Student Comments: Plus-Minus Page 1
STUDENT COMMENTS
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A 90 or above is considered and A in the school system, but if we switch to this system my hard work for A is
punished( by not recieveing a 4.0 for that class) if I do not recieve a high enough numerical value. It just does not
make sense.
A B is still a B whether it is + or -. By having a B- count lower than a regular B many students will lose HOPE
and have to leave school for a cheaper option. However if it were graded differently, say, a B+ is a 3.7, a B is 3.3
and a B- is 3.0 then it will be fair.
A plus/minus grading system will only hurt those students who work hard to make A's in their classes. An A
should be 90 and above period. This system will only help slackers that bullcrap there way through a semester
then do well on a final to get a B or C in the class. Strong disagree with a plus/minus grading system.
A student is boarder line to an A. They currently have an 89. A teacher might inflate their grade and give them an
A. Grade inflation is based on the TEACHER!! Not the grading system. Also it would take away hope from
students who had already earned it. A "B" average is considered a 3.0. Now getting a B- would result in a 2.7 and
many students losing Hope.
A student that earns all A's deserves a 4.0 on their resume. An A- could hinder them from a perfect record even
though their achievement is still very honorable.
A system like this benefits the weaker students by hobbling the stronger ones; it will do more harm than good for
the top members of the student body.
Along with grade disputes increasing, the actual grade point average of the school will drop (grade deflation)
Although it would be nice to have specific recognition for the grade obtained, say an 89 versus an 81, there will be
too many other problems that will arise.
An "A" is an "A".
an a is an a, a b is a b, some classes i have to bust ass to get a 90 while others i stay at 99 no problem, the current
grading system helps even out my grade to reflect the effort I am putting into school overall. I also don't get
'punished' for classes I am just not as good in, like math
An A should still be a 4.0 regardless of how high it may be. the rest of the grades would benefit from the +/system however. making an -A less than a 4.0 will mess with a students GPA for grad school especially when
compared to a student who does not have the +/- system
BAD IDEA!!! And even worse to implement for current students already attending to have to adjust to
Bad idea. If the A-F system isn't broken...why change it? It is the way it has always been, and in my opinion it is
the way it always should be. If nothing else, at least do not force these changes upon the upperclassmen whose
grades have all been A-F, it will mess up the system completely. Enforce it on incoming freshman whom have no
prior grading.
Because if I made a 90 I deserve a 4.0. And no a+ had it at UGA. It sucks.
benefits weaker students. Hurts people who earned an A.
Changing to the plus and minus will create much more disagreements about grades. If the college was to use this
system i believe the teachers should be required to give every single grade back to the students .
College is hard enough. If you managed to get that 89.9 that rounds up to a 90, you should be rewarded with an
A that will help your gpa.
Did not attend a university with this system for a reason. Will ruin student's gpas and create issues. I would
consider transferring if this is implemented.
Do not institute this. If someone works hard to get an A or a B they do not receive the proper reward, which they
deserve. What's so bad about it now? It's great the way it is.
DON'T DO IT
Even though it would look great on your transcript to have a bunch of A pluses, and it wouldn't make a B look so
bad if it had a plus beside it, I'd be very upset at an A-, especially if I worked really hard in a class.
Everyone I know who goes to school under the plus/minus system hates it.
Forgetting all this irrelevant nonsense about liberal arts schools, it is simply nice to know some details about the
grade you made in a class, moreso than a simple letter grade.
