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Imagine a situation: you proudly receive a diploma from a prestigious university, your grades are only A's, but when applying for a job, employers only skim through the resume and put it aside. It is this paradox that Harvard is facing today, a university whose name has been synonymous with academic excellence for many years. If earlier a Harvard diploma, and even with honors, was a rare achievement indicating the exceptional abilities of a student, today almost half of graduates leave the university with such diplomas. This has turned into a serious problem: when every second student is an excellent student, the very concept of difference loses its meaning. Employers, who used to take high Harvard grades as a reliable marker of talent and diligence, are now forced to look for other ways to select candidates. The traditional benchmark has ceased to work, and this makes us think about the profound changes in the higher education system of America in particular and the world in general.
Experts identify several key factors that have formed the current situation:
- Universities today are engaged in a fierce struggle for talented applicants, and in this competitive race, high grades have become one of the tools for attracting students: universities are trying to create the most comfortable conditions to attract the best minds.
- The very approach to teaching has changed. Many teachers deliberately avoid giving low grades, trying to keep students motivated – instead of rigidly assessing knowledge, teachers try to create a favorable learning environment where each student feels confident.
- Pressure from the students themselves cannot be ignored either. Today's students are increasingly asserting their rights by challenging grades and demanding "fairness," and universities often meet these demands in an effort to maintain their reputation as open and democratic institutions.
- The increased teaching load also plays a role. To cope with an intensive schedule and keep up with all disciplines, students are increasingly choosing a "minimum risk" strategy: instead of delving into complex research or experimenting with new ideas, they focus on getting guaranteed high grades.
The consequences of this phenomenon are felt by all participants in the educational process, they do not pass without a trace for anyone.
- For graduates, the situation turns out that a diploma with honors no longer gives the expected advantage in the labor market: now they have to look for additional ways to demonstrate their uniqueness — to participate in projects, take internships, and develop practical skills.
- Employers, in turn, are faced with a difficult task: how to distinguish truly outstanding candidates from the stream of "excellent students"? Companies are forced to develop new methods for assessing talent.
- For the university, this becomes a threat to the brand: if all graduates are equally good, you lose the idea of which of them is truly outstanding. The prestige of the university is eroded, its diplomas cease to be an unconditional sign of quality.
Harvard does not stay away from the problem and is actively looking for ways to solve it. Now special attention is paid to project work and practical achievements of students: instead of concentrating exclusively on academic assessments, the university encourages participation in real projects, research activities and interdisciplinary initiatives. Some faculties are already experimenting with alternative forms of certification, for example, using a portfolio of achievements, which contains real work, feedback from mentors, and evidence of professional growth.
This is a clear signal for all the world's universities: the grading system should not only record academic success, but also help identify truly exceptional talents. After all, the main task of education is not to issue diplomas, but to nurture professionals who are able to change the world for the better.
