[Shall we discuss grade inflation again?]

On 12/10/2023 at 10:58 AM, EKS said:

This NYT article notes that 80% of grades given at Yale last year were As or A minuses.  Broken down into STEM vs humanities, 65% of STEM grades were in the A range, whereas "over 80%" of grades in the humanities were in the A range.  Assuming that half the grades were STEM and half humanities, that would mean that 95% of humanities grades were in the A range.

Based on my own experience in higher ed (second string state schools) in the past 8 years, I absolutely believe it. 

For example, I was in an interdisciplinary humanities master's degree program a few years ago, where there was a woman in our cohort who could not write coherently and had no interesting ideas or even any ideas at all.  The papers she wrote, at least the ones I saw, should have gotten Fs.  Instead, she ended up graduating with honors, which meant that she had to have gotten all As save one which could have been no less than a B.

Another example comes from when I was a TA for a multivariable calculus class.  Being a TA, I was able to see the grade book for the class.  Twelve out of 18 students in the class had a final grade of 100% or more.  Yes, you read that right.  But only four of these had an average on exams of 98 or higher--meaning that only these students had an exam average that was reasonably in line with getting 100% in the class.  What inflated the final grades was 40% of the points being awarded for homework completion and discussion post submission combined with a ridiculous number of extra credit opportunities, all of which had to do with attending online study sessions or doing additional discussion posts--not actual knowledge of the material.

I get so tired of people claiming that a B is good.  It is no longer good; it is essentially failing.  In fact, at my current school, anything less than an A+ should be considered suspect.

I've noticed the same at the college where I teach, and the high school that my kids were zoned for.

[Need to donate/sell property in West Virginia...any ideas?]

The Nature Conservancy would happily take it.

[Tips/Christmas Bonus for Pet Sitters?]

I guess I am asking if people give Christmas gifts to their pet sitters.

[Tips/Christmas Bonus for Pet Sitters?]

Do you all give a tip/Christmas bonus to your pet sitter?  If so, what is an appropriate gift or money amount?  Our pet sitter is very good but is here only occasionally.  Is a tip/Christmas bonus appropriate?

[Crowns (the dental kind). Is this a racket??]

My insurance pays 50%, and I still wind up paying about $700/crown.  It's outrageously expensive!

[Main dish that can travel 2 hours in the car?]

Chili in a crockpot, plugged into your car power source (there are adapters you can buy if your car does not have a standard outlet).  Pair with cornbread.  That should satisfy the Southern in them!

 

If a cold dish is acceptable, what about a sub platter from a sub shop?

[Extreme Sciatica]

I just came here to day I am so sorry.  I had a similar situation in September and it was the worst pain of my life, so I want to wish you good luck finding answers.

[Are there places you wouldn't travel to right now, for safety reasons?]

The usual suspects are on the avoid list for me:  North Korea, the Middle East, China, Russia, Ukraine.

[Info on Lexington, Kentucky]

My daughter will be completing her last year of college in Lexington, Kentucky in an internship position and will need a 2 BR apartment and childcare in Lexington or its outskirts.  We know nothing about Lexington.  Does anyone have any information or tips/hints on:  1) Places a young woman would not want to live or should avoid, 2) Childcare/ daycare centers that are good quality, 3) a goof family doctor/practitioner, and 4) Anything else that may be pertinent?  Thanks!  

[Which would you be ok giving up?]

I'd be willing to give up the pool, den, or ceiling height.  I will never live in an HOA; that would be my single non-negotiable.

[.]

My son has zip, none, nada because he hates that stuff, and he got into higher-tier schools (not ivies, but higher tier).  The closest thing he had to arts was a woodworking class.

[Creating relationships with DE profs for recommendation purposes]

Make sure he takes in-person classes; they are less-anonymous than Zoom classes.  I told my son to it close to the front few rows and be engaged and offer the occasional comment.  Make sure to say hello and look the prof in the eye when he sees them, find some commonality to engage in light chit-chat after class.  These are simple things that are just courteous and can make someone memorable.

[Frustrated: Regarding inquiry about university admissions requirements. WWYD?]

On 5/30/2023 at 10:05 PM, pitterpatter said:

What kind of info do they want? What's the game?

 

Nothing specific.  They are trying to get unfiltered, "uncurated" responses that have not been filtered through an adult.

[S/o, what strange thing did you crave while pregnant?]

Pepperocini - in sandwiches or right outta the jar.  I was banging down an entire jar per day when I was pregnant with my son!

[For Fun: Baby names you liked but never used]

Girl:  Ida-Rose, Remy, Charlotte

Boy:  Gunnar, Jesse, Daniel, David

[Frustrated: Regarding inquiry about university admissions requirements. WWYD?]

