Grades in PhD Program

[sociozeitgeist]

Going into graduate school everyone said not to care about course grades because it doesn't matter for the academic job market and that, given a choice between putting more work into coursework or into research, research should come first. Intellectually, this makes perfect sense. Realistically, I can't seem to reconcile the disconnect between effort and reward.

Basically, I busted my a$$ on a short survey paper and on a statistics homework set--B on both. An office-mate friend assembled something the night before (in both cases) and got Bs as well. My work, and it's impossible to separate out the obvious bias here, was better on both assignments. Now I'm starting to question the benefit of putting in the gruntwork if the same results can be achieved by slapdash.

Is there really a difference between an A & B in grad school? Does everyone just get Bs no matter what? Is this effort simply wasted in the long run?

[Eigen]

It really depends on the program and the school.

In my program, "most" people get As on "most" courses. I have one B+ that I'm not too eaten up about, but by the time it gets down to the B range it would worry me- not much lower to go and still pass the class.

That said, there also is the "don't worry so much about the coursework" mentality that is quite important. Research is the primary objective, for sure.

It's finding a balance between the two that is difficult- and knowing what's "good enough" for your program. Also keep in mind that while grades don't really matter once you go on the job market, they do matter for fellowships along the way- not as much as in undergrad, but they still matter.

[Behavioral]

Coursework should be used as an introduction to ideas, methods, and exercises that you wouldn't otherwise have encountered. Don't worry about the grade you get for the class or an individual assignment -- if you find merit in putting in effort on a certain paper or assignment, then do it! If there's a course you have to take, but don't find particularly useful nor stimulating, then don't spend as much time on it.

There's too often a case where a person polarizes the contention between trying hard in a class and completely dismissing it as a triviality; it's neither. Class should be (in theory) subordinate to your research, but you should also be getting the most out of it when/if you can.

For my research, a seminar on behavioral economics is going to get relatively more time and energy out of me than a class on a core class outside my relevant interests. I use my time in and out of class to ask questions that I'm interested in answering for the courses that are most relevant to me; for those 'other' ones, I don't give them the time of day if I'm not sitting in the actual class.

[ktel]

One of my classes is extremely relevant to my research, so I obviously put a lot of effort in, as it's important I know the material very well in order to have a strong background. The other not so much, and I think the professor realizes that it's not relevant to most of the students (it's in his research area, and he is retiring soon so only has one student). For our assignments we only get marked on the questions we want to do - we can do as little or as much as we want.

A lot of the federal and provincial government money depends on having at least an A- average, so in that sense the grades are important. However, I get the impression that grades in grad school tend to be higher and less spread out, so everyone getting As isn't uncommon.

[lewin]

My friends have been applying for Post Docs and faculty jobs. Not one has even asked for a transcript.

For scholarships, on the other hand, grades are very important.

[eco_env]

I've been hearing from all the professors in my program that coursework IS important, and that many first year students tend to put too little emphasis on it. we need to maintain a 3.5 GPA to keep our funding. participation tends to be a big part of the grade- I don't know if that is good news or bad, since it makes the grade very subjective and hard to predict.

[Behavioral]

If your professors are anything like mine, you'll know ahead of time if you need to work on bringing up your grade due to class participation or lack of preparation.

[Eigen]

If your professors are anything like mine, you'll know ahead of time if you need to work on bringing up your grade due to class participation or lack of preparation.

This is true in my program too. Prof's will periodically remind the class what they consider acceptable and unacceptable grades for graduate students to be receiving.

[Sigaba]

Going into graduate school everyone said not to care about course grades because it doesn't matter for the academic job market and that, given a choice between putting more work into coursework or into research, research should come first. Intellectually, this makes perfect sense. Realistically, I can't seem to reconcile the disconnect between effort and reward.

Basically, I busted my a$$ on a short survey paper and on a statistics homework set--B on both. An office-mate friend assembled something the night before (in both cases) and got Bs as well. My work, and it's impossible to separate out the obvious bias here, was better on both assignments. Now I'm starting to question the benefit of putting in the gruntwork if the same results can be achieved by slapdash.

Is there really a difference between an A & B in grad school? Does everyone just get Bs no matter what? Is this effort simply wasted in the long run?

A question that may be more relevant is: How did you get B's on two assignments on which you "busted" your behind?

[sociozeitgeist]

A question that may be more relevant is: How did you get B's on two assignments on which you "busted" your behind?

That is not more relevant, that is exactly the question! Please let me know your answer.

[Sigaba]

That is not more relevant, that is exactly the question! Please let me know your answer.

S--

FYI, a B is frequently considered a failing grade for a graduate level assignment. While you may not need to hit the panic button, I think you should forgo the comparing of your work to your office mate's and concentrate on figuring out the message your professors are sending you.

On those occasions when I did not like the grade I received, I took it upon myself to figure out how I got the grade I deserved. In my experience, the answers to such questions were always in the mirror.

Also, please consider the possibility that relationships and reputation also matter, especially for a graduate student who is at the start of a very difficult journey.

[fuzzylogician]

That is not more relevant, that is exactly the question! Please let me know your answer.

Did you get any feedback on the assignment? If you still don't understand how it earned you the grade you got, ask your professor. Ask for a meeting to go over the assignment. Your efforts to improve your performance will be appreciated. Don't compare yourself to others, that's never a good idea. In the end the question is one of content and not of speed and all that matters is that you understand what was expected of you and how to do better next time. Maybe it came easier to someone else but that doesn't really matter in the long run.

[Pnictides]

Grades shouldn't be a problem if graduate students have the power to drop classes all the way up to the last day of classes. Does anyone here attending a graduate program that allows the graduate students to drop classes all the way up to the last day of classes? If so, what is the name of your school? So far, I only know of UCSB and UIUC of doing this.

[Eigen]

Pnictides- this has been discussed in other (more current) threads. Seems like that might be a better place to ask instead of reviving an old less pertinent topic.

But, as I said there, I'm not aware of any programs that allow late drops, at least not without full written permission by the department.

Edited December 12, 2011 by Eigen