By Carmen Herrera
By now every student should know that the grade A+ does not exist on campus. Even reaching the highest percentage does not mean it will increase your GPA.
Under the campus’ plus/minus GPA system, if a student receives a B-, it is worth 2.7 points on their GPA instead of a regular B’s 3 points. However, earning a B+ will count for 3.3 points towards their GPA.
This system works the same way for grade letters B, C, and even D. Yet oddly enough, the coveted A grades do not work the same.
Since an A+ is not part of the grading scales on campus, students who do a perfect job in their classes cannot achieve the same .3 point increase that the other grades offer.
What is really suppose to be a 4.3 GPA is only limited to a 4.0 average.
That’s not saying that a 4.0 average is not prestigious in anyway, but it limits what’s supposed to be an even higher GPA.
You can be surprised how much a .3 point increase or decrease can do to your GPA. There have been many students who have been in the borderlines of barely getting a 3.0 or even a much needed 2.0.
Why should students not be rewarded with a higher GPA for achieving near perfection?
The inconsistency with the school’s grading scales not only just affect GPA and transcripts, but affects student involvement.
School spirit and campus involvement have been going downhill lately and grades play a huge part in this. ASI elections did not have as much candidates running this quarter because many students were ineligible to run due to not meeting standard GPA requirements.
Because students are not involved on campus, they miss out on many opportunities and in the end, stress out more about grades.
If an A+ average were to be counted, I believe that its increase could come a long way for many students. If these points were to be available, I believe students would work hard to get the extra point increases and improve the overall numbers of their GPA.
There are many students however, who are happy simply getting an A.
“I’m okay with it,” said student Dana Mai. “I don’t care about it.”
The letter itself seems to be important enough for many students, knowing that an A+ can’t be counted anymore than just the average A.
“Doesn’t make a difference really,” said student Jackie Milanovich. “An A is an A to me.”
The letter grade of A can be hard to achieve in many courses, and students are thrilled when they accomplish such a feat that’s not an easy task.
However, those who excel in class and work hard to be at the top, should get their recognition and have point increases when awarded with the highest possible letter grade.
Student’s transcripts would look more efficient to other schools and programs requiring grades. Knowing that an A+ signifies they reached perfection in the subject will give students a greater repertoire for greater opportunities.
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