For this podcast, it was interesting to specifically talk about the Titanic as a system. Like it is a system and I knew that but it would not be the first example that I would say. The fact that so many individuals decided to do what was necessary to keep women and children alive along with people that were more wealthy. People who were more wealthy were seen as more valuable meaning they had more of a right to survive and get on the boat. I think this can be seen in a lot of students as they seem to look at grades as a value system and making them better if they are able to receive a higher letter grade. Many look towards grades for validation and a way to measure success, while in reality grades are not what define each individual. You can be a great person who volunteers and lends a hand to many individuals while also being productive in society. So other individuals may have that as a system they base how they view themselves in the world. There are many different ways that can be similar to my college student example and it can also vary depending on how each individual views themself and what perspective they choose to look at.
Grades was something that came to mind first because it is all around us especially in a college campus. I wonder if there will be a change to grades in the future or if more perspectives will change to view other things as the same determinant. I honestly hope that more students are able to look beyond grades since in reality they will not matter as much once we are in our 40s.
I doubt grades will change in the near future because of employer’s views on the subject. Brown is an example of a school that allows most classes to be taken pass-fail without any penalty and has done so long before the pandemic. I have been told by professionals that they would never higher someone who only has a Brown undergraduate degree because of the pass-fail policy. Whether this is right or wrong is indifferent because schools will be hesitant to change how grades work if employers’ beliefs on the universities decline as a result.
I really appreciate your point about grades. Especially at the end of the semester I get so stressed and focused on grades that I lose the bigger picture. Will I remember what grade I got in Finance when I’m a couple years into my career – definitely not. I wonder what my college experience would look like if the grading system looked different – would I still work hard and would I be more passionate about learning?