Monday, March 20, 2006
Belated congratulations to the Wharton R2 admits. I’m sure y’all are still riding the admissions high – enjoy it. To those who were waitlisted – keep the faith, people do actually make it off of the wait list. And to those who’s applications were denied – take time to wallow in disappointment. But then pick yourself up – remember it’s your application not YOU who was denied.
I’ve been seriously delinquent with blogging. I can’t claim it’s because I’ve been über busy. While I’m still busy, it’s definitely not like previous quarters. I’ve finally discovered the Wharton sweet spot. No recruiting. Most of my leadership responsibilities have transitioned to first years. I’m only taking 4 classes. Life is GOOD. I now have time to do all the things I envisioned I would do when I matriculated two years ago. I’ve been to a couple of musicals in the last few months (in fact I’m going to see Wicked on Thursday). I started taking Pilates (which is kicking my ass). I’m hanging out with friends more. I actually have time to read something other than school work. I can go to movies without feeling guilty. And I still can spend A LOT more time on my school work. Like I said, Wharton life (when it’s like this – and it’s rarely like this) is GOOD.
And, as I'm sure most of you are aware, Grade Nondisclosure is here to stay at Wharton!!! Well, sort of.
Last month, students voted overwhelmingly to support the student grade nondisclosure policy. This vote followed a faculty vote , which advocated for voluntary grade disclosure, as well as a convoluted grading system change. So what does all this mean?
At Wharton, unlike some other schools, Grade Nondisclosure (GND) is a student initiative. As a collective group, we have decided we won't be disclosing our grades. In the past, the administration has been supportive of our collective policy. In fact, up until last year, many of the administration touted the virtues of GND (cooperative learning, less cutthroat environment, etc.) But now it seems, the administration and faculty are less supportive.
So the faculty have decided to change the grading policy every so slightly. Why? I can't really say for sure. It may be to improve faculty motivation to teach MBAs. Or it may just be a good old fashioned power struggle. Who knows? And I'm not sure how the changes will affect students grade disclosure. The policy explicitly says that students are allowed to disclose grades (along with some convoluted formula to determine GPAs - why oh why does the new grading system have a friggin formula in it? Only at Wharton. But I digress...) How does this work with the student initiative? Basically, while we are allowed to disclose grades (as the policy now states), the students as a collective body have decided not to disclose grades.
So what does this mean for future Whartonites? I'm not sure. The buzz around campus surrounding grade nondisclosure has definitely died down. Perhaps the administration is waiting to influence incoming classes to change the culture so that students are more open to changing the student policy. Or maybe we all are just focused on other things with stories of Spring Break adventures, post graduation vacation plans, and the like. It remains to be seen how it will all play out.
As for me, all I can say is, life at Wharton is GOOD right now. I'm really enjoying being a student. It makes me more sad to know that I just have five more weeks left. I plan to bask in this time at Wharton. It's pretty damn cool.
I’ve been seriously delinquent with blogging. I can’t claim it’s because I’ve been über busy. While I’m still busy, it’s definitely not like previous quarters. I’ve finally discovered the Wharton sweet spot. No recruiting. Most of my leadership responsibilities have transitioned to first years. I’m only taking 4 classes. Life is GOOD. I now have time to do all the things I envisioned I would do when I matriculated two years ago. I’ve been to a couple of musicals in the last few months (in fact I’m going to see Wicked on Thursday). I started taking Pilates (which is kicking my ass). I’m hanging out with friends more. I actually have time to read something other than school work. I can go to movies without feeling guilty. And I still can spend A LOT more time on my school work. Like I said, Wharton life (when it’s like this – and it’s rarely like this) is GOOD.
And, as I'm sure most of you are aware, Grade Nondisclosure is here to stay at Wharton!!! Well, sort of.
Last month, students voted overwhelmingly to support the student grade nondisclosure policy. This vote followed a faculty vote , which advocated for voluntary grade disclosure, as well as a convoluted grading system change. So what does all this mean?
At Wharton, unlike some other schools, Grade Nondisclosure (GND) is a student initiative. As a collective group, we have decided we won't be disclosing our grades. In the past, the administration has been supportive of our collective policy. In fact, up until last year, many of the administration touted the virtues of GND (cooperative learning, less cutthroat environment, etc.) But now it seems, the administration and faculty are less supportive.
So the faculty have decided to change the grading policy every so slightly. Why? I can't really say for sure. It may be to improve faculty motivation to teach MBAs. Or it may just be a good old fashioned power struggle. Who knows? And I'm not sure how the changes will affect students grade disclosure. The policy explicitly says that students are allowed to disclose grades (along with some convoluted formula to determine GPAs - why oh why does the new grading system have a friggin formula in it? Only at Wharton. But I digress...) How does this work with the student initiative? Basically, while we are allowed to disclose grades (as the policy now states), the students as a collective body have decided not to disclose grades.
So what does this mean for future Whartonites? I'm not sure. The buzz around campus surrounding grade nondisclosure has definitely died down. Perhaps the administration is waiting to influence incoming classes to change the culture so that students are more open to changing the student policy. Or maybe we all are just focused on other things with stories of Spring Break adventures, post graduation vacation plans, and the like. It remains to be seen how it will all play out.
As for me, all I can say is, life at Wharton is GOOD right now. I'm really enjoying being a student. It makes me more sad to know that I just have five more weeks left. I plan to bask in this time at Wharton. It's pretty damn cool.
