I was thinking about taking a 500 level course as a tech elective - maybe mae-505 (heat transfer theory applications) with Kuznetsov. The grade distribution looks solid, but are the 500 level classes mostly A's and B's because the prof's are easier graders or b/c it is all grad students?? thanks

3/16/2008 11:53:34 AM

well in grad school basically C is failing

usually above the average is an A and below the average is a B

professors dont want their students getting kicked out

[Edited on March 16, 2008 at 12:51 PM. Reason : 

3/16/2008 12:51:06 PM

Grading depends on the professor... Some give A's freely...

Some have stringent grading scales and the + system becomes VERY important... I screwed myself last semester b/c the first class I took gave out A's... then last semester I figured if I did really well on the project(s) and the midterm(s) I would automatically get an A... I got 2 A-'s b/c I went through the final and turned them in with a "good enough" attitude...(I was a Dumbass) and it turned out all 3 of the professors used a strict grade number to determine A's

It varies a lot, but last semester it felt like...
Gradschool <=> Undergrad
A+ = A+
A = A
A- = B
B+ = C
B = D
B- = D-
C = F

and so for people looking at Gradschool GPA's they know that you either get an A or a B so interpolate the former 4.0 scale to a 1.0 scale... if you have nearly a 3.0 GPA after gradschool(and weren't working a real job at the same time) it means that you are: not smart enough to hold a masters, OR didn't work very hard and have a poor work ethic...

[Edited on March 16, 2008 at 2:26 PM. Reason : working a real job with a company paying for it grades only matter in considerations of reimbursment]

3/16/2008 2:22:32 PM

I found that grad school wasn't necessarily easier or graded more easily. In general, the students making As in grad school were those same ones who made As in undergrad when most of the class got Cs. Additionally, grad school incorporates many more projects instead of merely homework. Projects and programming assignments are things you can work on and improve until you know they're correct. Regular old homework doesn't really give you the feedback that allows you make continuous improvements up until the deadline.

3/16/2008 5:40:06 PM

Yup... So if your a fairly smart person in your undergrad classes... you'll be a fairly dumb person in your grad classes ...

it's interesting being on the bottom of the top

3/17/2008 2:27:23 PM