<p>I'm the philosophy student, so I guess I'll ask for clarification and what not.</p>
<p>What does it mean for a class to be curved?</p>
<p>^
Since I'm an Econ major, I'll just use Econ-specific examples.</p>
<p>The professor wants 20% of the class to get As/A-s, and 20% to get B/B-s...and the rest C+ and lower.
Thus he scales the median to a C+, and basically sets it from there. The top 20% of the class gets As/A-s; 20% Bs and 60% C+ and lower. That's usually how it works in the Econ department anyway. Although sometimes they set the median to B-, or C+, depending on the professor.</p>
<p>Curved = rank-based grading. At the end of each curved class, the instructor ranks all students based on their numerical grade and make appropriate cutoffs for each letter based on those ranks. In other words, the top X percent get A's, and the next X percent receive B's, and so on. This is especially popular in sci/tech classes because often times, a professor cannot easily predict performance on an exam, and hence cannot implement a preset scale.</p>
<p>"The professor wants 20% of the class to get As/A-s, and 20% to get B/B-s...and the rest C+ and lower."</p>
<p>Wow, are you serious? I'm glad I'm not taking any econ classes, then.</p>
<p>^, It depends. The 20% As rule is basically always applicable in the Econ department, but professors vary on the % of Bs they want.</p>
<p>Thus 20% As and 20%Bs, or 20%s As and 30%Bs is another method they like. It depends on the professor on how many B's they want. Usually at least or around 50% of the class get's Cs and lower.</p>
<p>That's absolutely ridiculous. There's the perception that engineering classes are often the most competitive and cutthroat at Cal, and 25-50-25 represents a "typical" distribution. In other words, A's are hard to get, but the B range is nicely stretched out.</p>
<p>The more I think about how Stanford sometimes allots as many as 7-8 A+'s in a class of 30-40, the more I hate this school and its professors.</p>
<p>Engineering classes are probably much harder, which is why they scale it that way. You guys have to work harder to get the B. I mean it'd suck to do all that work and not pass an engineering course.</p>
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The more I think about how Stanford sometimes allots as many as 7-8 A+'s in a class of 30-40, the more I hate this school and its professors.
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<p>You can always transfer....</p>
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The more I think about how Stanford sometimes allots as many as 7-8 A+'s in a class of 30-40, the more I hate this school and its professors.
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<p>Yeah, in some classes here they don't even give A+s. For example, my other major is History, and sure, they don't curve, but nobody ever writes an A+ essay. It's generally impossible. So to do that, you have to basically be the professor himself haha.</p>
<p>Maybe I will</p>
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my other major is History, and sure, they don't curve, but nobody ever writes an A+ essay. It's generally impossible. So to do that, you have to basically be the professor himself haha.
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<p>YEAH!</p>
<p>What's up with that? I think some of my essays deserved that cool +. Has anyone here ever gotten an A+ in a History class period?</p>
<p>Is A+ 4.0 and A 3.7 or something?</p>
<p>Typically in math and science courses, what percentage of students who receive an A receive an A+? Is it split 1/3 1/3 1/3 between A+, A, A-?</p>
<p>No, typically 1 person gets an A+. The A's are divided in about 50/50. So if 20% get As, then top 10% get straight As.</p>
<p>They very rarely hand out A+s. I read about the number 1 student at Cal (University Medalist) a few years ago..she had like 15 A+s or something weird. That's pretty amazing...considering they are rare.</p>
<p>Phroz. A+=4.0 A=4.0 Unless you apply to Law school, then A+=4.3 for the LSAC. But for Berkeley A+/A=4.0</p>
<p>Ahh, okay, so there isn't any real difference, gpa-wise...thanks for clearing this up :)</p>
<p>Speaking with a few of my friends who go to Cal, I've heard that Math 1B can be excessively hard, 60% class gets D+s or below. I believe that specific sample would have been in Fall semester of 2003.</p>
<p>Yes, I could try transferring, but it is not easy and I haven't heard of anyone who's succeeded. I think grad school would be a better goal.</p>
<p>A+'s in math/science courses vary by professor, but they are usually extremely rare at Cal. Yes, often it goes to the top student in a class of 200-300. A Chem 1A distribution from a few years ago showed 8 A+'s out of over 1300 students. (If you're curious, the numerical grade needed was about a 97%, whereas the minimum cutoff for an A was around 85%.) However, since Stanford professors give out A's and A+'s like candy in certain classes, it's little wonder why Stanford students have an enormous edge when it comes to grad school admissions and job applications.</p>
<p>A Cal ChemE student currently has a total of 23 A+'s across six semesters (25-26 if he didn't take certain classes P/NP), and he'll likely set the all-time record when he graduates next year. No idea how he does it, though.</p>
<p>Put him on the short list for a Nobel.</p>
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A+'s in math/science courses [and most social science/humanities courses, as well as technical courses, besides a few courses] vary by professor, but they are usually extremely rare at Cal.
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<p>Yes.</p>
<p>A+s certainly help for law school admissions. 4.333 points.</p>
<p>My Math 1B class was not curved and I'm pretty sure many people failed that class because of it.</p>