Gaining Acceptance
Added to the devaluation of the grade C is the fact that many other colleges and universities are perceived to inflate grades. Saint Anselm students who apply to graduate school, and alumni who have gone through the process, say this puts them at a disadvantage.

“I think students can run into problems when they try to explain to admission officers that a 3.0 at Saint Anselm is comparable to a 3.5 somewhere else. It’s a tough case to make because they don’t have the national brand name to back them up,” says Bouchard. “If you pay people in real currency, but inflation is rampant throughout the country, therein lies the problem.”

Although he will graduate magna cum laude, Matt Delude, a senior politics major from Merrimack, N.H., feels that his GPA does not reflect the work he did. In applying to law school, “I definitely feel like I’m at a disadvantage,” he says. He knows that his grades are honest, but what does that mean when he’s up against peers from institutions with more lenient grading?

“In terms of graduate school, at least the ones I deal with, there are other data that go into the equation, most importantly standardized tests,” says chemistry professor Carolyn Weinreb, the college’s liaison with health care professional schools. “For instance, if a student has a 2.5 GPA and excels with a 40 on the MCAT (top score 45), then, yes, clearly there is an inconsistency. The standardized tests have the ability to level the playing field.”

Fr. Augustine and Fr. Peter say they are always happy to write letters explaining Saint Anselm’s academic standards, and they recommend that students tout their class rank and graduate exam scores. Still, there are those who say that’s not enough.

“As a professor at the University of Connecticut, I am always faced with potential Saint Anselm College candidates for our [nursing] program,” says Carol Polifroni ’71. “They claim that Saint Anselm does not support grade inflation. Fr. Augustine has written a few letters supporting graduate school admission for students who earned C’s. Our grading standards will not permit those students to enter the program, however. I think the true Saint Anselm College picture is the character of the student that is developed. Grade inflation is a nightmare everywhere, but good students earn good grades regardless of where they go.”

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