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Kylie McGuire

G. Pollack

English Composition 101

10 December 2018

Easy ‘A’ vs. Fed up Professor

Over decades of studying the raise in grades given to college students, there have been a

constant upwards curve, in the favor of students, getting better grades than they earned or

deserved. Through tons of research and personal experience, three known articles have emerged,

written by extremely credible sources. One of these articles is, Grade Inflation Gone Wild by

Stuart Rojstaczer, through his experience as a scientist by training, a former professor of

geophysics at Duke University, the author of “Gone for Good: Tales of University Life After the

Golden Age” (and many other articles on higher education and learning and grading) and is the

creator of gradeinflation.com. He brings a solid argument against grade inflation. To piggyback

off one stellar writer to another comes Doesn’t Anyone Get a C Anymore? by Phil Primack.

Primack is a well known writer for regional and national publications, including New York

Times, Boston Magazine, Columbia Journalism Review, and The Boston Globe. Research and

writer for high-profile special projects, such as the New Hampshire Gaming Study Commission

in 2010 ( as cited from his personal linkedin page). Lastly but certainly not least, On the Uses of

a Liberal Education by Mark Edmundson brings in the final whip to clean up the argument

against grade inflation flooding universities nationwide.

Primack’s paper, Doesn’t Anyone Get a C Anymore, points to professors being afraid

that if they were to give low grades the students would file poor course evaluations against the
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teachers. These bad evaluations added up could be potentially threatening to the professor’s

career at that university or any field in the future. The idea that a bad reputation will follow you

anywhere haunts the professors into giving their students a good time in class; rather than the

rigor and difficulty that they should be dealt as university students. To follow up his argument

with solid citations Primack pulls proof from Rojstaczer’s paper, Grade Inflation Gone Wild,

along with studies from multiple universities such as Princeton University -- a study with

inflation of A’s between 35% in 2004 and 47% in 2007, Harvard University -- a study of

inflation from 15% A’s in 1950 to 50% in 2007 (Primack) . Primack also uses clear guidelines

stated by Wellesley College to their professors, that show how schools are working to halt grade

inflation. The halt to grade inflation is shown through the guidelines to minimize the number of

As a professor can give out to 35% of the class.

As quoted in Primack’s paper, Rojstaczer continues to pinpoint the culprit in the grade

inflation scandal. Rojstaczer uses studies and surveys to aid his opinion that students and their

study habits, or lack thereof, are to blame. He goes on to state the fact that students are spending

less time studying and more time partying; students are consuming more alcohol than ever and

becoming dumber by the decade. Rojstaczer clearly says, “ a recent survey of more than 30,000

first year students across the country showed that nearly half were spending more hours drinking

than they were studying” (Rojstaczer). This survey comes along the appropriate statistics, to act

as a backing for Rojstaczer’s main stab at students to blame. Education is extremely expensive

and not even paying off. Poor education is causing America to lag behind other countries around

the world and hurt our economy. Rojstaczer creates a clean sweep in his argument with backing

from prestigious institutions and peers and a large survey, as quoted earlier, that questioned more

than 30,000 first year students in college across the country. Also cited guidelines from
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Princeton, Wellesley, and Reed University that are working to keep grade inflation in check by

implementing a restriction that “only 35% of students in a class can have an A average”

(Rojstaczer 2).

Edmundson comes in with a lengthy but hard to argue with paper. He focuses on the idea

that universities are now devoted to consumerism and the entertainment of their students. He

follows in Rojstaczer’s theory that the students are partially to blame because they are now

acting like consumers with an education catered to them. The consumerism aspects of college

campuses is shown when funds go to building new dorms, improving student lounges, and

stocking the gym with the newest name brand machines. Basically the universities are trying to

make the student happy and comfortable like their schooling is a product rather than a course to

further their knowledge that is supposed to be grueling. In his theory, universities are trying to

butter up students to make them happy and bring in the money. This process is not only ranking

up the grade inflation issue but also turning the education system into a business. The education

system is supposed to be churning out scholars to contribute to society, not hand feed clientele

with little to no significance or contributions to their fields. Edmundson supports his claim with

personal experiences in class as a psychology professor at the University of Virginia. He also

cites Columbia University on their reviews that students are given to rate their teachers. To clean

up his argument he also takes into his argument other professors just talking on the topic outside

of published articles.

All in all, grade inflation is a pressing issue that is flooding the most prestigious

universities, colleges, and institutions across the nation. On the other hand, there are some

institutions that are trying to take actions against this problem. Schools like Princeton University,

Wellesley University, and Reed College have been implementing systems and checklists to
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insure that grade inflation in kept the a bare minimum. Along with the amount of A’s professors

give to undeserving students. Therefore, grade inflation can be lessened by actions initiated by

the administration to change policies.