On futility of grades
Grades are merely incidental to a student's purpose at an institution of learning. I claim, here, that the proper purpose of an education is to learn. In the pursuit of this goal, grades are one of many possible benchmarks in evaluating one's process of learning.
Other benchmarks such as enhanced ability, sharpened mind, honed skill, quality production, are better measures. Practically speaking, though grades ought to quantify such measures, they don't. Have some guts. What's more important, one's personal development for which one pays or a diploma from Princeton with a high GPA?
Seniors, I try to empathize with your difficult task of moving out into the world, carving a niche, and building something worthwhile. Please, tell me it's true that your contribution to the world and your own personal life is enhanced by what you learned and how you grew at Princeton, not by the size of your GPA.
"Do you think he's a hard grader?" "What do think he wants on this paper?" "How's the curve going to work in this class?" "What percent is class participation?" "I need to ace that class." "Will it count for our grade?" Grade getters at Princeton (you know who you are), get some perspective, not a grade. Wilmot Kidd '01
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Progressives failed a lesson in free speech
Anais Mobarak“The recent controversy surrounding Charter Club has demonstrated that progressive voices on campus have failed to recognize the value of free speech beyond its usefulness as a political instrument. Thus, as a community, we must work to foster an ideologically-free understanding of free speech.”
“The recent controversy surrounding Charter Club has demonstrated that progressive voices on campus have failed to recognize the value of free speech beyond its usefulness as a political instrument. Thus, as a community, we must work to foster an ideologically-free understanding of free speech.”
Campus through a lens: Announcing the ‘Prince’s inaugural columnists
Eleanor Clemans-CopeReading a series of columns by the same author is seeing things through the writer’s lens — it’s looking at campus through the ‘Christofer glasses’ or the ‘Eleanor specs.’ This is the thinking behind having named columns.
Reading a series of columns by the same author is seeing things through the writer’s lens — it’s looking at campus through the ‘Christofer glasses’ or the ‘Eleanor specs.’ This is the thinking behind having named columns.
Bring back the course packet
Abigail Rabieh“With the recent news that Labyrinth Books will no longer supply the coursebooks for Princeton classes, we are facing a new era in which all readings will only be accessible by some digital medium, whether that be via Course Reserves or online ordering from faraway publishers. While some may see this as a step in the right direction of modernity, the increasing digitalization of our scholarship hurts our learning.”
“With the recent news that Labyrinth Books will no longer supply the coursebooks for Princeton classes, we are facing a new era in which all readings will only be accessible by some digital medium, whether that be via Course Reserves or online ordering from faraway publishers. While some may see this as a step in the right direction of modernity, the increasing digitalization of our scholarship hurts our learning.”
