<p>This is an honest question, which I feel deserves a legitimate answer:</p>
<p>1) What does a grade mean?</p>
<p>The general thought is that a grade signifies one's mastery of a subject or their ability to apply the concepts and ideas present from a course. However if grades are to represent a universal idea of achievement then why can't I compare an A in english to an A in math? Yes, I understand that they are two completely different subjects, but if grades are to mean anything then there needs to be some underlying comparison or even a point.</p>
<p>Despite the fact that a C vs an A may generally fit a description of a student, it fails to account for the growth of a student throughout a course. Perhaps the C student struggled but developed a passion and ability in a subject while the A student was satisfied with his current abilities. Growth, individuality, passion cannot be represented in a simple letter grade, so why do colleges care so much about it when they stress the need for "individual" (in thought, action, and perspective) students.</p>
<p>2) Why does a college care?</p>
<p>In a sense I guess its a nice neat way to statistically assess a student. To shove them into a box and decide yes/no. I remember last year someone posted a video showing Dartmoth's admission process in action, and they scoffed at a transcript of a student who recieved a D in a class. I find it odd, that schools who hope to educate leaders want to make sure their students are those who have never experienced failure. Students who have always succeeded at the things they try, and most importantly students who remain within in their limits. </p>
<p>I am not saying that students should be discouraged from "having a life," but I am saying that students are generally discouraged from tackling subjects that they know they are weak in. So why do colleges care so much about grades when they have the tendency to show very little. If anything, they discover whether or not a student has encountered a subject that he/she found too difficult. I guess thats a trait that current higher education dislike - people who have learned what its like to hit a brick wall.</p>
<p>3) So back to my original question: "Why do colleges want to see grades?"</p>
<p>In a time when admissions officers express concerns for the kind of students that they are creating, I find it sad that they do not offer anything other than a vague answer or solution to the problem. They keep saying that they want to see a developed individual student, but they hold onto the past system of student evaluation. </p>
<p>I think its getting to the point that colleges need to re-examine the need for the information that they are asking from students, and they need to find a way to promote the creation of individual students exploring their passions vs students who rely on exams and scores to get to college.</p>
<p>Brief bio: I got to Harvey Mudd, yes I was a class val, senior year I scraped out a low C- in an english class; however it reshaped my view on life far more than any other class I recieved an "A" in. My regret? I wish I wasnt afraid of failing a foreign language course and wouldve been independent enough to accept an F if it happened.... to bad thats an automatic rejection from a college.</p>