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Grades stressing
ya' out?You'll be happy to know
that there are some schools that believe grades
have no bearing on your academic performance or
your ability to retain and regurgitate information.
Say Goodbye To Grades, Hello to Academic Freedom!
By Feona Sharhran
Huff
October 2000
The CollegeBound Network NewsClick -- Remember
getting grounded (a whole month, at that!) for
that horrific report card you tried to rush your
mom and pop into signing? You know... the one
that was full of Cs and Ds and not nearly enough
As? Being chastised, scrutinized, and reprimanded
was a definite reminder of just how much your
parents valued grades. Perhaps to your folks,
bringing home poor grades sent a disturbing message
that you didn't take your education seriously
(though we know that wasn't the case, right?).
Okay... fast-forward.
You're in the new millennium
now and it's time for you to choose a college
that best suits your interests. If grades still
aren't a major concern of yours, you'll be happy
to know that there are some schools that share
your sentiments. In fact, they don't believe that
grades have any bearing on your academic performance
or ability to retain and regurgitate information.
Take the Friends World Program
(FWP) of Long Island University's Southampton
College, for instance. Here, the emphasis is on
'experimental learning.' What? That's right, you
learn as you work. And, your reward is not some
letter grade or number, but a detailed narrative
evaluation based on your actual performance and
commitment to work, says Lewis Greenstein, the
school's dean. FWP students use their education
to further social progress in areas like animal
behavior, anthropology, holistic healing and therapies,
peace studies, and religion.
The first year of study
is spent in the United States, where students
participate in internships, apprenticeship programs,
or independent study projects. The next three
years, they get real-life experience oversees
with at least two of seven FWP centers, including
those in Costa Rica, England, Israel, Kenya, India,
China, and Japan.
Kouri Carey, a freshman at
FWP, was pressed about his grades when he was
in high school, even though he was a straight
'A' student. But, when he became an exchange student,
traveling to Germany and experiencing its culture
and way of life, he saw the light. Grades weren't
all that, he concluded -- it's the experience
that counts. "Little numbers on a piece of paper
don't mean too much if you don't know how to do
anything," Kouri argues. "I don't need numbers
to hide behind."
Likewise, Mary Hevi, who'll
graduate from FWP this December, is big on experience,
too. Growing up in Israel, hands-on learning was
the norm. "How do you grade 21 years of living
in Israel?" she questions. "Who will grade it?"
She says her time at FWP has been full of on-going
practical experience -- without the stress of
having to make As, As, and more As.
Although Sarah Lawrence College
in Bronxville, NY, is another school that supports
the 'no grade' philosophy, they do have
grades. Not to worry though, says Thyra Briggs,
dean of admissions -- the students don't even
see them. They go straight from the teacher's
grade book to the registrar's office for transcript
processing. Similar to the thinking of FWP, Briggs
says "the importance is on the process, not just
the finished product." This way, students are
motivated for the sake of learning, and not just
for a letter grade. Students seeking feedback
on their work are compensated with written evaluations
that measure their progress.
In a nutshell, these and
many other 'gradeless' colleges refuse to believe
that a GPA determines your worth and future. So
what if you aren't an 'A' student? More importantly,
consider the question: "How can you help to make
the world a better place in which to live?" If
you can answer this without concluding that you
have to get excellent grades to positively contribute
to society, then you're well on your way to a
satisfying and productive life. And, luckily for
you, there's a university that agrees.
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