On 5/25/2023 at 9:02 AM, pitterpatter said:

Yesterday, I filled out a form on my alma mater's website requesting clarification about their admission requirements regarding acceptable coursework. My daughter, who is finishing up 10th grade right now, is strongly considering this university. I had a feeling it was a bit of trap when the form asked for the prospective student's contact info along with the person's info doing the inquiring. So, of course, they totally disregarded my contact info, and e-mailed my daughter. And, of course, they answered none of my very specific questions. They asked my daughter to call them. My daughter is so not calling them. (She doesn't even know what I asked.) And, I have zero desire to call them either...I just want answers via e-mail, hence the reason I used a web form and didn't call them in the first place. This kind of thing is a major pet peeve of mine.

What do I do? I don't want DD to get a black mark next to her name, but she's not calling them. I do need the info, as I am mapping out classes for DD's junior year and don't want to make a mistake. Can I just e-mail the person back via my own e-mail and explain that I was asking as DD's teacher/counselor? So frustrated. I seriously just want to say forget it, she can go somewhere else. That's how badly the e-mail rubbed me. I didn't like the wording at all.

Have DD email them back with your questions, explaining that you are her counselor and need these questions answered.  Have her also explain that you both prfer answers in writing in order to refer back to them later.  I also hate when colleges do this; it's shady to by-pass a counselor that way in order to get more info from an inexperienced young adult.

[Yesterday was the worst day of my life and today isn’t better]

I am so very sorry for your deep loss.  

[Pet Insurance]

Does anyone have any opinions on the following pet insurance policies:  ASPCA, Pet's Best, and Trupanion.  I am trying to figure out why the ASPCA insurance is half the cost of the other two.

[Social Services Resources Post-Rehab]

53 minutes ago, TechWife said:

I agree with the others that an entirely new environment might be very helpful to him & give him a better shot at long term recovery. Has he asked the rehab facility for ideas about housing? He is certainly not unique and they will likely know how to connect him with an org that can let him know of some possible options if he can’t move away. 

I will ask him if he has asked the rehab place about this.

[Social Services Resources Post-Rehab]

3 hours ago, Harriet Vane said:

Being in a whole new context is often a good thing for someone struggling with addictions. Can he move to your area or closer to someone who can support him?

I thought of that, but I do not believe he will leave the security of the area he lives in because he grew up there and he sees these friends as supportive and the only support he has.

[Social Services Resources Post-Rehab]

I would like to delete this post in not too long a time because of its sensitive nature, so please don't quote.  

 

I am trying to help a young man (early 20s) straighten his life out and get on his feet.  This person has had an unbearably rough childhood; I believe he has a depression and self-worth problem, and has a problem with alcohol (and possibly other drugs; I am not sure).  He has voluntarily decided to go to rehab for 30 days in an effort to help himself.  The problem is, he will come back to a situation where he is homeless, and his friends, who will happily shelter him until he finds a place to live, also use alcohol and drugs.  He has relapsed with alcohol in the past, and I feel his potential living options are a recipe for a relapse and I am trying to come up with alternatives for him.  I live far away from him (a days drive), can help him a bit monetarily, but otherwise I can't provide daily material support.

 

What social services resources are available to help a young person in his situation?  Mainly, housing resources.  I am so in over my head with this and really don't know how to help in other than cheer from the sidelines, but I am sure that is not enough.  This person has no family to assist; he is very much alone, save for these alcohol and drug using friends.  He is in NY state, if that matters.  He lives in a rural area and does not drive, so his employment options are limited to where he can walk and he must live in a decently large town to find employment within walking distance.  He is capable of getting a job and showing up to full-time employment, and has decent health insurance.

[Can a student retake a dual enrollment class at a 4 year school?]

Yes to all of your questions.  If the 4 year accepts dual enrollment, he can apply.  If you do not wish to transfer the credit in, don't apply for that class  for transfer credit.

[More weird cat behavior...]

On 3/10/2023 at 9:43 PM, knitgrl said:

Two years ago, a cat adopted us. We resisted for several months, but in the end, she won. She was someone else's cat at some point, because she's been fixed, so that was nice. Anyhoo, she likes to roll around in the driveway and get all dusty. The other day, she demanded to come inside and decided to do a little shake and the cloud of dust that surrounded her was impressive. I think we might change her name and start calling her Pigpen. The cats we had growing up were all clean. I have never experienced such a dirty cat before - she's in no hurry to get clean. Any ideas on why she likes dust baths?

I don't if if this is the issue or not, but make sure her flea treatment is up to date.

[S/O: Would you want to know?]

On 2/14/2023 at 9:25 AM, DawnM said:

 

 

 

Zip it and take it to your grave.  No good will come of telling, and potentially a lot of harm.  And no, I personally wouldn't want to know.  

[Is it mandatory that a person sign up for Medicare?]

So I see a reference to "must sign up for Medicare by 65 or there will be a penalty".  My full retirement age is not until 67.  Must I still sign on to Medicare when I am 65?