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New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

An illustration of a screenshot of an Albert "Grades and Transcripts" page where the "Midterm Grade" column is covered by a sticky note. On the sticky note there are three checkboxes that say “strong progress,” “satisfactory progress” and “concern with progress.” The "satisfactory progress" box is checked with a green marker.

Opinion: Midterm progress reports are the change we needed

The university’s new reports for undergraduate courses might just be the solution to its low midterm grade submission problem.
Molly Koch, Opinion Editor January 25, 2024

Rather than waiting weeks, or worse longer, for a midterm grade that might never come, students will now receive midterm progress reports for each of their courses. The new system...

The “Grades and Transcripts” section of Albert is displayed on a laptop screen in front of a dark purple background.

Midterm grades replaced with progress reports

Under the new system, faculty will indicate student progress through three categories: “Strong Progress,” “Satisfactory Progress” or “Concerns about Progress.”
Bruna Horvath, News Editor January 24, 2024

Students’ midterm grades will look different starting this semester, with the letter grade system being scrapped in favor of progress reports. Rather than finding their midterm...

An illustration of two sheets of exam paper stacked on top of each other against a blue background with text “final exam” written on it. There is a red circle with a diagonal line through it drawn on top of the two papers.

Opinion: Traditional final exams are impractical

With increasingly negative stigma surrounding the final exam period, it’s time to bid farewell to traditional final exams.
Molly Koch, Staff Writer December 7, 2022

As I said goodbye to my mother at the train station, heading back to New York City after a cozy Thanksgiving break, I remembered the intense stress that shows up right around finals...

An illustration of the homepage of Albert, NYU’s online class registration portal. A purple horizontal box with white text reading “NYU” is at the top. Under this it reads “Albert,” and there is a purple shopping cart to the right side of the illustration.

How to survive course registration season

A guide to not being miserable next semester if your dream class fills up or you simply forget to register for classes. 
Mayee Yeh, Identity & Equity Editor April 25, 2022

Stowed away in my Google Drive is a document titled “Life Plans.” While admittedly a bit dramatic for its contents, it used to contain four combinations of classes for four...

An illustration of an NYU transcript with a W grade for one course.

Opinion: For students’ health, a W grade on a transcript should be expungeable

The rigidity of the withdrawal policy may push students to prioritize grades over health.
Sophie Moller, Contributing Writer April 13, 2022

If a student withdraws from a course after the add/drop period, a W will appear on their transcript. According to guidelines from the NYU Division of Student Affairs, students...

The Vanderbilt Hall on Washington Square S hosts the NYU Law School. NYU’s School of Law has switched to a pass/fail grading system. (Photo by Nina Schifano)

NYU School of Law Shifts to Mandatory Pass/Fail

After NYU School of Law supported the implementation of mandatory pass/fail policy, the administration put it into place, making grading for nearly all courses pass/fail.
Nick Mead, Deputy News Editor April 19, 2020

The NYU School of Law shifted to a mandatory pass/fail grading model for the remainder of the Spring semester as of Wednesday, March 25.  This decision was made based on the...

The COVID-19 crisis has left students wondering about the rest of their spring academic semester. Most NYU schools are currently offering students the option to request to pass/fail their classes up until May 12th. (Staff Photo by Alexandra Chan)

NYU Schools Update Pass/Fail Policies in Response to Coronavirus

Several NYU schools are offering expanded pass/fail options for students in response to concerns surrounding the transition to remote instruction.
Emily Mason, News Editor March 23, 2020

Some undergraduate students can now choose to pass/fail Spring 2020 courses and still count them towards degree requirements, as several school deans have announced in response...

A for Art, B for Best

A for Art, B for Best

Art students should not be constrained by the framework of traditional grades and should understand the role of subjectivity in grading art.
Johanna Stone, Columnist April 15, 2019

I spend all day in acting school trying not to care what other people think of me, trying not to be afraid of making mistakes because art school is the place where you are technically...

Why You Should Feel Better About Your B+ (and Worse About Your A-)

Why You Should Feel Better About Your B+ (and Worse About Your A-)

Alex Domb, News Editor October 24, 2018
NYU recently announced major changes made to the GPA grading scale.
NYU students pack Bobst Library as they brace for midterm month.

Midterm Madness

Tyler Crews, Deputy Sports Editor October 16, 2017
Why does it always feel like midterm exams last all semester? That's because it does. Find out more here.
Dude, Where’s My Grade?

Dude, Where’s My Grade?

Andrew Heying, Contributing Writer November 28, 2016
While college grading is obviously completely different, knowing where a student stands is still extremely important for their learning process.
Record High School Graduation Rate Is Not Meaningful

Record High School Graduation Rate Is Not Meaningful

WSN Editorial Board October 19, 2016
The number of high schoolers graduating on time is not an accurate measurement of the success of the nation’s education system, or its future workforce.