Princeton's two-year-old grade deflation policy remains overwhelmingly unpopular among the student body, with nearly 75 percent of students believing it has had a negative effect on the University's academic environment and over a third saying it has influenced their course selections, according to the results of a USG survey being released today.
Though most students indicated that the policy has not affected their choice of major, an even larger majority said they would prefer a revised system, one in which professors are encouraged to grade rigorously while imposing no quotas.
A total of 2,183 students — 657 from the Class of 2008, 653 from the Class of 2009, 535 from the Class of 2007 and 338 from the Class of 2006 — responded to the 22-question survey, which was conducted by the USG this past summer between mid-June and late August.
USG president Alex Lenahan '07 stressed that the survey is a necessary first step in spurring dialogue about the controversial policy. "Hopefully we'll start a discussion on campus," he said. "Ultimately the professors decide, and we want to try to begin a conversation between professors and students. I really believe that if it wasn't in the best interest of Princeton, they would be interested in seeing it change at some point."
"The reason behind the survey is that there hasn't been any info that has been put out yet that really shows what all students think about the policy," Lenahan added. "It's much better to have quantitative information on where students stand."
Survey results
A clear majority of students from the Classes of 2006 and 2007 — 84.08 percent — responded that the policy has affected the academic environment on campus. Roughly 67 percent of students from the two classes said it was a negative addition, 12 percent said it was a neutral addition, 11 percent said it was a positive addition and eight percent were undecided.
A large majority of students from the same classes said that competitiveness has increased because of the grading policy. The new grading policy has not seemed to affect students' choice of major, though. Of the Classes of 2007, 2008 and 2009, 76 percent of students said the policy did not or will not affect their choice of major while 14 percent said that it did or would.
A majority of students from all classes agreed that the policy would not affect their chances of obtaining a job after graduation. The Faculty Committee on Grading released a report late last month concluding that though fewer students have earned A-range grades over the past two years, the new grading policy has not harmed students' post-graduation endeavors.
More than 78 percent of students said they would prefer professors to grade more rigorously rather than keep the current policy, while 14 percent said that they could not choose between one of the two, and roughly 7 percent said they would rather professors keep the current policy.
In addition to multiple choice answers, the USG also included an open response section for students to write their opinions on the policy. More than 60 pages of comments were collected overall. The general consensus indicated a disapproval of the policy.
"I find myself choosing classes where I predict I might get a better grade rather than whether or not I find them interesting," one student commented.
"The grading policy is the worst thing about Princeton in my opinion," another wrote.
"My grades are much lower than those of my friends from other schools. Why would an employer hire a Princeton grad with a [GPA of] 3.5 instead of a Harvard grad with a [GPA of] 3.8? Are we arrogant enough to believe grades from Princeton mean something more than other schools?" yet another student commented.
Professors and policy
Approved in April 2004 by a faculty vote of 156 to 84, the grade deflation policy places an "expectation" on each department to grant no more than 35 percent A-range grades for undergraduate coursework and 55 percent for independent work. Dean of the College Nancy Malkiel explained that the policy would "push students to grow as scholars," and that the reform would place Princeton at the head of national grade reform.
A survey done by The Daily Princetonian in March 2006 showed that 63 percent of University faculty members were in favor of Ivy League universities adopting guidelines limiting the number A's awarded.
Since the policy was adopted, however, no Ivy League school has established guidelines similar to the University's. Though 80 percent of the 162 faculty members surveyed believed that grades have been deflated since the policy was adopted, almost half of the members said that the implementation of the policy has had no bearing on their grading practices. A large majority also believed that " 'A' quality work" receives an A-range grade in their classes.
USG plans
The survey has already been a success, Lenahan said, but he hopes students will now contact their professors to discuss their opinions on the topic.
"[The USG] may do more, but ultimately it would depend on individual students making conversation with professors on it," he said. "The only way for there to be a change is to get a discussion with professors about whether this is something that is in the best [interest] of Princeton students."
"I think it's a discussion that we need to have."
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