to community college students..

<p>Does your college weigh GPAs? Like use A+ AND B- I've always wondered if they do.</p>

<p>depends on which cc you attend.
My school didn't have the + and -'s.</p>

<p>Mine doesn't but I have heard one ones who do. Thats how some people get ridiculous GPA's like 3.98 (They get 1 A-).</p>

<p>nope, haven't heard of any in the bay area</p>

<p>mine does not have a +/- system.</p>

<p>De anza college in california has +/- grading, it started this year, and it didn't help me.</p>

<p>Mine does not have +/-.</p>

<p>mine did not</p>

<p>mine neither.</p>

<p>de anza/foothill = only district in cali on quarters and use +/-?</p>

<p>Yes, De Anza uses +/-grading. However, and it's a very frustrating however, an A+ does not raise your GPA - so some professors choose to simply not have an A+ bracket, even if you are at a 100%. </p>

<p>For me and others who expect a lot of themselves this has meant that A+ work that gets an A, and is then put alongside A+ for classes with professors who use it, look like I did less well.</p>

<p>It's a petty thing to worry about, I know, I know. But it's a little frustrating. The bigger problem is that drives up ridiculous competitiveness and makes it harder to get competitive transfer grades. Since I'm very critical of the concept of grades as it is today, in general, I think this has been a very negative reform overall. Being able to have nuance comes at the cost of dropping some kids down a category over a few negligable points here and there. It's ridiculous.</p>

<p>Yes thats true but i don't think UC's give you higher than a 4. for an A+ either do they?</p>

<p>Anyways I only have 3 more weeks of de anza so it personally doesn't really matter for me...sorry new and current students</p>

<p>Hey, this is the system we'll inherit to our kids. Community college policies matter for everyone.</p>

<p>Yes, you're right i was just kidding (well half kidding at least :) ). </p>

<p>Hopefully they will fix up all the problems since this was the first year with this system... I think by the time our kids grow up the majority the CC's will have a +/- system anyway.</p>

<p>I've thus far been a fan of De Anza's plus/minus system. Yes A+'s don't hold extra weight, but they rarely do anyway. I think it just encourages greater mastery of the material. There's a huge difference in many classes between an 89% student and a 79.5% student. Furthermore, insofar as I have witnessed competition here, its never been to the extent of sacrificing learning for the end.
And, frrrph, A+ work might get you only an A with some teachers, but it'll also get you enthusiastic recommendations, so its not a total disincentive.</p>

<p>I'm already on my last quarter and heading to a transfer, but I remember the burden it was to seem like an obnoxious hassle when asking the professor to consider giving an A+ for a full score only so the transcript wouldn't imply the A+ at a cc was my full potential (which getting an A next to it would imply, just as kids with that one or two stray B:s worry about this putting the whole of their transcript in a lesser light). </p>

<p>When you aim for very selective schools, the sad truth is, that's the kind of pedantry you're lowered to when proving your community college salt is worth the same as that of more "prestigeous" starting points. Recommendations don't really factor in since you'd get them anyway, as you so correctly pointed out - it's this endless stratification and pushing of the envelope to further distinguish students by miniscule point-based differences. </p>

<p>I just don't believe a whole person, and all of her potential, can be crammed into numbers and plusses: yet that's what the +/- system is encouraging professors to do even more than they already are. The principle itself is very depressing.</p>

<p>When they calculate you GPA to transfer at the UC schools they do not factor in the plus minus system into your GPA. It wouldn't be fair if they did. For instance, my first semester at San Diego State I had a 3.76, but w/o thr +/- system I had a 4.0. This year I am at De Anza, and have not been helped by the +/- system again. Thus the UC schools do not factor in the +/- so that there is a standard system for everyone GPA. Hope this helps aliveats someones fear of the system not helping them.</p>

<p>Not everyone at De Anza transfers to a public. For internationals, we pay the exact same pricetag as for a private yet are not in the running for merit or need-based aid at all (whereas some privates do offer substantial aid, since they're not funded by state tax).</p>

<p>mine didn't have + and -. thank GOD!!! if it did, i would have a whole mess of A-'s which looks kind of ugly. the solid sraight A's, those are the best.</p>

<p>i got to De Anza and i hate the +/- system. I guess i've always been a A, A- gal, so one A- this year basically ruin my 4.0.</p>