Student Comments: Plus-Minus Page 2
24. Georgia College has a number of courses that all or most of the student body must complete before graduation
where success can vary wildly depending solely upon the professor, Economics, Statistics, and (Pre-)Calculus for
example. For many students, withdrawing from a course and taking it with a different professor is what they must
do to pass, but not everyone has that luxury. For those that do not drop, some end up making two or more letter
grades worse than if they'd taken the course with another professor. As it is now, a B, be it 80 or 89, is equivalent
to 3.0. For students who take the "harder" professors, an 80 may be all they can legitimately make. Instituting a
+/- system will only punish those students more, making it harder to maintain HOPE and thus harder to pay for
school. I understand my argument is a double-edged blade, but I feel that one side cuts deeper than the other. If I
earn an 88 in a course for example, my GPA would be higher than if I'd earned an 85. That's great and I love that
element of the system. However I feel the other side, that earning an 82 would put me below that magic 3.0 to
keep HOPE, is the more compelling argument. In summary, I disagree with the proposed system and do not
wish to see it implemented at Georgia College.
25. Grades are shifted to the lower end of the spectrum because there is nothing higher than a 4.0 for an A+. I am a
student who has never made a grade below an A in my life. Many of my grades are A+ and occasionally I have an
A-, but there would be nothing to counter this A- in scaled grading, so I would lose my 4.0 that I have worked so
hard to maintain. This would help students who were not A students. Also when reporting grades to graduate
schools, the schools would be unable to distinguish between a 4.0 of a student who was on the +/- grading scale vs
one who was not. This scale does not reward students who overachieve, just the average students.
26. having 2 GPAs, one HOPE and one instiutional would be WAY too confusing and stressfull!!!!
27. Honestly, it doesn't make much since to change to a plus/minus system. A lot of other schools as well as HOPE
want the GPA that is NOT based on the plus/minus system. There is no reason to change to a system that will
cause us to have to convert back and forth between traditional grades and plus/minus grading. Furthermore, if a
student works hard to make an A, B, or whatever grade I don't think their GPA should be punished just because its
on the lower end of the scale.
28. I am an A student, and with this system it is harder to keep a 4.0 because the A- grade brings you down.
29. I am currently a UGA student and plus minus has more or less destroyed my major GPA and has kept me from
being eligible for certain jobs. I can have straight A's and end up with a 3.7 overall GPA, but to everybody else
who is unfamiliar with the plus or minus system, it looks like i made A's and B's. This is completely unfair when
you are applying for a job and it appears as if your GPA is less than students' GPAs in other colleges when in fact
you actually made the same grades. It is also unfair that there is no A+ for students who do exceptionally well.
Students who receive an A+ should logically get 4.3 towards their GPA, but they do not.
30. I am mostly an A student, and I do not think it is fair that the GPA of others will increase for those students who
receive mostly B's and do not work as hard. Most classes it is impossible to get an A+ therefore it will hurt all the
currently hard working students at this school. Some professors think it will keep students engaged in the
classroom longer if they know they can acheive a B+ rather than just a B. Honestly, from a students perspective,
students will put in the same effort with the current grading system because they still can't acheive an A. This
grading system only benefits the students who have lower GPA's and this is unfair. If the plus-minus system is
implemented, students should be grandfathered in. It should start with freshman and not affect students who will
be graduating in a year or two.
31. I am to worried about hope to have to worry if an A will cancel a C- It is to complicated.
32. I am typically a low A student, which is still an A!!!! It would not be fair if I were punished for having a low A,
and have it appear as if I got a b.
33. I attended Georgia State when they transferred to this system and it was awful for students who are attempting a
4.0. It seemed to me that it required students who are already working hard to overwork themselves. Students
that are "floaters" couldn't care less one way or another. Why would you punish your best students? Plus, it looks
better from an outside perspective on the college. ("We have [a number] of students with A's.") With the new
system [a number] would be lower. Also, it would take time for faculty to adjust their grading system to meet the
needs of the new scale. I firmly believe that is may even go so far as to have an effect on students applying to
GCSU. There is no place that says a public liberal arts school should have a plus/minus grading scale.
34. I attended UGA for two years before transferring to GCSU for nursing school, and they use this system. It is
largely unfair. I believe if I work hard and get a 90 in a class, I should receive the full four points for that grade. I
think the plus minus system is at fault by not rewarding for a high A as it rewards every other high letter grade.
