+/- frustration

To whom it may concern--

The plus minus grading system will be detrimental to the success of students. There is no positive aspect to this ridiculous system. 

1.) Unnecessary stress. Students are stressed out as it is--classes, academic and cultural organizations, recreational activities, part time jobs, and numerous other pursuits. The University of Texas is competitive as it is why add even more competition and stress to the college experience? Students already have a hard enough time to even get into UT, this +/- grading system will definitely not be an incentive. UT does not need to live up to these so -called Ivy League Standards. If people wanted a bare minimum school, they would not have chosen UT. It is respected: If this establishment is implemented it will change the world, however, not for the better.

2.) Learning. This system will sharpen the division between having to learn and wanting to learn. Wanting to learn is what is encouraged and fostered throughout one's life. By making the distinction between grades finer, learning and studying is going to inevitably become a chore to get the desired grade. 

3.) A Reward? An argument for this grading policy is that it will better reward students within the classroom. This logic is flawed. With the current proposed system an A is not equated with the levels of a B. There is a B-, B, and B+ whereas there is only A and A-. This is innately unfair.

4.) Hurts the brightest. Competition is seems to drive the world. Sadly, competition gets so intense it leads to academic dishonesty (cheating and plagiarism). Hence this will obviously lead to these. Also this system will hurt those who make A's. Ace-ing a test is next to impossible in college--it is done, but not always. This system penalizes the brightest because those that make A's in college can usually make anywhere between a 90-100, now those that could have made a 4.0 may be making a 3.67. Furthermore, this grading system may impinge of the accessibility of scholarships for students of all caliber.

5.) Aggravated Professors. Because every letter grade is now tiered, the professors are going to have a lot more frustrated students trying to bump up their grades to satisfy them. However, with this system a simple curve will not be able to satisfy the entire class. Instead, each student will be trying to make it within their goal based on the letter grade divisions. 

6.) Graduate Schools. As mentioned before, this system necessitates learning as a chore, this leads to stress and a much more one pointed focus on schoolwork. With this, there is less time for extra activities, nor is there time allotted for fun and relaxation. With our university taking into account this grading system competition to get into post-professional schools are going to be even more strenuous. Students who make an A in Organic Chemistry at another university with a 91 will be viewed with a much better light than someone at UT who has made a 91, which equates to an A-. Getting into Medical and Law school is hard enough as it is, why make those students chances even less.