GPAs have been on the rise at private universities, according to a new study, but not all Boston University students think the same can be said for their school.
According to the study, which surveyed over 210 schools, the average GPA at private colleges and universities today is 3.3 and 3.0 at public schools. The national average GPA has increased from 2.52 in the 1950s to 3.11 in the middle of the 2000s in private schools, the study reported.
But many students, like College of Arts and Sciences senior Adriana Santos, said deflation is, in fact, the problem at BU.
“I think I’ve experienced more cases of deflation, especially in CAS,” she said. “As a student I wish grading was a little bit more fair.”
College of Communication freshman Abbey Deremer agreed and said she thinks deflation happens.
“I feel like a lot of professors are afraid to give As because they’ll seem too easy,” she said.
In 2004, BU’s average GPA was a 3.04, according to gradeinflation.com.
Many students said they think the study’s results are realistic and believe the BU grading system is fair.
“I definitely don’t get grades higher than I deserve,” said Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences freshman Devan Dumas. “It seems to be pretty accurate. I don’t see my grade and say “oh wow’ from shock. My grades come easily.”
School of Management sophomore Rebecca Farmer also said has not experienced grade deflation while at BU.
“I haven’t found grades ridiculously unfair,” she said. “I haven’t found a teacher messing with a grade and all of sudden I wasn’t doing OK in a class.”
However, despite the survey results, BU’s reputation for deflation may precede it.
“I love BU but I’m afraid of the grade deflation,” one student wrote on the BU class of 2014 Facebook discussion board. “Does anyone know how much it realistically affects students and their grades?”
First-year graduate student Bethany Buchanan, who went to University of Colorado as an undergraduate student, said she can see the difference between public school and private schools.
Buchanan said it’s hard to assess whether or not the survey is correct about inflation.
“I think it’s hard to say because certain schools attract certain profiles of students so it’s hard to make generalizations with schools that have different standards for grading,” she said.
This corrects an earlier version that incorrectly identified the Facebook group as that of the class of 2012. In fact, the group was for the class of 2014.
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