I'm applying to nursing school soon and if GCSU invokes the Plus/Minus System, I will look into transferring out
Student Comments: Plus-Minus Page 3
of this school.
35. I believe A-F grading is fine just the way it is.
36. I believe an A should be a 4.0 no matter what.
37. I believe once students get into their junior and senior years, classes get harder and students are taking heavier
loads. Sometimes getting a low A is all that student can do to get by and maintain good grades in his/her other
classes. I don't believe an A is an A, and I don't think receiving a low 90 should be punished by not classifying it
as a 4.0. Students work hard for the grades that we get, and I for one would be very upset about plus/minus
grading.
38. I believe plus/minus grading punishes the A student and rewards the average student. Why is there a B+ and a C+
but no A+?
39. I believe that a B should not go below a 3.0, and also, that a C should not be below a 2.0. The biggest difference
between this system and the old one is that unless you score in the upper end of each grade scale your GPA would
have a greater negative impact. In my opinion, this will result in an overall lower GPA for most students. Also,
this system should only deal with plus or minus grades using the mathematical principal of rounding to determine
a plus or minus grade. For example, an 85.4 and below is a B- and 85.5 and above is a B+; no B grade. I am in
favor of a points system, just not the one purposed. I have no idea if this scale is adjustable, but I suggest this
setup: A+ = 4.00 A- = 3.70 B+ = 3.30 B- = 3.00 C+ = 2.50 C- = 2.00 D+ = 1.50 D- = 1.00 F= 0.00
40. I believe that a plus/minus grading system will distinguish better students as well as make other students work that
much harder. It will also increase (in GC graduates' favor) the comparability of students graduating from our
school to other, larger schools that already use this system.
41. I believe that an A is A and whether you get a 100 or a 90 in the class and I do not think gpa should reflect
anything other than an A as a 4.0.
42. I believe that if a student is hovering on the borderline of a grade that a teacher could be more critical and
potentially make the student earn a lesser grade than he/she deserves.
43. I believe that the current grading scale is simpler to understand, especially considering the math for HOPE. I
believe it will discourage new students and make current students consider transferring.
44. I believe that the grading system is fine the way it is now. It should not be changed.
45. I believe that the more specific a letter grade is, the better the student will know how they're doing. If a B+ is 3.30
to 3.69, which I think the outline says it is, a student would know far more accurately how they're doing in the
class as opposed to just a B.
46. I believe that this is a system, that if it was to be administered, should only be done so for incoming freshman. It is
not fair to the current student body to have our grading scale changed while we are in school.
47. I believe the Georgia College students will experience higher levels of stress because in my own opinion, many
classes are difficult enough as they are. Changing a system with really no flaws in it is pointless, and will only
serve to decrease the population of an already good institution.
48. I believe the new system would alter GPA's in a negative way. I feel strongly that a A should be a 4.0 regardless
of the percentage.
49. I believe the plus minus system as presented will not help the GPAs of the students, but will only hurt them.
50. I believe the plus/minus system will put students at a disadvantage for a higher GPA with respect to the
competition in the job market and graduate school compared to colleges using the traditional grading system.
51. I believe this system is only beneficial to those who get high B's and high C's. If I worked so hard to get an A,
that's what should be reflected in my GPA. I do believe that this system insinuates that people who earn low A's
haven't worked hard enough, when that is far from the truth
52. I came from a school with a plus minus grading system i know how frustrating this system can be if you get a A in
a class it should count as much as a A- most of the time this just leads to lower GPA's and students that would
rather work less to get a b+ than get the A because in most classes the chances of a person getting a mid A is very
low since the majority of A's are in the lower range.
53. I can see the upside to using this level of grading where you have more/less points per B+, B-, or B, for instance,
but I think this will cause more grade disputes between teacher and student because people will see a B- (2.70) as
being a C and not the B designation.
