JMU females have higher average GPA

JMU women have a higher grade-point average than men, according to recent JMU statistics.

In the 2003-’04 statistical summary compiled by the university, women held an average GPA of a 3.08, while men held an average of 2.84.

“There can be many issues associated with this [difference in GPAs], and I think in order to really appreciate these issues, one needs to look at a broad range of factors,” assistant chemistry professor Kevin Caran.

Business professor Marina Rosser suggested the reason for the difference between men’s and women’s GPAs could be because particular majors attract more men or women that traditionally have higher or lower GPAs.

According to the JMU statistical survey, there is a majority of women in the education department, and education is the subject that consistently has a greater number of A’s than other majors on campus.

“In my limited experience at JMU — two semesters so far — I have not noticed a clear difference between the performance of women and men in my classes,” Caran said.

Rosser agreed with Caran; rather than just looking at students’ GPAs, the major and courses taken by individuals also should be considered.

“The GPA dynamic over the years across all the majors based on gender distinction is not very representative,” Rosser said. “It should be broken into by major groups and looked into based on preferred majors by women and men and required courses, respectively.”

Both professors expressed the importance of hard work when it came to receiving good grades in their classes.

“Good grades in my classes depend on individual students’ efforts and motivation,” Rosser said. “I hope to particularly motivate women [by being] a role model but if they take my classes as required … [courses] to complete a business major, the motivation is not there,” Rosser said.

Caran said, “[The grade] depends a bit on the course. In general, if a student puts in the effort and they demonstrate a certain degree of competency on their exams, they should have no problem receiving a passing grade.”

“In order to get a B or an A, the student needs to show that they can truly understand the material. This includes — in addition to knowing and understanding the information in the lecture and in the book — the ability to apply the material to new problems and situations.”

Several students also had ideas about why this difference in GPAs may be occurring. “I think it tends to be harder for boys to concentrate,” junior Carolyn Anzuini said. “Girls have an easier time sitting down and studying for long periods of time.”

Sophomore James Minnix had a different idea. “Perhaps it’s because there are more girls to bring up the average,” he said. “Generally speaking, [I think] women often score higher on tests.”

According to an article by Andrew Hacker, of the Higher Education Chronicle entitled “How the B.A. Gap Widens the Chasm Between Men and Women,” from The Chronicle Review June 20, 2003, women’s higher GPAs may be a result of social standards.

“[Men] may be less apt to listen carefully in class or heed how examination questions are worded,” Hacker wrote. “In the past, young men who went to college could get in and by with their C’s; today, they face more competition — from women, in particular, and from the growing number of students going to college in general — and C’s will land them entry-level jobs only at Costco and Home Depot.”