sure he would be fine at UT, but why chance it. He is #5 in his class and has a 1540 cr + m SAT.</p>
<p>It's just a proposal, so it's not set in stone, plus it wouldn't take effect until Fall of 09.</p>
<p>In #4. "The new grading scale will be implemented on a “day forward” basis, being effective beginning in fall 2009 and thereafter. "</p>
<p>What type of grad school will your son be attending after graduation?</p>
<p>Med school.</p>
<p>yea, I'm planning to go to med school, also.</p>
<p>Elite graduate schools care a lot about the reputation of the department, not just the GPA. </p>
<p>GPAs at UT will go down, but that's a good thing. </p>
<p>They're wildly overinflated now in some colleges, especially in easy grading McCombs.</p>
<p>I believe that from what I've heard students who begin before plus/minus starts will be able to be grandfathered out and keep on a letter-grade system.</p>
<p>The only kids it benefits are those who are consistenty getting high-Bs. But it also make professors less likely to opt to choose an A over a B for a high-range B student, knowing that they won't be hurt as badly with a 3.6 as a 3.0.
All in all it's not a great decision.</p>
<p>It seems rather ridiculous to pick a college based on a plus/minus grading scale. </p>
<p>Considering UT, A&M, and Tech are all state schools whose costs will be paltry in comparison to medical school, the most important criteria for choosing a school should be the student's fit/preference. The student will be spending 4 years of his life at this school, and will be affiliated with this institution for the rest of his life (which is important considering the cultural differences of the universities..particularly between UT and A&M). </p>
<p>Cost should also be a concern as should career/grad school prospects. However, a student should be able to get into a decent medical school from any of those schools (I would think). I don't know much about medical school admission, but have to think you might be a bit kookoo if you think prospects would be any better out of Tech/A&M than UT.</p>
<p>Let's say a student from A&M and Texas apply to Med School with the same stats, same major, but the A&M student has a 4.0, having a 91 avg, and the Texas student with a 91 avg has a 3.67. Who do you think will get in?</p>
<p>I would bet that the A&M student gets in.</p>
<p>BTW, VectorWega, I noticed on another thread you attended Tech. What did you major in at Tech and was it easier than UT?</p>
<p>Maybe the kid with the highest MCAT, or maybe the kid who has the best resume - if he was on a research team that cured a form of cancer, that 3/67 might not be an issue.</p>
<p>Just sayin...</p>
<p>I agree with ag54. There are just way too many factors to predict success based on just one factor such as plus/minus grading scale (which has the potential of rasing his GPA rather than dropping it).</p>
<p>As for Tech vs UT, it's hard for me to say. My primary major was MIS and i can only speak of the business school. The business curriculums aren't really that different from Tech and UT, and I doubt UT's MIS classes are much more difficult than Tech's. However, I suspect that overall UT's business classes are more difficult, and UT business students have a few other advantages (which aren't relevant to this discussion).</p>
<p>I do know someone who graduated from Tech undergrad and Tech Med school who could give me a better idea about medical school admission, but that is not an area I am that familiar with.</p>
<p>I don't believe anyone will be grandfathered out. It doesn't start until Fall 2009, though.</p>
<p>GPA matters when applying to Med or Law Schools. Attending UT will not give you a advantage over Texas A&M, but having a higher gpa will. A 91 avg = 3.67 at UT, same 91 at A&M = 4.0. Same LSAT or MCAT score, but different GPA, the 4.0 wins.</p>
<p>Grad school for the class of 2012 will be just as competitive as it was for undergrad due to the large number of applicants.</p>
<p>Of course it does, it just isn't the ONLY thing that is considered in an application - ask all the valedictorian high school kids who were rejected from Harvard ;)</p>
<p>You are also assuming that the "kid" in the example can maintain a 4.0 GPA in a pre-med track at a difficult university. 4 years of science for science majors can be a bear (especially in the weed out freshman year)</p>
<p>All I can say is I have an older son at a college with a +/- grading system and he's been happy with it considering he has gotten plenty of B+'s, and the extra boost is good. (We thought he'd be a straight A student in college too, but the distractions are much greater than when he was at home with me calling the shots LOL :)) We're happy with his 3.7 now as a senior, and many of those fractions of points came from getting a 3.3 for a 87 (or whatever it is).</p>
<p>So is your son applying to Med or Law school? Applying to grad school is not the same as applying to Harvard.</p>
<p>Actually, when he was a freshman, he was pre-med, until he took all the science classes, which he did well in, but HATED! So, he switched to a double major in Econ and English, and now he plans on going to law school. He has already met with the admissions dean of the law school, and his GPA is actually above the mean GPA of admitted students (3.67). The admisssions guy says that how he does on the LSAT (which he takes this summer) will be a determining factor, along with the resume (internships, work history, etc.), so we'll see. </p>
<p>A friend of my son's just got into UTMB med school with a 3.4 out of UT, but he had a killer GMAT score. He also didn't find out right away, he was on a waitlist for a while, but now he knows, so big sigh of relief for him!!</p>
<p>Oh, and I was just kidding about the Harvard thing! </p>
<p>But, point is - you don't have to have a 4.0 to go to law school or med school. It certainly helps, but is not a make or break thing. Now, a 3.0 or below - forget about it:)</p>
<p>
[quote]
GPA matters when applying to Med or Law Schools. Attending UT will not give you a advantage over Texas A&M, but having a higher gpa will. A 91 avg = 3.67 at UT, same 91 at A&M = 4.0. Same LSAT or MCAT score, but different GPA, the 4.0 wins.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Keeping a 91 average and maintaining a 4.0 is really tough, because you'd have to be really close to the A/B line on most of your classes. Seriously, if you expect a 91 average, expect a few Bs in there, and you'll end up with a ~3.7 GPA, which isn't all too different when you compare it to +/-. </p>
<p>Also @ loneranger: Nobody's getting grandfathered out. This was a major discussion point at some of the +/- forums in the fall, but it would be very tough (especially for a school as big at UT) to have two separate grading scales for professors to work with. I wish we weren't +/- though. It means that you need those few extra percentage points to get the 4.0...</p>
<p>I agree with the other people here. For one thing, instead of thinking too much about where he'll get a good GPA, consider where he'll be happiest, also. Sure, what if he does well in A&M, maybe he won't enjoy it (like the person above who mentioned the S doing well in sciences but not enjoying it). Even though a school might use a plus/minus system, I wouldn't completely rule it out UT as a possible college choice. IMO, I could have gone to many other schools, but I knew that if I did (and that it'll be easier to get a good GPA), I would be miserable... like I just can't image myself in a city like College Station (no offense). Besides, what if he does listen to you and does to A&M/Tech, yet he decides to change his career options. Maybe he wanted to go to UT in the first place but chose otherwise just for that extra .33 to the GPA. Those extra points wouldn't mean as much if he decides not to go to med. school. There are just too many factors to consider to rule out a school because of a grading system.</p>