On Fri, 2007-03-23 at 08:07 -0700, William Chops Westfield wrote:
> On Mar 23, 2007, at 1:17 AM, Hector Martin wrote:
> 
> > In the end marks are shifted so that the class average is some
> > "acceptable" number, shifting everyone's marks accordingly.
> 
> Yeah.  Grading "on the curve"; hit the average grade and you get
> a C (or somewhat higher for "advanced" classes), even if that's
> only 50%.  Standard procedure for most college/universities, but
> quite a shock to all the "smart" people used to getting 90% without
> having to exert much effort.  

It's funny that this is the ONE thing they DON'T tell you when first
starting. I know the first time I got a 2/10 on an assignment I almost
collapsed. That vs. my reaction a few years later of complete and utter
euphoria when I received 53% on a mid term exam... :)

Now, an informal survey for the list's engineers:

Recently I asked some of my engineering colleagues the following
question:

Do you still sometimes wake up (often in a cold sweat) completely
convinced that you have a final exam today and have either missed it,
forgot to study, or are simply late for it?

EVERY person I've asked (about 8/8, yup, not scientific, but telling)
has answered yes to this question, often associated with a laugh. Some
have been out of school for only a few years, others have been working
for over a decade, and they STILL have this! :)

I found that interesting. TTYL

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