Grade whore. That’s how I would have defined myself as a high school student looking to get into a prestigious college.
My GPA told the UCLA Admissions Office that I was well-prepared for the next step in my education. It told them I had mastered college-level biology and psychology.
I can tell you, I definitely had not.
Most of us would agree that letter grades are not an accurate portrayal of knowledge. But why then does this method of evaluation still exist?
If the grading system is so useless, why is there so much pressure to obtain a certain grade?
Every grade we have received throughout our schooling means nothing. It tells us not that we’ve learned anything that would expand our minds, but how well we are able to “binge and purge” the information that our teachers have instructed us to memorize.
We, as a society, have bought into this nonsensical method of “evaluation” as the be-all, end-all of our academic careers, when in reality it is an abstract idea formed to condition us to be submissive and to imprison us within this system, where we are driven by fear.
These meaningless letters have thus bred a fear of the F, or the D, C or maybe even the B, as we become sycophants, unwilling and afraid to disagree with our teachers.
In my writing class at UCLA, we were discussing the reasons why we would not confront our professors for saying something offensive.
The unanimous reason was because “the professor has control of our grades.” Why do professors have this much power? They shouldn’t, but they do.
As gatekeepers to our grades and thus our futures, we become cowardly beings too concerned with the outcome of our grades to stand up for ourselves.
Why do we place so much emphasis on a letter that we know is inaccurate and meaningless? Why does it still have so much power?
The existence of letter grades primarily benefits teachers, where they are able to simplify their evaluation of each student to a single letter.
For students, the existence of this grading system works to create an unpleasant, discouraging atmosphere for learning, transforming us into robotic fiends.
Isn’t school supposed to be about students?
It would be unrealistic for a grading system to be abolished, but it can be reformed.
By adopting a more in-depth form of evaluation ““ as some schools have, such as New College of Florida and Evergreen State College ““ we can more accurately track the progress of students.
These colleges use one- to three-page evaluations in place of grades to give a more accurate portrayal of a student’s achievements.
In her article “Going Without Grades,” Christina Couch writes, “College sans scores means no academic competition, no room for slacking, and no conventional way to assess how much work needs to be done for a given class.”
By individualizing student evaluations, there would be no pressure to make a certain grade. Instead, the focus would be turned to learning the content of the lectures.
Without the worry of grades, students would be more motivated to take classes they have an interest in. Students’ passion for learning would be restored.
Youm is a fourth-year sociology student.