Issue date: 11/20/08 Section: Editorial/Opinion

As we all know, the college life can be rough. We have to write long papers, work on frustrating group projects and pull all-nighters cramming in the last bit of information for huge exams. We do this all while working jobs to make ends meet and trying to save some time to spend with friends so we don't go absolutely crazy.

Well what if grades were taken out of the equation? What if exams no longer existed, papers weren't graded and the learning part was all up to us?

That is exactly the trend that continues to grow from coast to coast across the U.S. More and more colleges continue to open without letter-grades; instead they offer self-evaluations from professors at the end of the semester.

This might seem kind of ridiculous or farfetched, but many students seem to not only be doing as well as students attending standard universities, but in most cases excelling in comparison.

At the New College of Florida, grades have been completely thrown out the window. Instead students are now given a one to three page self-evaluation at the conclusion of each semester.

You may be wondering how this could possibly be a benefit to students. "Sweet, no more grades equals no more work" is not the reason I think this system should be adopted here at UW-Eau Claire and every university.

This new system helps students in more ways than most people realize.

The first way these gradeless universities benefit their students is by encouraging them to learn about the topics in all of their classes.

At standard universities, like Eau Claire, a student will typically find a class they struggle with or that is more challenging than all of their other classes. The result of this is the student dedicates more time to the class they need to work the hardest in for a good grade. In doing so they neglect the other classes they take, ultimately making them less educated.

Without grades, the student wouldn't have to focus on a single class and they would be able to learn equally in all of their classes.

The second way students are benefitted is by being able to study in a stress-free environment. Having letter-grades puts an incredible amount of stress and pressure on the student.

Pressure comes from parents and within, but the overwhelming mentality is that good grades must be achieved to get a good job after college. I'm not saying that isn't necessarily true, but I am saying without standard letter-grades this could completely be avoided.

Students should focus on learning for the sake of learning, not to get a grade they feel must be achieved for their

career. Medical experts agree higher stress levels reduce the effectiveness of the immune system, resulting in high numbers of students becoming sick every year around exam time. To me, this is obviously a result of students feeling the pressure to obtain better grades.

The final reason I think universities should adapt to this gradeless system is because it provides much more constructive criticism for the students.

Receiving an A, B, C D, or F does little to actually help the student. Instead it just tells you whether or not you did well, just alright or poorly. By giving each student their own specific self-evaluation these universities not only tell students what they did poorly or well, but it also tells them what they could do differently to change it.

Some schools, like Evergreen State College in Washington, offer even more in-depth feedback for each student, presenting them with 40 to 60 pages of recommendations. By the end of college, students can look at these recommendations and see how they've grown as a student and what things could still be worked on.

There is one problem, though. How are you ever supposed to get a job or into graduate college without letter-grades comparing you to other students?

The Wall Street Journal ranked the New College of Florida as the second-best public university in the nation for sending its graduates to the leading law, medical and graduate schools in the country last year.

Becoming a more well-rounded and educated person, studying stress-free and receiving actual constructive criticism are all qualities any college student would want. To me, the solution is clear. Eau Claire and other universities across the country should adapt to the growing trend of grade-less colleges.

Pellegrino is a sophomore print journalism major and a copy editor for The Spectator.

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