Should You Have Set That NRO?
January 20th has come and gone, and with it, so has the deadline to make use of the ever-present savior of Dartmouth students’ GPAs — the non-recording option (NRO). Here @Dartbeat, we know that it can be natural to wonder if you should or shouldn’t have taken advantage of the option, which allows students to declare the minimum grade they are willing to receive in a given class, with any grade below that higher than an E being entered into the transcript as “not recorded.” How can you tell —if you’re in this doubting camp — whether you made the right call? Well, it’s simple. Look over the following statements, see how many apply to your life, and then calculate your score.
- Your professor looks you in the eyes and says “I’m sorry” when handing back your midterm.
- You’ve pulled so many consecutive all-nighters in preparation for your daily quizzes that you’ve claimed your own table in the 1902 room.
- You’ve given up understanding the course material and have resolved to streak your own final as an act of defiance.
- Your class is so painful it makes you wish you’d gone to Cornell.
- Your professor explains that he will distribute resources “from each according to his means, to each according to his needs,” meaning that every grade must be at the median, which will be a C+. Comrade, your GPA is faltering.
- You can’t tell the difference between a SCI and a SOC, and at this point, you’re too afraid to ask.
- Your professor comes to class on Friday and reads the Moving Dartmouth Forward proposal aloud, highlighting the section on increasing academic rigor and maintaining constant eye contact with you the whole time.
- Your class uses clickers, and you like to give yours to a friend to get that attendance grade up.You’re confident that nobody will find out, but still.
- You have a recurring nightmare of going to the same building each Monday, Friday and Wednesday at 8:45 and being yelled at. You realize this nightmare is actually just your 9L
- Your professor asks if you’re a prospie visiting Dartmouth. You nod, too scared to say that this is just the first time you’ve made it to your 10A.
1-2: You probably don’t have to worry. Honestly, if you really work hard, you’re in line for a citation!
3-5: Uh-oh… You may not need an NRO, but you’ll have a lot of sleepless nights.
6-8: Just stand up on a desk and scream “Oh Captain, My Captain” — it’s your only hope.
8-10: You’re beyond our help now, friend. Read Overheards to cheer yourself up!