RG
Relative Grading for the uninitiated. A term that every normal b-schooler dreads.
It simply means that the grade you get in a course is relative to the performance of the people who have scored more than you (rather than getting a grade in absolute terms). 20 out of 30 is 67% ( or say a B grade) for most of the peeps, but in RG when the highest is say a 20.5, a 20 fetches you an A+.
Having been part of the "percentage" system all my life, RG was a relatively new concept for me 5 months back. I never really denounce something without trying it and was kinda excited about this. Always felt that Mumbai University doesn't do justice to the lads. A 65% in MU is pretty fundoo espescially in Engineering, but contrast it to the south where every tom and harry get 75.
5 months down the line I am pretty clear on what my stand regarding RG is. In one word, it SUCKS. For starters, it takes away the joy from the exams. Come to think of it, I actually enjoyed all those moments waiting for my result, espescially when there were subjects wherein I barely knew 25 marks in the paper while we needed 40 to pass. Here, even if the paper is Hell Revisited, an inner voice keeps on reminding me that dude, it's all RG!
RG brings with it RG champs. People who would go to any lengths to ensure that you get less marks so that they gain a comparitive advantage. Asking stupid questions in a presentation, hiding information, licking ass etc etc etc....you name it and it's there.
An MBA is all about team-work and that's exactly what RG discourages. True, it's a dog-eat-dog mentality out there in the corporate world, but heck, shouldn't the aim of a b-school be to groom Managers who have some semblance of ethics and values? I am not questioning the concept of RG, but just feel that its implementation and the repercussions have left a lot to be desired.
Another thing I have always wanted to ask the RG champs, but have never been able to overcome the disgust to do so: in the larger context of your life, what difference will that extra mark make? Will a grade less sabotage your career? Or make you change your goals?
Could go on and on with this...but its 6 pm and I think I need to study a bit. After all, these 8 minutes have ensured that I get RG'ed by 0.125 marks :)
ronnie
It simply means that the grade you get in a course is relative to the performance of the people who have scored more than you (rather than getting a grade in absolute terms). 20 out of 30 is 67% ( or say a B grade) for most of the peeps, but in RG when the highest is say a 20.5, a 20 fetches you an A+.
Having been part of the "percentage" system all my life, RG was a relatively new concept for me 5 months back. I never really denounce something without trying it and was kinda excited about this. Always felt that Mumbai University doesn't do justice to the lads. A 65% in MU is pretty fundoo espescially in Engineering, but contrast it to the south where every tom and harry get 75.
5 months down the line I am pretty clear on what my stand regarding RG is. In one word, it SUCKS. For starters, it takes away the joy from the exams. Come to think of it, I actually enjoyed all those moments waiting for my result, espescially when there were subjects wherein I barely knew 25 marks in the paper while we needed 40 to pass. Here, even if the paper is Hell Revisited, an inner voice keeps on reminding me that dude, it's all RG!
RG brings with it RG champs. People who would go to any lengths to ensure that you get less marks so that they gain a comparitive advantage. Asking stupid questions in a presentation, hiding information, licking ass etc etc etc....you name it and it's there.
An MBA is all about team-work and that's exactly what RG discourages. True, it's a dog-eat-dog mentality out there in the corporate world, but heck, shouldn't the aim of a b-school be to groom Managers who have some semblance of ethics and values? I am not questioning the concept of RG, but just feel that its implementation and the repercussions have left a lot to be desired.
Another thing I have always wanted to ask the RG champs, but have never been able to overcome the disgust to do so: in the larger context of your life, what difference will that extra mark make? Will a grade less sabotage your career? Or make you change your goals?
Could go on and on with this...but its 6 pm and I think I need to study a bit. After all, these 8 minutes have ensured that I get RG'ed by 0.125 marks :)
ronnie
posted by ronnie @ Thursday, December 01, 2005
1 Comments:
At 9:52 AM,
Phooka said…
Hi Ronnie,
well said ! RG as a system originated in IITs and this puts students under intense pressure. While we in B-SChools are (supposedly) more mature and capable to handle such pressure, think about the pressure it puts on the undergrads. I have seen here at IITB what the BTechs go thru. Profs always justify it saying that it encourages you to compete. In truth, it encourages people to mug rather than know the subject. RG is Bad Man !! Encourages Unethical practices.
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