Student Comments: Plus-Minus Page 4
54. I do not believe either plus/minus system nor the traditional grading system are sufficient.
55. I do not believe students with A- grades should be penalized and not receive the full 4.0. I know people who have
lost their 4.0 GPA due to this system and I do not believe that should be a possibility. I believe we should stick to
traditional grading.
56. I do not think that it is fair for a B- to not count as a 3.0.
57. I do not think that someone who makes an 89.4 deserves the same grade as someone who made a 69.5
58. I do not understand the point of chenging it. Especially if you are going to have to change it back to know HOPE
eligibility
59. I don't agree with this system because I feel that it is punishing the hard working students that make good grades
by lowering their GPA. Under this system, grades that would normally be considered above average (such as a B-)
are given what would normally be thought of as a C range GPA. It would also put an entirely unnecessary amount
of stress on students because instead of striving to get a certain letter grade, they would have to strive for a
specific numeric score. For instance, in the system we have now, a student only has to worry about getting a 90 or
above for an A, and an 80 or above for a B. If this system is implemented, students would continually be stressed
over the difference between just a few points in their grade average, since getting an A would give them a 4.0, but
an A- (only a few points less in the grade average) would give them a 3.7, which is typically thought of a B
average, when the student really received an A. Also, since not all universities and academic programs run on this
scale, it would just cause confusion when a student is transferring schools, applying for some type of program, or
anything else that requires a GPA. I believe that the traditional grading system we have now is fair and sufficient
for the students.
60. I don't see the point of doing this. This would actually hurt students gpas if they cannot get a high B or and A in
every course. It would increase the stress level of an already overstressed group of young adults. I do not see how
that would be beneficial at all. Students that are already doing well do not get any more benfits on this scale than
the traditional A-F scale.
61. I don't think that getting an A- should constitute you losing a 4.0.
62. I feel a plus only system should be put in place. (ie. pluses can be earned, but minuses cannot)
63. I feel that using a plus/minus grading system provides one with a more accurate and fair GPA. For example, if
student A makes a 79 and student B makes a 70 on their final grade, I feel that it would be more fair for this
difference to be recognized. Also I feel that having a plus/minus grading system will motivate students more,
because if it is implemented, then students will feel that if they work a little harder, a difference will be seen.
64. I hate ending up with a grade JUST below the higher letter grade. For example, achieving and 89 instead of a 90
and only receiving 3 points towards that class. Using the plus/minus system will encourage students to try hard to
push past barriers. It will reward students who care and try hard.
65. I have a 3.9 GPA currently and will be graduating in the spring. I can tell you that no teacher I have had gives a
true 4.0 GPA based on the new system. I can also attest that I worked very hard for my GPA and treat my
schooling as professionally as possible. This system will only help those students with lower GPA's who are ok
achieving a C+ average. It seems this would encourage mediocre academic success because it rewards lower
grades with a higher GPA. It would require students who want an "A" GPA to work harder and the lower GPA
students to do nothing but achieve a higher GPA for the work they are already doing. Moreover, the fact that the
HOPE scholarship has not adopted this grading policy says a lot about its implementation repercussions. In all
reality, unless professors are willing to adapt to a new system, I think you will find that there is an increase in
lower GPA graduates and a decrease in graduates with honors.
66. I have made all A's and ONE B the entire time I have been here (I'm a senior), and on the current scale it doesn't
matter what "A" you get you get the full points for a 4.0. On this new scale, it seems like it would be punishing
people for getting an A- instead of an A even though getting an A no matter how high or low is an
accomplishment that should be rewarded with full points at any "A" level.
67. I have not been shown any reason as to how this would benefit me as a student; it only appears to hurt my GPA
68. I have used to Plus/Minus system before, and I highly dislike it. If you work very hard to get a 91 in a class, that's
an A and you should be rewarded as such.
69. I honestly feel like our traditional grading system is the most effective form of grading. This is what many
students are used to and is a reason why students come to GCSU. Changing this system would cause many
disputes among faculty and students in my opinion.
