Grading System Flaws

The first year of university is a struggle for many students because their perception of university is not always the reality. High school classrooms were small with engaging conversations, lots of free time in and outside of classroom, less homework given by the teachers. Expectations being that of high school where if you do really well there, then your guaranteed success in university. High rates of students who got good grades in high school are experiencing a drastic average drop in their first year of university. The level of education they provided is noticeably different. First of all, more homework and labs are assigned by university professors, requiring students to spend more time working outside the classroom affecting sleep, mood, …show more content…
Students often think they are losing marks regardless of seeing no errors in their work when actually they are unsure of how the grading system works. Many students think they start off with a hundred that they are starting at perfection, and getting a sixty because they did poorly. Actually sixty higher then they started, meaning they don’t start from a hundred but they work their way up to a hundred. Professors grading assignments give students the grade they deserve according to how well they followed the assignment. If the student did something that doesn’t meet with the professors requirements it won’t drop your mark down, but it also won’t increase the total points already earned, because the mistakes do not count. Instead of thinking about the mistakes that were made, it is better to think about how to make the essay, assignment, lab, etc. better. Before starting the assignment each professor provides their student with requirements and expectations on how the assignment is to be presented. Additionally, the students are provided with rules on how to write an essay, look up for the requirements that the professor provides you with, look up different ways of how to approach and analyze text when writing an essay. High school now fails to reward honor roll, everyone is rewarded based on attendance not performance. This would be detrimental to students who keep this mind-frame as university …show more content…
Additionally, verbal expression has become increasingly difficult when our main forms of communication are text message and email where often a simple letter or face can sum up what we are trying to say. English classes as a requirement in university help us to learn how to express yourself in writing. They teach us how to properly defend an argument or opinion, and help in getting across our point of view. English classes help to prepare us for the future. Immigrants who arrive in Canada, me included, often find that adapting to the English language and using it on a daily basis can be a big struggle; especially students who have to use a completely foreign language in every class they take. Many students arriving in Canada speak English as a second or third language making an English class essential to them if they are wanting to live, and work in Canada in the future. Though language differences may be a barrier when trying to complete many assignments, essays and labs in the first few years of University, it will be beneficial in the job force when it comes time to writing proposals or professional emails to clients and coworkers. This is where English courses, as tough as they may be, teach us to write to our audience, helping us with our