Can we talk about grades at div schools?

[Macrina]

I've just got my first course grade back and, while it's a perfectly respectable grade, I'm aware that I have no idea about what it might mean for a doctoral application. So...

What's the average grade where you are?

Is a 4.0 difficult to get?

Do some schools have a reputation for marking harder? Or easier?

And, for good measure, what kind of GPA do you need to be 'safe' for a doctoral application, for the GPA part that is. And yes I know that there are so many other variables that go into a doctoral acceptance, just humor me. I did my MDiv in another country and I am still trying to figure out the American grading system. Thanks!

[Balatro]

While at Yale - a whole lot of B+'s and A's. We didn't openly discuss grade inflation, or I never did anyway, but fellow students and professors seemed to operate as if it was the norm.

 

Granted, whole different ball game in some of the more academic courses. I also found that most of my classes at Yale were easier than undergrad though I contribute that to me being interested, familiarity with a lot of the material, and I didn't take an obscene amount of upper level graduate courses (doctoral seminars).

 

I got two B+s and I slacked off in those courses, finishing pretty close to a 4.0 but not quite. I knew several that did pull off the 4.0 and they didn't look stressed - some went to further graduate studies, some went into ministry. Same for those in the 3.7-9 range too.

 

I've heard of really nasty grade inflation at Harvard Divinity from the MDiv students I knew. Students getting papers returned loaded with red marks, class discussions where it's obvious they didn't read or misunderstood the text and still walking out with a 90-92. Wasn't a student there so I don't know.

 

What caliber doctoral program are you looking at? If we're talking T1, and referencing your M* GPA, I'd think 3.7'ish would be pushing the low end barring circumstances (heavy languages or doctoral seminars, health problems, etc).

Edited December 13, 2013 by Balatro

[Macrina]

Thanks, Balatro. I'm planning on T1 and am currently working on an advanced masters. This place seems to have a pretty clear rubric for grading, and the number I got matches the published info. It was the number I was expecting.

Much appreciated.