Covered grades: the real reason upperclassmen hate all frosh

Why worry about your grades when you could be worrying about finding the right frat party for a Saturday night, finding the Schnapp shop for the first time and making sure you snag the last early morning shower? While this may not be exactly the point of having covered grades for first semester of freshman year, this policy is meant to give freshman the time to adjust to the academic rigors of college and adjust socially in a new environment.

After Orientation week, filled with meeting more people than you ever thought possible, movies, sexcapapades, playfair and your first frat parties, you will begin to feel like you are really in college. This means that you actually have to start doing work.

For upperclassmen the start to the fall semester is a scary prospect. It means long hours in the library and unimaginable stress. It doesn't, however, have to be this way for you freshmen. And believe me, all of us upperclassmen are quite jealous of this.

Hopkins' covered grade policy is one of its most student-friendly academic policies. According to the Office of Academic Advising, the policy was instituted 35 years ago at the request of students.

Beginning college has its challenges, and having this time to adjust offers you a real advantage over students at other schools across the country. You really just have to worry about passing your classes.

It is important to take advantage of this semester of covered grades -- generosity like this doesn't come along much at Hopkins. You don't want to be looking back with regret while pulling an all-nighter for that Organic Chemistry exam.

That being said, it is still important to hit the books and maybe even spend a little time in the library. The purpose of covered grades is to give you the time to discover how to study, how to balance work with extra-curriculars and maybe even find time to have a social life. This means that you actually have to study to figure out how to find that individual balance and how to survive in such as challenging and competitive environment.

During the second semester you will meet with your academic advisor. While they will have a copy of your "real grades," these grades will not appear on your official transcript. They will also have a copy of your official transcript, which will be comprised of S's for satisfactory (A through C-) and U's for unsatisfactory (D, D+, and F).

During the first semester you will receive credit for courses in which you earn a U. This caveat doesn't apply to subsequent semesters.

Something that everyone should keep in mind is that every semester everyone is allowed to take one class S/U instead of receiving a letter grade. This is a great way to be able to take that intriguing class that isn't exactly in your area of expertise, or to lighten the load of a particularly heavy semester.

For all of those over-achievers out there, letting go of expecting nothing less than perfection out of yourself, or believing that covered grades are actually covered can seem a little daunting.

First of all, for those who have plans for graduate school, Hopkins makes sure to explain our unique system in a way that won't count against you. It is also important to keep in mind that, despite what you may have heard, there is so much more to the Hopkins experience than worrying about getting straight A's, so use this period of covered grades to discover that.

For your first semester in college, do a little studying, meet as many new people as you can, spend some time partying in the dirty basements of our beloved frats and make sure to thank Hopkins for covered grades.