What An "Easy A" SHOULD Mean

I'm a blogger, artist, baker, crocheter, Orange Is the New Black binge-watcher, and much more but first and foremost, I'm a student. That means that I know what it's like to hunch over twenty-page papers all afternoon, complete one hundred-question homework assignments, get lectured about time management, study every night for two weeks in preparation for ONE exam, sleep, and then repeat. Here's a little more background so you get a slightly better idea of what I'm like as a student: 

Never have I ever procrastinated for an assignment, project, or studying and I never will. Never have I ever not gone the extra mile to make my work better than expected. Never will I ever settle for "satisfactory." Are you starting to get the picture? You've probably heard the saying, "Quality, not quantity." I do what I do to ensure that my results are of quality that is up to my (high) standards. Doing this lets me rest assured that I truly did everything I could to help"" my grade in a class - I'd hate to have any regrets. 

But when you have a rigorous 19-credit college schedule, intense training to go through for an on-campus organization, and exams, labs, and homework assignments due left and right, the best thing you could ask for is just a small break. Of course, the next best thing would be a few "Easy A" classes in your schedule - those classes that are like a breath of fresh air because doing well in them is such a breeze! 

You cannot tell me that no one on the face of the earth would be ecstatic to have one of those classes. Yes, I am one of those people who love a challenge, like many others, but sometimes it's just nice to have something that just isn't a major challenge. 

Over the summer my fall schedule underwent some plastic surgery - I was completely changing my course of study in college so I needed to add the right classes to my schedule and drop the ones I no longer needed. For one class in particular that I already added, I found out that a friend of mine had coincidentally registered for the same class because he heard it was "...an easy A." I was surprised to hear this but just as equally relieved to have an "easy" class among extremely difficult ones. 

Now that I am a few weeks into the semester and got a good taste of my classes, including the supposedly "easy A" class, I can honestly say that I am annoyed with the perceived standards of an "Easy A" class. 

I feel that the term "Easy A" is relative to our own work ethics. That friend of mine is one of those who live by the motto, "C's get degrees," without trying to lift a finger more than they feel necessary to earn better than the standard passing. I'm not bashing him or anyone with a similar work ethic - we are all our own people. To him, an "Easy A" means inactively listening to lectures, b.s.-ing homework assignments, and little to no preparation for exams - do this and you're guaranteed an A in the class. 

First of all, are there even college classes like that that exist today? If you can find one college class at any University that allows students to slack off at the maximum level, do let me know...It would probably be better to say that this might get you a C in the class if you're lucky, considering that many colleges have rigorous courses where even introductory courses require a lot of effort. So this is probably what an "Easy pass" looks like...

It seems to me that whether some students are hard workers or slackers, they seem to share a similar view of what an "Easy A" class means to them - the view is very similar to what I described as my friend's perspective! Maybe in a perfect world that is the definition of an "Easy A" class - however, we don't live in a perfect world. 

In my opinion, a class should be deemed as an "Easy A" if students can follow the expectations outlined by the syllabus and get the A. There have been times when I did a bit more than what the Syllabus expected of me yet still got below an A in the class. It's discouraging and I'll be the first to admit that. I've also seen people do what I'd call close to nothing and still end up in the A-range. Maybe that's what molds peoples' idea of the quality of work required for an "Easy A" class. 

I think that students should adopt a new perspective on what constitutes an "Easy A" class: complete the homework assignments with the quality suggested by the syllabus; attend lectures; get the grades on exams as suggested by the syllabus; and so on and so forth. A class that is an "Easy A" should mean that you do what is expected rather than do nothing and luck out with a decent grade. This should challenge students with a habit of slacking off big time to put in more effort and show development in quality in order to bring out a better work ethic. It should also cushion students with a tendency to overwork to ensure that their effort is graded justly.