Love it or hate it, the plus/minus system looks like it's here to stay. After a recent study showed that a slight majority of students and a larger majority of teachers approve of the grading system, there is no reason to believe it will be nixed.
Enacted three and a half years ago, the grading system allows teachers to add a plus or a minus when assigning semester grades if they so choose.
Initially we hated the plus/minus system. We thought we would be screwed out of our A's. Our GPA's would be ruined by 92 percents and, since the University does not issue grades over 4.0, our A+ grades would mean nothing except nerd pride.
Furthermore, some of our professors used the system and some didn't. To make matters even more confusing, some used only pluses, some used only minuses. (These classes were quickly empty.)
In essence, the system seemed unfair in a way we couldn't quite put our grade-grubbing fingers on.
Three years down the line, we've finally faced facts. We earn the grades we earn, and no amount of whining about pluses and minuses is going to change that.
Really, the system is fairer than the old one. For example, take three students in the same class. Student A earns a 79 percent, student B earns an 80 percent and student C earns an 89 percent. In years past, although student A and B were much closer to each other as far as quality of work done in the class, it was B and C who would earn the same grade. This is unfair to student A, who put in only a tiny bit less work than student B, and to student C, who worked far harder than B. The new system now assigns grades in a way that actually represents the work each student put into the class.
Furthermore, giving professors the choice to use plus/minus is a good policy, even if it does create confusion. In a University with thousands of professors, not everyone's teaching style will be conducive to a plus/minus system. Giving them the choice is a surprising breath of fresh air in a bureaucratic system usually known for its unbendable rules.
Basically, if you don't like the new system, it's because you were the kid barely sneaking by with the 80 percent. To you, we can only say tough luck. When you screw up and get a 79, you'll be happy the system is there. Work harder or be happy with what you've got. Or you can change your major to the College of Teacher Education. Over there, only 41.3 percent of teachers use plus/minus.