iwouldpreferanonymity Posted January 28, 2012 Posted January 28, 2012 I must preface my question with the following statement: I have tried searching the site for an answer to my particularly concern, but have come up empty. If this question has already been asked and answered many times over, I do apologize. With that said, how much do doctoral programs care about the grades you receive after being accepted? I have a 4.0 in my current MA program, and do not expect this to change, but I am suddenly much more concerned about not making the sort of mistakes that might lead to an A- or a B+. Having been accepted to a couple of programs, I now worry about having those offers withdrawn. Is it all right if I get an A- in an unfinished class, or must I maintain my current average? I welcome all advice.
RWBG Posted January 28, 2012 Posted January 28, 2012 No-one is going to rescind your admission because you got a B+ instead of an A-. Frankly, unless it's an offer with specific conditions, I don't even think they could if they wanted to. You could probably even quit your degree mid-way (not that I'm suggesting that) without having your offer rescinded. iwouldpreferanonymity 1
iwouldpreferanonymity Posted January 28, 2012 Author Posted January 28, 2012 Thank you, RWGB. That is a relief. I thought that this might be so, but wished to make sure.
balderdash Posted January 28, 2012 Posted January 28, 2012 No-one is going to rescind your admission because you got a B+ instead of an A-. No one in America.*
brent09 Posted January 28, 2012 Posted January 28, 2012 No-one is going to rescind your admission because you got a B+ instead of an A-. Frankly, unless it's an offer with specific conditions, I don't even think they could if they wanted to. You could probably even quit your degree mid-way (not that I'm suggesting that) without having your offer rescinded. I've wondered the same thing. My concern, though, is less about losing the offer. I would be more worried about starting off at my next program in a weak position. Everyone in a top-15 program will be really smart and driven, and they're all gunning for the attention of faculty. I would be afraid that disengaging from courses now would be a signal to faculty in the new program that you're not a serious scholar. In that sense, I would agree that B+/A- is not a huge deal, but a C or W could be... iwouldpreferanonymity 1
RWBG Posted January 28, 2012 Posted January 28, 2012 (edited) No one in America.* Fair enough, although in that event I'm sure there would be clearly outlined preconditions given with your offer. I've wondered the same thing. My concern, though, is less about losing the offer. I would be more worried about starting off at my next program in a weak position. Everyone in a top-15 program will be really smart and driven, and they're all gunning for the attention of faculty. I would be afraid that disengaging from courses now would be a signal to faculty in the new program that you're not a serious scholar. In that sense, I would agree that B+/A- is not a huge deal, but a C or W could be... This is true, but not really grade dependent. It's unlikely anyone is going to look closely at your final transcripts. You want to continue learning as much as possible over the next few months, but what grades you get in your courses is now basically irrelevant, except insofar as that is a reflection that you learned less or more from any given course, which is not usually a perfect correlation. Personally, I find myself more motivated to work, but a lot more focused on learning stuff from the work I'm doing than ensuring that my grade is as high as possible, which has resulted in a substantive shift in the way I've been studying. Edited January 28, 2012 by RWBG whirlibird, CooCooCachoo and iwouldpreferanonymity 3
msafiri Posted January 30, 2012 Posted January 30, 2012 OP, my department never even looked at my final transcript from my MA. In fact, after I'd been at my PhD university for a few months (we're talking October here), it came time to register for spring classes and I had a hold on my account because the graduate school had never received a transcript showing that I'd earned my MA. I had one sent from my MA university then and that was that. No one else ever asked or seemed to care and the graduate school needed the transcript solely for procedural reasons. iwouldpreferanonymity 1
iwouldpreferanonymity Posted January 31, 2012 Author Posted January 31, 2012 All - thank you for the responses! I will continue working hard in all my courses, but it is a comfort to know that a lower mark will not imperil my plans for next year.
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