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Be Smart and Take a Risk
By Maggie Saylor '07
STAFF WRITER

With registration coming soon and the end of the semester following closely after that, I’d like to offer a couple of pieces of friendly advice to students, as a wise old senior:

When registering for classes: Be careful with the Pass/Credit/No Credit option. A lot of girls will fall for this as an easy way to avoid losing critical GPA points. I understand as well as anyone the pressure for a high grade average, but many of us don’t understand how damaging a little “P” (or several) on your transcript can be.

If you’re a second semester senior, taking one fun class because you need a little credit, Pass/Fail can be nice. Less pressure on grades means less stress, and if used VERY rarely, it can be a smart choice.

Opting to go Pass/Fail, however, especially for important Gen Eds and major classes, is a big red flag for potential employers and grad schools. They will often interpret that “P” as a “D-” because at many institutions that’s all that’s needed to pass a class, and they suspect you’ll do the least amount of work possible to get by. It can also demonstrate undesirable personality traits, whereas taking a course for the grade shows a willingness to take risks, to work harder, and to strive for a higher goal.

At the end of the semester: Fill out your course evaluations! I can’t stress how important these are. Every student’s evaluation for every class on campus is carefully read by the Faculty Personnel Committee, the professor, and often the Dean as well. Therefore, your comments can and do have a direct impact on staffing and course offerings.

Don’t be afraid to be honest. If you didn’t like a class, say so. Criticism, as long as it is done respectfully and constructively, is actually appreciated by the faculty. They want to know what they can do better.

Don’t worry about retribution. It is very difficult for a professor to know which student wrote what, and even if they did discover you wrote something not-so-nice about them, they will be professionals and not hold a petty grudge against you.

We are lucky to have the opportunity for such a great education here, and GPA isn’t the only marker of intelligence, so be smart about your classes and get the most out of what Sweet Briar has to offer!