#5: The Law of Triskaidekaphobia: Why Not A Baker's Dozen?

So you know the drill: an A- is worth 14 points on the 15 point scale, while a B+ is worth a measly 12. Why the two point gap?

"I'm not sure I can tell you the reason why," admits Associate Registrar Thurston Smith. "Sometime before my 10-year tenure here the faculty decided that that's the grading system they wanted to use." Smith does propose his own explanation for the gap. "The theory, I presume, is that they wanted to make a letter grade distinction. That is, a B+ or B- is still a variant of a B.

"To my knowledge, it is a unique system," Smith comments. "We spend a fair amount of time explaining it." Harvard's bizarre system doesn't make sense unless the faculty understands and practices the theory behind it, suggests Smith. Some graders think of the B+ as equidistant from the A- and the B, thereby unintentionally punishing B+ recipients.

Smith assures the frustrated student that "the faculty is discussing grading. They are always in the process of discussing this sort of thing." Unfortunately, he sighs, "changing things at Harvard is not something that happens quickly, if at all."

Some faculty members are still in the dark. "I think it's sort of a Harvard tradition," speculates natural history professor A.W. Crompton in his jam-and-crumpets British accent. "I don't know why it's there. It tends to separate the A's from the B's. Perhaps that tends to be a bit unfair." Power is equally confused. "I think the numbers are really bizarre." But she retains faith in the University's wisdom. "I presume there's a reason," she adds.

Regardless of what Crompton and Power think, the two-point gap makes sense to Kanakalakshmi Pattabiraman '97. "It's like the difference between 99 and 100," she explains. "Ninety-nine is just not perfect. It's the same between a B+ and an A-... If you make it in the top slot, you deserve more credit."

Whatever its origins, many students abhor the gap. "I hate that," Balzora says. "A two-point difference is a big deal. It makes no sense. Especially when you know you're on the border. If you would have gotten one more question right, you could have jumped two points over." Yoo adds, "I think [the two-point gap] really sucks. It just lowers your GPA."