The grading system

Originally, I thought about finally posting the video tour of my dorm room but, the video camera I wanted to use on my tablet is really choppy. Any viewers would have been insanely sea sick by the end. I am going to try a couple things and figure out some way to record a smoother dorm room tour. Until then, I need to come up with more things to write about. Which brings me to what I am thinking about now... the grading system across the pond. Which is really fitting now that I am finally done all of my midterms.

I am going to start by saying I did well on all of my exams (no worries).

Grading here is a little different than what I am used to back home. Here is the grading scheme.

Everyone keeps emphasizing a B is VERY good. Honestly, the most confusing part is that a B is only a 60-70%. Seriously, that is all. A 60-70% and I can have a B. I know a lot of people are happy with getting B's. They say "yea! That IS good." But, after years of striving for only A's (to have the most competitive veterinary school application) I find it really hard to cope with a B being VERY good. Especially after looking at those guidelines above. Piece of cake! These people must be nuts. If I score 70% or higher I get an A. No problem! I can totally do that.

Now that midterms are over, I know why they say a B is VERY good. I must say, while I am still not coping with the evasive A grades very well, I understand why grading is the way it is here in Ireland. This is what I was told in regards to the grading scheme during lecture one day....

Most of the tests are essay based. If you can answer the question correctly with no additional information, then you get a C and that's good. If you add a little more information and some details about your answer, then you get a B. Congratulations, very good job. Finally, if you are not only able to correctly answer the question and add details, but also know some other random information about the topic that you read somewhere else, for example in a scholarly journal, then you get an A.

So to get an A in Ireland you not only have to know the material but you also have to take some extra steps to investigate a little more. To get an A is "excellent." You really went out of your way to understand the material. I think this is really fair to those students who go that extra mile to learn the information or for those who are really interested in a topic and spend tons of time looking up more information. It gives you the opportunity to show that you really do know so much more than what was asked of you and you get rewarded for it.

Overall, it is going to take some getting used to. I will still strive for A's but I will not be disappointed with a B. I will continue to put my full effort into studying and learning everything I need to learn even if the outcome falls shy of my expectations. As long as I know I tried my best I will feel happy with what I have done. Testing can be really stressful and I just need to keep reminding myself as long as I know the answer, even if it's just a little bit, I will pass. =)

Finals are just around the corner.....