Good Grades vs. Real Learning

I am dismayed by the letter from Jay Granzow ’93 and his wife seeking change in the grading policy at Princeton (Inbox, Oct. 22). Our student “customers” and their families are putting huge pressure on schools and their faculties to give good grades so they can get into good schools and get good jobs, and real learning is suffering as a result. If it is normal for law firms and medical-school faculties to focus on GPAs for hiring lawyers or filling residency positions, then it is not surprising that our political, business, and health-care institutions are in such bad shape. When will such institutions learn to focus on other, more meaningful accomplishments, such as apprenticeships and research experiences that teach problem-solving skills and prepare our students to meet the challenges that lie ahead? It is time that parents, admission officers, and employers realize that this focus on GPA and other quantitative measures of “success” is destroying the quality of the educational experience that we want our children to have.

I applaud my alma mater for working hard to prevent continued grade inflation and to ensure that the value of a Princeton education is not diminished.