Some UCLA students earn As by attending lecture, completing
reading assignments and studying hard. Others earn As after
skipping class, ignoring assignments and pulling last-ditch
all-nighters.
Fueled by Red Bull or NoDoz pills, students employ notes bought
from the textbook store, not taken in class. They scour over
“black lightning” notes ““Â old tests.
Sometimes studying can be as easy as “Googling”
terms on a study list.
It’s no secret among the student population that you need
not always learn much about a subject to pass a class with a top
grade. Even at a top-notch university like UCLA, abusing the system
is often easy.
Many blame grade inflation ““ and it is chronic. Studies
show that in 1969, 7 percent of college students nationwide earned
grades of an A- or above in an average class; 25 percent earned
grades of a C or below. By 1993, the opposite was true: 26 percent
earned A-minuses or above and 9 percent Cs or below. And last year,
a study showed that at Harvard University 50 percent of grades were
As or A-minuses.
But at UCLA, the problem is a more complex than grade inflation.
The problem is grade inflation ““ in certain areas. Generally,
earning a good grade in a south campus class is tougher than in a
north campus class. In the spring of 2002, the average grade point
average in music classes was 3.82; in microbiology, immunology and
molecular genetics, it was 2.61. The average GPA in lower division
world arts and cultures classes was 3.82; the average in lower
division chemistry and biochemistry classes, 2.74.
Anyone who’s been at UCLA for a while knows north campus
students aren’t studying harder. In fact, the opposite is
probably true: You can’t “Google” a calculus
problem set.
Luckily, people considering graduate school and job applications
are savvy enough to know which grades are tough to earn. There
probably aren’t too many chemistry students being rejected
from positions filled by WAC students.
In a way, students in departments and majors with inflated
grades may be suffering more. It’s hard to recognize those
really doing A work when people doing C work are also getting
As.
But what can be done? It would not be appropriate for the UCLA
administration ““ or anyone else ““ to step in and tell
faculty how their grading curves should be shaped. But the question
must be asked: Is distributing fair grades a top priority for UCLA
professors? Maybe not.
Some professors stand in front of their classes and practically
brag about how easy making the grade is in their class. Many
professors rely on readers ““ who are not even required to
attend lectures ““ for grading help.
It’s almost unfair to criticize faculty in this regard
““Â budgets are being sliced left and right. But even when
stretched thin, professors must understand that distributing
appropriate grades is one of the most important aspects of their
job. If they don’t take grading seriously, the credibility of
an A grade on a UCLA transcript will erode.
There’s nothing wrong with demanding quality work from
smart young men and women.