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97 of 104 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good information, but..., July 6, 2006
This review is from: Professors' Guide to Getting Good Grades in College (Paperback)
I am torn between three and four stars for this book but Amazon won't give me a 3.5 option. I have taught at the university level for the past five years and certainly most students can benefit from what is in this book. I want to encourage students to buy (and read) this book. The mythbusting that the authors engage in is certainly worth the price of the book. You can pay now with a little cash or pay later with a low grade to find out the truth about grading. Almost every chapter has good information. I especially liked Chapters 2, 4, 5, and 9.
I also enjoyed how they disparage B's as grades -- what does a B prove to anyone? An A indicates excellence in a course and a C indicates trouble but a B is essentially worthless as a predictor or indicator of anything. As the authors say, not even professors get excited about B's.
However, I do have some complaints.
First, and most important to students is that the authors treat grading opportunities as singular events. This prevents students from treating grades strategically. My advice to students about achieving the best grades possible is for them to strive to earn an A on the first exam of each course they take. Because the material on the first exam is usually much easier than on the Final Exam, holding a grade up is easier than pulling one up. The authors touch on the lack of time to study properly for all of the Finals at the end of the term but don't really offer a solution to the time crunch. By learning early in the semester where they stand in each course, students can allot their time better. An early A enables them to focus their efforts on the courses that they have a shot at pulling up or on those that they can hold -- particularly when they know they gave the first test their best shot. Why spend your limited time on writing a paper or studying for an exam for a course where you have a low B when that time would be better spent pulling up a C or holding an A?
I also do not like how the authors treat a university as a whole rather than as separate parts. They teach at much larger schools than I have (I have never had a Teaching Assistant grade anything for me) so they should know better. For instance, in their discussion of grade inflation they talk about universities as a whole when they must know that within each university are colleges or departments where there can be a large disparity in grading. At my previous school, over 50% of the grades in one department/college were A's while in mine the number was closer to 20%. In fact if I awarded over 60% A's and B's I would receive a nastygram from my boss asking how over half of my students could be Above Average! Students should not assume that good grades are inevitable if they just pick the right university. The same disparity is true of different departments' use of TA's as instructors/lecturers rather than full-time faculty (particularly at the undergraduate level). It may take a little more research to discover the information but students may rest assured that potential employers have done THEIR homework!
My other complaints are more from a faculty standpoint. First the authors give the most superficial explanation of curving grades possible. They take the most extreme examples they have heard of and declare them representative of the thinking of all professors who do curve exams. For the record, I curve exams in case I ask an exam question in an awkward or confusing way or if I failed to teach a point as thoroughly as I perhaps did a previous semester (when, as the authors point out in a different discussion, I may have created the exam question). Why should students be penalized for MY errors?
My last complaint about the book is that it makes grades the end all and be all of a college career. Perhaps that is inevitable considering the topic of this book. I know that the authors don't believe that because they do encourage some behavior that is contrary to maximizing your grades. I just wish they had encouraged students to be more adventurous in the choosing of classes. By declaring grades to be "the currency of college" they discourage students from broadening their horizons. Most professors have seen Straight A students who they know to be ill-prepared for the big wide world because they stuck to a narrowly tailored academic regimen of courses they would do well in. You can get away with this in college. Unfortunately, this is usually self-defeating in life because most employers and citizens have higher expectations of people with college diplomas than just a trade school mentality.
In conclusion, I encourage students to buy this book despite my complaints here. Certainly in my own life I have used material from what I thought at the time were "throw-away" courses or from professors who were tough graders. I doubt that I am alone in this experience. Pursuing good grades is an important part of the college experience, but by no means is it the only part. This book will help students to achieve better grades and that is the reason they should buy it and read it.
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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
GREAT, CONCISE ADVICE FROM INSIDERS, August 7, 2006
This review is from: Professors' Guide to Getting Good Grades in College (Paperback)
Why didn't anybody think of this before? There are dozens of guides on how to get into college, but the publishing world has left millions marooned there once they get in. And it can be quite bewildering. Finally, these two extremely well informed and clear-headed professors have demystified the art of staying in college and doing well there. Once, such advice was available only to a lucky and privileged few with personal or family ties to faculty members. Too many bright and capable students figure out how to do well over four years--they only learn the ropes by the time it's too late. Their overall college record suffers unnecessarily because nobody bothers to tell them what this book finally makes clear is so simple and straightforward. In particular, this book's advice on writing papers will give its readers a huge advantage, and get them on track to success in college right from the start. The authors know all the tricks of the trade and explain them clearly without any intimidating jargon or preaching. They want you to do well and lay out the path toward doing well step by step. You could not spend your money more wisely at the start of your college career than on this book--I only wish it had been available earlier. I have been teaching college at a major state university for l4 years--I will recommend this book to my students, which will save them-- and me--a lot of time and unnecessary grief.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too, October 21, 2006
This review is from: Professors' Guide to Getting Good Grades in College (Paperback)
Perfect for those already in college, those getting ready to attend a university, or even teens who are beginning to think about which college they'd like to attend, the PROFESSORS' GUIDE TO GETTING GOOD GRADES IN COLLEGE is a must-have! This is a book filled not just with advice, but with actual facts on how to take good notes during a lecture, how
professors grade papers, and even how to prepare for tests and exams.
The book is broken down into five parts, with additional chapters in each:
Part 1: The Start--10 Common Myths About Grades in College; How Do Professors Grade, Anyway?; and FAQs About Picking Courses with an Eye to Grades.
Part 2: The Class--Your Action Plan for the First Week of Class; Top 10 Tips for Taking Excellent Lecture Notes; and Why Prepare? Why Attend? Why Participate?
Part 3: The Exam--13 Best Ideas for A+ Test-Preparation; Acing Exams by Adjusting Your Attitudes; and The Hidden Value in Going Over Your Test.
Part 4 The Paper--Understanding the Assignment; Doing the Analysis, Doing the Research; Do's and Don't's for Going to See the Professor; and Top 10 Tips for Constructing the Perfect Paper.
Part 5: The Last Month--The 4 Hazards of the Last Month of the Semester; and 17 Strategies for Acing the Final.
With great mini-quizzes, notes from visiting professors, and checklists to keep track of your strategies, this is a book perfect for any older teen. If everyone had a copy of the PROFESSORS' GUIDE TO GETTING GOOD GRADES IN COLLEGE before setting off for that first semester, college would be a whole lot less stressful!
Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
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