Nearly Everyone Gets A’s at Yale. Does That Cheapen the Grade?

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/05/nyregion/yale-grade-inflation.html?campaign_id=190&emc=edit_ufn_20231206&instance_id=109454&nl=from-the-times&regi_id=85323636&segment_id=151866&te=1&user_id=ca8bf226f46ac96e9a2ba1b5de1b1384

Harvard also has a similar issue with rampant grade inflation.

 

It seems likely most Ivy League students are capable of legitimately excellent-quality coursework. It seems plausible Ivy League students today are somewhat more motivated to take steps – some combination of choosing generically grade-friendly courses, choosing good-personal-fit courses, and putting in the work – that will tend to get them higher grades than Ivy League students in the 90s.

 

From the sound of it, Yale does not have a built-in anti-grade inflation policy in their courses. There are pros and cons, and I am not sure there is a solid answer as to how to stop giving out A’s like candy on Halloween. I know in my program at Duke, they had a policy where no more than 25% could get an SP (4.0), no more than 40% could get an HP (3.5), and at least 35% had to get a P or lower (3.0 or lower). It was a double-edged sword because you may do well enough for a SP or HP but others did better so you got a P.

 

Maybe it has to do with the caliber of the students. In other news, I’m pretty sure CBE students have at least a B average. At least, when I talked with NAU, they told me you have to get a B to complete a course… so….

 

Yale students are impressive but they are not 80% of grades being an A or A- impressive.

 

If a representative Yale student transferred to a non-competitive-admissions regional college while retaining motivation to get As, should be really be surprised if around 80% of their grades there were A or A-?

 

Alternate headline: "Nearly Everyone Who Gets in to Yale Previously Reliably Got A's, and in Large Part They Were Selected for That. They Continue to Get A's at Yale. Are We Surprised?"

 

I think looking at a student in particular is different than a student body. Each student is different but to tell me of the 6,000ish that roughly 4,800 are making straight A’s is pretty unbelievable.

 

80% of course grades are A's, but 80% of students aren't getting straight A's. The table Steve posted shows A's are much scarcer in some departments than others.

 

It seems the quantitative courses are tougher, which is how it should be. But even the “soft” majors have too high of A’s. Maybe I am just a tough grader.

 

Yeah...and who gets admitted to Yale? The best and brightest? Or the larve of their biggest donors?

Regardless...the diploma still says "Yale" on it.

 

A pretty good argument could be made for abandoning grades altogether in favor of pass/fail. Medical schools do it that way I understand. Law schools should do it that way but so far they don't.

 

I wish that were the case! I am still holding a 4.0 GPA in the MBA program. Every class I feel like that might disappear. My understanding is the school requires students to get an A or B (A+ is not given) and maintain a 3.0 GPA. The school I am at has two different programs, the course-based and the self-paced. The self-paced tends to gave lower grades, per a study the school released. I have been in the self-paced, and partly only think I have maintained the 4.0 GPA from transfer credits. I have read that law school grades tend to be at least one letter grade lower than undergraduate grades. Going into law school knowing that I think is psychologically helpful. However, I also think seeing it could still be a bit shocking especially for people who did not know in advance. I generally think pass/fail would be better and take pressure off people so they could genuinely focus on the process of enjoying learning, and because it would help even the probability of students being employed after graduation if employers cannot focus so much on grades especially since some people simply catch onto ideas later but equally as well.

 

All I know for sure is: Any school where I get straight A's is definitely substandard - and should probably have its Accrediation yanked - if it had any to start with.

 

And so do sweatshirts. Proper insignia. They've licensed them I guess. "No diploma, but I've got a Yale Sweatshirt." (Harvard too - I've seen 'em.) At down-market clothing stores in the mall. Matching track pants, too. Go nicely with a Ferrari cap.

 

Even in Fashion Design?

 

Well - the one I took the course from -- definitely. I was really interested, so I made a major effort to seek out other sources and topics I felt I was missing. The knowledge gained that way, I was not tested on. What was in the course - I could almost have earned A's on those ticky-box tests in a COMA!

A really good school, like F.I.T., Parsons, Pratt or Savannah? I wouldn't have stood a chance of A's.

 

Don't sell yourself short, Johann!

 

Don't worry. Heck, I can't even GIVE myself away!! But yeah - learning about fashion, I DO enjoy.
It's a long-term thing, for sure.