Is Academia really a Meritocracy?

[Big Poppa Smurf]

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T50,

I think that's just how british or australian people talk casually or something.

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for the record though if that's how you guys talk, you also all have really bad grammar

[bav]

Absolutely there is a great deal of subjectivity in the grading of certain subjects. If you want to be a creative writer, you better be creative enough to write stuff the folks grading the work like. If you're doing sociology term papers, you may find some profs will be annoyed if you pick a side of a topic they feel strongly the other way about.

Friend was struggling with a tech writing class, getting B's and C's on the first two or three things he turned in. He visited the instructor and schmoozed her--his nose was covered in brown goo upon his return. A's on everything after that.

But it's not limited to the artsy sorta courses. I was taking an EE lab class and folks were dying trying to come up with lab reports the instructor liked--he'd give out one or two A's, two or three B's, and the rest C's. Yet I was getting A's on everything I wrote. One day my lab partner got fed up and grabbed my paper and his and went to the instructor and basically showed that the data contained within was identical, the basic ideas expressed were the same, and yet he got a C and I got an A. Instructor explained that oh no, my way of expressing all of this was MUCH better and it's not just about the data. Well, no, the truth was simply that the instructor liked me and my writing was entertaining (not that lab reports are supposed to be entertaining, but I tried to make 'em light), but the technical details within the two reports were identical and I agreed with my lab partner that he was being screwed (but then so were about 11 of the 12 other students in the class).

But I was on the receiving end of ill-treatment. On an energy conversion test once one of the questions was something like "tell me everything you know about XYZZY". I put down about 12 items and lost 4 points of credit for not putting down enough detail about several of them. Friend of mine wrote down 6 points, every one of which I had covered in at least as much detail as he did. He got full credit. I took the two tests to the prof who told me it was my own fault for putting down too much information (!). I clearly knew more about the topic than a person who received full credit, but I lose 4 out of 15 points?

Life is not fair. Get used to it. It's much worse in the real world where there isn't a slew of homework and exams to backup grades. You may as well learn to live with the system now 'cause it ain't gettin' better after graduation (Office Space and Dilbert are only barely works of fiction).

[killsadie]

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My guess is that you're not as smart as you think you are.

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[catalyst]

bav, good post and nice stories. But, do you honestly believe OP is being "targeted," or however you would like to describe it, by all of his teachers throughout his academic career? My guess is he really just thinks too highly of himself.

[catalyst]

[ QUOTE ]
No wonder no one likes the yanks.

Yea, i did open myself up for criticism, and can see how my informal style can be easily criticised.
I can also see why you feel it necessary to put me down, believing i need it.

Im not here to look smart, i just wanted a bit of advice.
Frankly i dont care if u think im dumb or not i know im intelligent...
Even my mom said so.

[/ QUOTE ]

You asked us a question:
Basically my question is can u get screwed by subjective marking?

Sure, there are instances where you can. But, if you have experienced the downside of this supposed subjective marking throughout your entire academic career, you probably just aren't as smart as you think you are and that is why you receive lower marks. Or, you are smart but your work just sucks.

Yeah, it's blunt - sorry, welcome to the internets.

[ballin4life]

Shouldn't OP just ask his teacher what he did wrong?

[bav]

[ QUOTE ]
bav, good post and nice stories. But, do you honestly believe OP is being "targeted," or however you would like to describe it, by all of his teachers throughout his academic career? My guess is he really just thinks too highly of himself.

[/ QUOTE ]

Op asked, "Basically my question is can u get screwed by subjective marking?"

That was my very long-winded way of saying "of course". Happens all the time. When grading english papers, psych, sociology, history, art, or any of a zillion other subjects, it's extremely subjective, and the grader's opinion of the gradee often gets unfairly factored in, plus or minus. And my tales were pointing out that even in tech subjects where you might think it would be completely subjective, someone can still stick it to you.

Had another friend in engineering who looked like a drugged out rocker. He was REALLY depressed one late night, claiming he was struggling with some class and couldn't get any help from the prof. He'd been in a couple times and basically had just been shooed out the door. His claim was this happened to him all the time--that just because he looks like a slacker nobody will invest any time in him.

I believed him. He really did have that aura hanging over him and I don't doubt many faculty believed it was pointless trying to teach him. I also suggested that since he knew what the problem was it had a pretty easy fix; MAYBE he should consider changing his appearance and mannerisms since it was clear this was impacting his future. Ultimately he didn't change and he did drop out.

Can't really say from a single post from OP whether he thinks he's smarter than he is. Or if he has an appearance that gives people a terrible first impression. Or if his behaviour does the same. But just because he's paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get him.

[Xylem]

I have not been failing in my academic life at all.

I passed all my GCSES, in my A levels i got top marks and im passing now at uni second year psychology.

I'm just annoyed that when i make a report that i, and my friends know is best, i can get worse marks on.

Im not some big headed idiot, im actually very critical of myself, but when i see what i deem to be rubbish get better marks than me for stupid reasons its annoying.

I could write 'worse' assignments pandering to the markers convenience, but i dont think i should get into that habit.

I mean, when i read a professional report it sounds NOTHING like the amateur work we're instructed to write.

The subjects full of contradictions and subjective opinions, and that surprises me given its supposed status as a regulated science.

BTW thankyou bav, great examples of what i mean.

[T50_Omaha8]

I'm sick of reading your self-contradicting blather.

/thread

[manpower]

I think that while it's true that subjective bias plays a very real role in Academia, it's also true that the same bias exists in business and affects us in similar ways. In short, learn to deal with it.