Promulgated by a series of conflicting reports, cloudy ideas, and a sincere desire among Midshipmen to know where they stand, the faculty of the Business School will post this morning in Baker a "Statement on Scholarship," and mid-semester grade classifications and rankings.
Denying the reputed devotion to the "Normal Distribution Curve," the release states scholarship policy as clearly as possible without placing its authors on the proverbial limb. It will serve as an answer to the universal question, "How low can I go academically and still be promoted to second semester work and probationary commissioned status in the Supply School?" In spite of the assurances which were given when the question was posed to faculty members, the answer had remained moot until today.
Careful reading of the statement, however, will inform the student what minimum standards will be, and what kind of grades (on the average) will mean "successful completion of the first four months course." It gives no plain indication of how those grades are comprised, because the emphasis placed on the various factors will vary with the instructor. Generally, it can be concluded that most emphasis will be placed on work in the second half of the term.
Numerical grades, which determine the "grade classification" (Pass, high pass, etc.) are not released, so it is difficult to tell whether one has a low or high "low pass" and so on. Since the average of all grades will be computed on the numerical basis, and the minimum requirements are so stated, the reason for holding back the numerical grades is difficult for the students to understand unless in this half-semester the grading has not been that detailed. The four quartile divisions are considered informative, but numerical grades would have been preferred.
From the statement it appears that a "low pass" average does not necessarily mean success, nor does a record of two "unsats" mean failure. In case of doubt, "each case is examined and action is taken after full consideration of the facts." The "facts" may be academic, or otherwise.
Probably the most conservative way of determining one's standing is to take the lower of the two extreme numerical grades within each "classification" you receive, and calculate the average. That should tell you where you stand, at worst. Add to that your relative standing in the quartile distribution of the class, and the expected emphasis on the work of the remaining weeks, and one should come out with some idea of how much effort is needed, and where