Student Comments: Plus-Minus Page 5
70. I just feel like there is not need to change it. Students try hard enough to get the grades they want. We are already
awarded A-F. If we needed a more specific grading scale, then why are we using the same scale. I just don't like it.
71. I love GCSU for not having the plus/minus system. If GCSU were to change, this would only give teachers and
students more stress on grading. Changing the system will put more stress on students.
72. I really believe that it is not fair to those students who work hard to get any kind of A, especially since some
people strive for a 4.0 average. An A- should still be a 4.0. The idea im trying to get at is that GPA will change
dramatically and I dont think it is fair.
73. I think AS OUTLINED ABOVE is insufficient and students should not be penalized for receiving a grade that is
considered a "minus." other than that I am in favor for a plus/minus grading system. I think A's regardless of the
plus/minus should be 4.0 B+ = 3.5 B = 3 C+ = 2.5 C = 2 et cetera. or to take the percentage grade and turn
than into a 4 point scale to eliminate all disputes on the issue (for example 84=3.36, 72=2.88, 96=3.84, etc) then
students GPA would be based on their exact grade with no inflation or deflation.
74. I think if you get an A in a class you should get a 4.0. (Same goes with B=3.0 and so on) Your GPA should not be
penalized for making a few points less say a 93 instead of a 95.
75. I think it is pointless to have a plus/minus system if it only affects GPA and not hope. It doesn't allow those
students that work hard in a class and end up with high grades to be adequately represented. And people who work
really hard to get a grade but only end up with a minus grade are not given the same GPA as someone who didn't
work as hard but got a better grade and their GPA is higher. It is fair just to leave it as it is so it doesn't cause any
problems for other students.
76. I think it is very difficult to get above a 95, and believe you deserve the 4.0 for all A's. I believe it would help out
everyone except for the A students who it would harm.
77. I think its a great thing since you can get extra points toward your gpa, but i do not like the (-) where you lose
points even though you made a ABC. Especially in nursing where the grading scale is already increased. For me
to maintain a 3.0 i have to make an average of an 83 rather than an 80. Therefore to maintain HOPE I would have
to make a higher B than most would.
78. I think that it is unfair that there is no A+ range to start with because to start with just A is just wrong.
79. I think the plus/minus system is a more fair system of grading. It will make students work for a higher grade rather
then knowing they have a nine point cushion between grade changes.
80. I transferred from a school that uses the plus/minus system and did not see that it helped students.
81. I transferred to the University of Georgia for Georgia College and State University where I made a 4.0 the entire
time. Here my GPA has been sacrificed by the plus minus system. Grade distributions have always been 90-100
A, 80-90 B, etc. and it extremely unfair to jeopardize the accomplishment of students by not awarding them all of
the quality points they have earned. It takes a great deal of work to earn As in college and it is not fair to the
students to not by able to reap the benefits of earning a grade of 90 or above as an A because of the plus minus
system.
82. I work hard for my As. Keep them as 4.0s please. The only person this benefits is those who make lower grades.
Why should they be rewarded?
83. I would be totally in favor of professors having the option to give plus/minus grades; HOWEVER, I strongly
believe that GPA should continue to be rated along traditional scales. That is, A-, A, and A+ are all worth 4.00.
84. I've heard nothing but negative reactions from students I know at UGA (and it's more than a few). Leave what isn't
broken alone, please.
85. If a student makes an A he does not deserve to lower his GPA because it was a low A. An A is an A, and if a
student deserved that A he/she obviously showed the determination and heart deserved of a 4.0, not a 3.7.
86. If GCSU changed their grading system, so many students GPA's will drop making the students furious and the
school look like we don't have as many smart students as we really do.
87. If I have an A, I want a 4.0, not a 3.7.
88. If I make a 91 in a class, that makes me an A student. I deserve a 4.0 on my record.
89. If I work hard for an A, but get an A-, my will work will be for naught. There's less insentive to get an A in this
case since you have different "levels" of A's.
