‘Soul-crushing’ report on GPA sparks outrage among Harvard students, claims OUE misrepresents workloads
Harvard students have voiced strong opposition to a new report released by the Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE) that criticises grade inflation, arguing it misrepresents their academic experiences. The 25-page document suggested that Harvard’s grading system has become overly lenient and no longer meaningfully distinguishes between students.The report called on the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) and Harvard affiliates to “re-centre academics” and adopt stricter grading standards. Students, however, said these recommendations could add pressure to an already demanding campus environment.Students describe report as ‘soul-crushing’Sophie Chumburidze ’29 said the report minimised the effort students invest in their studies. “The whole entire day, I was crying. I skipped classes on Monday, and I was just sobbing in bed because I felt like I try so hard in my classes, and my grades aren’t even the best,” she told the Harvard Crimson. “It just felt soul-crushing,” she added, quoted by the Harvard Crimson.Kayta A. Aronson ’29 warned stricter grading could impact student mental health. “It makes me rethink my decision to come to the school. I killed myself all throughout high school to try and get into this school. I was looking forward to being fulfilled by my studies now, rather than being killed by them,” she said in conversation with the Harvard Crimson.Zahra Rohaninejad ’29 highlighted that current standards already feel harsh. “I can’t reach my maximum level of enjoyment just learning the material because I’m so anxious about the midterm, so anxious about the papers, and because I know it’s so harshly graded. If that standard is raised even more, it’s unrealistic to assume that people will enjoy their classes,” she told the Harvard Crimson.Students say report ignores extracurricular commitmentsMany students emphasised the importance of activities beyond the classroom. Peyton White ’29 stated, “What makes a Harvard student a Harvard student is their engagement in extracurriculars. Now we have to throw that all away and pursue just academics. I believe that attacks the very notion of what Harvard is,” quoted by the Harvard Crimson.Hudson C. McCarthy ’29, a member of the men’s lacrosse team, added that the report overlooked student-athletes’ daily commitments. “It’s doing students a disservice because it’s not really accounting for what we have to do on a day-to-day basis, and how many hours we’re putting into our team, our bodies, and then also school,” he said in conversation with the Harvard Crimson.Some students acknowledged grade inflation trends but warned of unintended consequences. Stephen A. Behun ’28 said, “Addressing it only at Harvard is potentially dangerous for these students that are looking to go on to the next level or need these high grades. We’re putting the cart before the horse when it comes to fixing this without fully understanding how it’s going to impact students professionally, even if it academically helps them master subjects,” quoted by the Harvard Crimson.Necati O. Unsal ’26 highlighted the ongoing pressures of maintaining near-perfect GPAs. “There is a reason we’re in this situation in the first place, and the fact that you’re so scared of your GPA dropping 0.1 or 0.2 shows that there is a real crisis going on,” he told the Harvard Crimson.Spokespeople for Harvard College and the FAS did not respond to requests for comment.
