From: Ganesh N Prabhu [mailto:
gprabhu@IIMB.ERNET.IN]
I disagree completely with Kowthas' statement below that a school that
ensures that no average student gets an A will not get enough
applications. The potential recruiters will know the value of the GPA in
a school that has tough grading and will factor it in. Not only that, it
will be likely to seek out that place for its tough admission gate as
well as its tough graduating gate.
For example, till a few years back at the Indian Institute of Management
at Ahmedabad (IIMA), it was generally known that none of the 180
students or so graduating every year ever ended with an overall A in the
program (that is a GPA of 3.55 and above on a maximum of 4.33). (I am
told that a few exceptional students did cross over the B grade barrier
in recent times). In fact it was known by recruiters that an over 3.00
GPA in IIMA was an assured top 10-15% percentile in the batch. Several
students had to leave the program or repeat a year. That has not
prevented an increasing and regular inflow of applications - about
50,000 applications by now - for just 200 places. The school is
increasingly sought after by recruiters worldwide.
I believe that grade dilution leads to a higher level of grade anxiety
among students and poorer performance over time. As exceptional students
find average students get an A they lose interest in performing better.
The worst students however walk through the system without much anxiety
or effort as they are not in danger of flunking at all. Overall this
leads to more mediocre outputs in assignments and exams from all
students. Given mediocre outputs from most students and no exceptional
performance, more students get A grades. The GPA differences that
determine ranks start to narrow down leading to increasing grade
anxiety. Students avoid courses floated by "tough" instructors, who in
turn, and over time, practice grade dilution. Over time, recruiters
start to recognize the grade dilution and either ignore the school or
downgrade the school for comparison purposes across schools. This
adversely affects the exceptional students that enter schools with grade
dilution. Ceteris paribus, over time grade dilution is more likely to
lead to lesser applications to the school practicing grade dilution and
movement of better students to those schools that do not dilute their
grades.
Ganesh Prabhu
Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore
http://www.iimb.ernet.in/faculty/ganeshnp.htm