90. If it's not broken, don't fix it.
91. If we have it, getting an 87 in a class will actually mean something more than an 80. While I don't believe grades
are the most effective evaluation tool period, it's nice if someone gives me credit for almost getting an A. Since
the HOPE office will still be using the old grading system, there's no reason not to, is there?
Student Comments: Plus-Minus Page 6
92. If you change to the plus/minus grading system, then multiple students will end up losing their HOPE Scholarship
therefore making it harder for them to pay for college making the college drop-out rate increase due to insufficient
funding.
93. In the traditional grading scale, the bare minimum is rewarded the same as the best effort needed to achieve a
specific letter grade. This is inherently unfair to those who do the most work. By changing to +/- grading, the
system will add a greater degree of responsiveness, allowing it to reflect better the actual performance of the
student.
94. it could mess up one's GPA, the whole attempt to get a B to keep HOPE will be gone because the student cannot
get a B- because it is below a 3.0 even though it is still a B, there are situations where students, due to work load
and difficulty of the class, he or she will have an extremely hard time trying to get a high B, so just getting a B
would become sufficient, but with the plus or minus system getting a B could be a B-, the situation with barely
getting a B will become receiving a B- which does not fall into a 3.0.
95. It could ruin the GPA of students who make strong A's, but get a 91 or a 90 every now and then. That's important
for me as an academically strong student. It could also possibly affect acceptance into cohort programs.
96. It doesn't work at UGA. I would be going there if I wanted to follow that system. It is too confusing and will add
more problems.
97. It gives me a better understanding of my grade without having to calculate it everytime.
98. It gives students more incentive to try harder. A 90 is no longer good enough. But perhaps a 94+ should be
considered an A.
99. It helps students who make a + but it hurts us more should we make a - but this would definitely be helpful if we
did do this since it would make a distinction in who actually did well and really nderstood the class and who did
ok and barely passed with a B
100. It is extremely hard to get an A+. If the system were to be plus/minus for B+ and below and have any type of A
(90-100) be a 4.00, then I would say yes. Otherwise, no.
101. It is going to screw over the A student.. There is no A+!!
102. It makes EVERYTHING more confusing (calculating HOPE, getting into cohorts, ect). It gives you a false sense
of your actual GPA.
103. It makes no sense. It is an absolutely horrible idea. Literally no one wants it.
104. it may defer applicants. may decrease over all standing in grade point average.
105. It penalizes you for getting a low A, low B, etc.
106. It punishes A students.
107. It seems as though plus/minus systems only hurt the top-performing students, and they are really the ones who
should have a say in this. I've never had a friend from another school say that like the plus/minus system,
generally because no matter how hard they work, they realize that they can never get a straight A in a class,
meaning they can never get a 4.0, meaning they will never look as good at first glance as some other applicants for
certain positions.
108. It will make it more difficult to achieve HOPE GPA and students' desired GPA.
109. It will make you look bad to have an A- on something rather than just an A...especially for a science major like
myself.
110. It won't apply to me, but it'll make my degree look better. I'd hate it if I was a student.
111. It would be better for those who got really good grades but not for those who get good grades. It would not look
good when looking for jobs.
112. it would be too confusing.
113. It's already so hard to maintain higher GPAs, especially when considering the amount of people working to keep
HOPE. Plus, there's no A+, so it's not exactly balanced.
114. Most of the good grades I have received from tougher classes were on the border line, especially the few A's I
have worked hard for. If we had been on plus/minus system when I started at GCSU I would be struggling to
maintain my HOPE scholarship.
