it has been some time since i have posted on my blog. but once it reaches the point that even sedi wants to read more, then it's time to write. side note: for those of you who have no idea who sedi is, consider yourself blessed.
anyhow, back to writing. so i actually have quite a few things i'd like to write about, but with exams around the corner, i have actually been quite busy (rare, i know). therefore, exams are on my mind and are the topic of this post... well, kinda. you see, the more time i spend at oxford, the more i realize the attitude with which elite british institutions like oxford see themselves, and i see this clearly demostrated in the peculiar grading system.
first off, exams and final papers are graded by "the examiners" -- no one has ever told us who these people are, and professors and administrators just keep referring to "the examiners." it actually begins to sound a bit creepy the more a hear it... and when i turn my head and see yet another gargoyle giving me a dirty look, my feelings are confirmed.
and then there's the grading scale. so what happens if you do an assigment perfectly and get an A? you get a 100%, right? nope, not here mate. try 75%... because here you can never be good enough. and even if you are, we won't let you think that you are. in fact, A's here are in the ballpark of 65-70%, and B's go down to about 50%. and below 50%, you fail. cheers!
hence, the title of this post: who's your daddy? it's oxford, it's tradition, it's the patronizing system, it's the man... biyatch.
3 comments:
Of the 28 people in my program last year, 26 scored between 60 (the passing mark) and 70 on the qualifying test. Two got above 70 and scored distinctions.
As our core seminar instructors explained, grades here are not at all comparable to percentage grades like those in Canada. All that really matters is for them to be consistent and understandable to people elsewhere.
After all, a 42 is an incredible impressive score: in Canadian parliamentary style debate.
Incredibly impressive, I meant.
"here you can never be good enough. and even if you are, we won't let you think that you are."
sounds kinda like law school.
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