If Getting An A- Drops My GPA, Receiving An A+ Should Boost It Even More
Time to get on my academic soapbox.
If you didn't know, some universities take a certain amount off of your semester GPA if you receive an A- in one of your courses. I'm not sure if it is a motivated approach for students to strive for better grades or what, but I find this very frustrating. While attending community college and my high school, receiving an A- didn't affect your GPA differently from other forms of As. So when I first heard of this rule, I wasn't happy. Fast forward over a year, and I am still not happy.
I get the idea that attending a higher education system should push you toward high achievement, that life isn't always fair, and that there are rules in place even if you don't understand them. The thing is, people are paying thousands of dollars to attend college, and when there is a rule that is affecting our GPA in a negative way because of a simple minus, it doesn't make sense. The past two semesters I had "straight As" but I received an A- so I didn't receive the coveted 4.0 GPA. This sounds petty and such a small thing, but the .08 off of your GPA with each A- can add up. Maybe it isn't a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but for someone who has a GPA they don't like and are working their tails off to raise it, this ruling can be discouraging for them.
I love attending this university and who I am becoming because of my education. I am pushed academically in my courses, have so many opportunities for personal and professional growth, and have met some of my best friends while attending school. But when academic success and GPA gets brought up in conversation, I can't help but sit there and wonder, "what is the reasoning behind this A- rule?" I want to know the definite decision making behind the reasoning because I feel like I am left in the dark on my GPA. Don't get me wrong I am proud of the work I do and the current GPA I have. I work hard to succeed in everything I do, but something just doesn't feel right in this instance. An A is still an A whether it has a plus or minus behind it, but in this type of system getting an A- is still not good enough in the grade book.
Attaining an A+ in a college isn't going to happen in every course, so is it too much to ask that if we reach that accomplishment, we gain something more to maybe balance out the A- rule? Having an A+ equivalent to an A while an A- drops your GPA doesn't settle well with me. Being pushed to achieve your dreams and goals is a great thing to have, but at the same time, to me, I feel like there is a change needed in this academic stance.
