New core makes 4.0s too easy

Home Opinion New core makes 4.0s too easy

In the fall of 2012, only three freshmen earned a 4.0 grade point average in their first semester, according the registrar’s office. In the fall of 2013, 17 freshmen did the same.

Similarly, while 33 percent of freshmen in the fall of 2011 made the Dean’s List and 35 percent of freshmen in the fall of 2012 made the Dean’s List, 45 percent of freshmen made the Dean’s List in the fall of 2013.

The increase in 4.0s and the roughly 10% increase in Dean’s List students is noteworthy. Notably, this new change coincides with the introduction of the new core.

Not contending with both Western Heritage and Great Books simultaneously made for an overall easier first semester. Of course, there were exceptions to this — some students took Great Books two along with Western Heritage last semester, and some took other challenging upper-level courses — but, for most typical students, the semester was lighter than it had been under Hillsdale’s old core. The higher GPAs may signify that better learning takes place under an easier core. But part of Hillsdale’s glory was its challenging core. Is it a good thing that now more students are able to achieve “the best” standards simply because those standards are lower?

Certainly, that Hillsdale is continually attracting higher-level students and raising its admission standards also influenced this change. The class of 2017 is considered the second-smartest incoming class in Hillsdale’s history. Nevertheless, this cannot fully account for the higher GPAs. After all, the class of 2015, the highest-ranking class in Hillsdale’s history, still had only six students earn 4.0s. As the chief change between last year and this year, the new core certainly played a role in influencing grades. As one of the 17 freshmen with a 4.0 last semester, I believe that, despite its many positives, the lightened freshman core can have two negative side-effects on students’ mindsets.

First, it alters the definition of “the best.” Although initially elated at having received a 4.0 last semester, my enthusiasm dipped when I realized that I could explain part of it away by saying, “It was only because I didn’t also have an English class.” Something about the achievement felt artificial because I knew the challenge had not been as great as classes before me.

Previously, the truly “exceptional” students were those who were able to face the difficulty of the old challenging core and still come through with high GPAs. As it is, my freshman class has not only missed out on attempting this worthy rite of passage, but has also been detained in gaining knowledge essential to continuing in our liberal arts education.

On the surface, when you compare the grades of the freshman class with the grades of previous freshman classes, it seems we’ve achieved more than they simply because our GPAs are higher. But when you compare what we haven’t gained with what previous classes received in their first semesters —  foundational knowledge of classical and medieval literature, the ability to analyze great works for themes within the context of the Western Heritage, and the skills to write well and then use that ability in future classes — it seems that we’ve achieved much less. I’d rather accept the rigorous test of the old core and be introduced early on to the foundational knowledge of the Great Books class than have a devalued 4.0 GPA.

Second, an easier first semester may fail to truly introduce students to the challenge of what the pursuit of truth in the study of the liberal arts really means. A valid reason for adopting the new core was that it would better ease students’ transition from high school to college. But should the transition be easier or the 4.0 more attainable? An easier first semester sends us off on this endeavor with a false idea of how to “rejoice in the challenge” by creating an artificial standard of the strength the liberal arts at Hillsdale will require in the future. I think it likely that the old core, with its rigorous first semester of both Heritage and Great Books, prepared students for the upcoming challenge much better.

Undoubtedly, the new core is backed by strong arguments and has many positives benefits. I simply ask you to think about whether or not the new core has changed the definition of a Hillsdale freshman 4.0 — formerly a precious, near-impossible reward of only the greatest, rarest talent and work — and what that means for the mindsets of Hillsdale’s students. By making high GPAs easier to attain, do we risk lessening the reward and cheapening the value of the “challenge” we are to rejoice in?