115. Most ridiculous thing ever. My brother who is in high school has this he got all A's but does not have a 4.0 thats
just not right. ITs like oh you did a great job but just not that great. Just stupid in my opinion
116. Moving to a plus/minus system will only create more frustration and dispute between students and faculty. The
system should remain as it always has been; A - F with no plus or minuses
117. No no no no no. Why mess with something good? We already have a system that works, please don't change it!
Student Comments: Plus-Minus Page 7
118. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
119. People who normally get an A, whether low or high get a 4.00. Most teachers I have had, and I'm now a Junior,
have been very strict about the grading system. What your numerical value is is the letter grade you get, no
question. That would mean most of my As would only be a 3.7.
120. Please do not do this!!! I will leave this college! Not a good idea, will ruin a lot of things for a lot of people,
including people with hope!
121. Plus minus makes it that much more difficult for grading. it generally makes too much frustration with students
and would make the grading more difficult.
122. Plus or minus grading is unfair to the students. I believe grading should be done in the traditional way in which an
A equals an A, a B equals a B, and so on. I strongly disagree with the idea that certain A's can be unequal gpawise to other A's, B's, etc.
123. Some times some students deserve a 3.30 B+ than just a 3.0 B
124. Stop with the no smoking on campus it's ridiculous. IT'S OUTSIDE!
125. Students could loose HOPE simply because they made a C-,meaning that more students, who where previously
eligible for HOPE, would be burdened with the costs of college.
126. Students who work hard enough to get all A's should have that accurately reflected in their GPA. If the +/- grading
scale were implemented people who would typically be able to achieve the illustrious 4.0 might only receive a 3.7
for the same quality of work. As it stands now, students know what they need to do to attain the grades they want.
The traditional A-F grading scale is fair and efficient, changing the system will only cause confusion and
frustration among faculty and students.
127. Taking upper level biology classes, this system would greatly lower my GPA at higher levels. I work extremely
hard and receive lower A's, in which would hamper my GPA as I progress through my undergraduate degree. The
system is fine as is, implementing this system will only lower the GPA's for students receiving all A's but not ones
above the A+ range.
128. The new system just makes everything more complicated, how will we even know if we have HOPE? I do not see
the positive side to changing the entire grading system if we have already figured out the original way.
129. the plus/minus will only cause problems and hurt peoples gpa and chances for the hope scholarship
130. The system we have now works wonderfully! We are not other schools and if not having a plus/minus scale makes
us stand out than that is fine with me! This will just cause more stress for students and be harder for students to
succeed to get the grades they want!
131. There are instances when both student and teacher feel that the grade should be a B+ versus a regular B, since that
extra + will give the student a better grade.
132. There is no A+ so therefore very unfair. Tends to favor poor students by crippling good students. (harder to get an
A than a B+ so favors those students making worse grades) Very annoying to get all A's but still end up with a 3.7
GPA. No one I know that attends a plus/minus school system thinks it is a good system. So now for the recap: No
one that is in the system as students feel it is fair. No one with the current system wants to change so leave well
enough alone.
133. There is no A+. Therefore, one has less opportunity to offset a (- ) Minus received. If one can make better than a
B or C then one should also be able to make better than an A.
134. There is nothing wrong with the current grading system. Yes, the University of Georgia has it but we don't HAVE
to be like them. Why fix what is not broken? It will make things more complicated and there is no need for that.
We should just leave it as it is. Plus, some students have chosen to come here under the impression that we didn't
have a plus/minus system so if we came to this school under that impression, then it should not be changed.
135. there isnt an a +
136. This can make or break a student's GPA. I think that we should stick with the original system, because that it what
HOPE Scholarship uses and what we should use as well as a university. I have talked to many students I know at
University of Georgia and they have had nothing good to say about the plus/minus grading system. It adds
confusion and is going to make grade distribution difficult. If it doesn't determine HOPE status, I don't see a point.
Don't fix it if it's not broken.
137. this is a bad idea!!!!
138. This is crap.
139. This is dumb
140. this is dumb.
Student Comments: Plus-Minus Page 8
141. This is just dumb, in my opinion... It's already difficult enough for students to maintain HOPE and other
scholarships, and this system will make it even harder.
