Those Pluses and Minuses Do Count!
Going the extra mile to get an A in a class instead of an A- or getting a B+ instead of a B can be very worthwhile while at the University of Maryland. The hard work you put into getting the grade you truly want in a class will be rewarded with plentiful job opportunities and graduate school options.
College grading systems can be especially confusing when coming straight from high school. The biggest difference between the public school and college grading scale is the plus/minus addition to the traditional As and Bs. These pluses and minuses affect your GPA with the exception of an A+ and an A. Therefore, it is important to understand the grading system and strive to get the best grades possible!
Grade Scale
- A+/A: 4.0
- A-: 3.7
- B+: 3.3
- B: 3.0
- B-: 2.7
- C+: 2.3
- C: 2.0
- C-: 1,7
- D+: 1.3
- D: 1.0
- D-: 0.7
- F: 0.0
As you can see, the slight difference of a plus or minus can have a monumental impact on both your semester and cumulative GPA. It is also important to note that many professors have their own grading scale of what each numerical grade is like a letter grade. For example, in order to get an A in my special education course this past semester, I needed a 94, while in my marketing course I only needed a 93. While the one-point difference does not seem very significant, it can make your GPA vary from a 4.0 to a 3.7, which is definitely something to be mindful of. Be sure to check each of your syllabuses carefully and in order to stay on track for your desired grades.
There are some other marks that can be seen on students’ transcripts that are not the typical A-F grade. XF, I, P, S, W, and AU are the additional marks that can be given to students and on their permanent record. An XF indicated a student has failed due to academic dishonesty. It is given the same 0.0 GPA as an F and is something very bad to have on your record. The mark of an ‘I’ is given to students whose work has been qualitatively satisfactory, when, because of illness or other circumstances beyond the student’s control, he or she has been unable to complete some small portion of the work of the course. The mark of a ‘P’ is considered equivalent to a grade of a D- or higher. It indicates the student has passed the course but will not receive a GPA for the course. ‘S’ is used to indicate a satisfactory performance by a student in progressing thesis projects, orientation courses, practice teaching, and the like. A ‘W’ is used to indicate withdrawal from a course after the end of the schedule adjustment period. ‘AU’ denotes a student registering to audit a course or course.
If you don’t end up getting the grade you want, don’t fret! There are also many resources that UMD provides that can push you to your success. HaveUHeard about our blog on tutoring and other ways to study?
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