142. This is the worst idea ever and I make good grades
143. This really is lowering the scale on everyone. Unless you get above a 94 in a class, you won't receive credit for
making an A. Instead, we will receive 3.7... a .3 difference. Where is the 4.3 for A+ students? Most people that
make A's make low ones (90-93) if the class has any difficulty to it.
144. this sucks.
145. This system is unfair to A students.
146. This system will harm the students that work hard for their grades and reward those who do not.
147. This would be a more accurate reflection of how we do in a class. Now someone who barely makes a B and
someone who almost makes an A aren't put in the same category.
148. This would make the determining factor for HOPE a lot more fragile and would result in many students losing that
scholarship. Students would be forced to either pay out of pocket or drop out of college, and neither of those are
good options.
149. This would reward the student who struggles to raise his grade but doesn't quite make it to the next level--- He
gets his work up to a 2.9 but it's not quite a 3.0 so it would be a B- as opposed to the same as the student who
didn't work as hard but got the flat 2.0 and has a C
150. to me an A is an A. And if you work hard to get the low end of a grade you still make the grade!
151. Using a plus/minus system will be fair. How many people in a class ALMOST got a higher grade but was just off
by a couple of points? This is a good idea.
152. Using the plus/minus system could hurt someones chances of HOPE which then could force this student to have to
leave GCSU.
153. We already work hard enough as it is and having a plus or minus system would just be another way to mess up our
gpa's. Its not that we cant make the grade but it is hard enough with the classes. We should get a break
somewhere.
154. We are all trying to keep our scholarships and we need the points for our GPA. An A should be an A, nothing
more; nothing less. A plus and minus system would make keeping a high GPA and maintaining scholarships even
more difficult than it already is. We are all taking around 15 hours, we have jobs. Classes are intense. We, as the
students, deserve the reassurance that an A means 4 points towards our GPA. We should not have to stress over
A-, A, and A+ because the point systems change.
155. We are GCSU, not UGA.. "Be distinguished, not a mirror image"
156. What we have has worked for so long, why should we change it? We are not UGA.
157. What would happen to the nursing grading scale where a 90 is a B and an 82 is a C and anything 74 or under is
failing?
158. When applying for scholarships etc, we are always asked for our GPA. Also, GPAs are more exact.
159. When giving an A to a student, that could mean a 91 or a 98. Implementing the plus/minus system would give
better feedback and give the student a better understanding of where their grade is. Also, if a student has a C, the
plus/minus system would be able to tell them if they're close to hope with a 79 or really far with a 72.
160. When someone has to worry about losing that important fraction of a grade due to the plus/minus system, they
aren't able to allocate their time as efficiently. Let's say someone has a 92 in class, and an 88 in another class,
since they already have an A in the one class, they can put way more time into studying for the B class in order to
get that extra A.
161. When you get a 79 it sucks so bad because it is considered a C, at least there will be some variation.
162. While I understand the liberal arts mission, Georgia College is still a public school within the University System
of Georgia. It's becoming a standard and they would be wise to adapt now, instead of later.
163. Why change somthing that isn't broken? Also, I beleive we should stay uniform with other University System
of GA schools.
164. why is a B- worthy of a 2.7? etc. does not make sense.
165. Why make the system more complicated when it's working fine the way it is? An A is and A and if Hope wants to
change their requirements, they should do it themselves instead of making the university change their entire
system.
166. Why put our HOPE eligibility in jeopardy?
Student Comments: Plus-Minus Page 9
167. With my passed experience with teachers at Georgia College, the harder ones are always reluctant to give As and
when they do give them it is a low A. This will make maintaing a 4.0 very hard even when one may be deserving.
Unless some teachers change their mindset about never awarding mid to high A's than the higher level academia
GPAs will surely lower. However, I can see this rewarding students who don't try to go that extra mile for an A.