The Third Term Grades are In!

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I just got my grades for the third term in the MBA program. To give everyone some perspective, the third term is first of two terms where we get to choose elective subjects and here are the subjects that I took:

  • New Product and Service Development (NPSD) - Prof. Jay Bernardo
  • Creative Marketing and Selling (CMS) - Prof. Joe Faustino
  • Customer Experience Management (CEM) - Prof. Tommy Lopez
  • Marketing and Finance Creating Synergy (MFCS) - Prof. Richard Cruz
  • Self-Mastery, Arts and Spirituality (SMARTS) - Prof. Cecilia Manikan
Also, the Action Consultancy is considered to be part of the third term.

I'm pleased that I received a higher GPA for the third term in comparison to the grades I got in the core subjects that we took in the first eight months of the program. If my first half grades were peppered with mediocrity on paper, my grades report for the third term is stellar in comparison. From a metric I devised based on the grading system for the MBA program at the Asian Institute of Management, my grades improved by 20% and two full grade levels higher.

I can think of three possible reasons why my grades got better: 
  1. I was able to select subjects that I like. Those subjects fit my strengths and interests, like marketing and product development. I avoided finance like the plague. :P
  2. The electives seemed "easier" because I obviously learned from the core subjects we took the in the first half.
  3. The professors are a little more generous in giving grades in the elective courses. ;)
But as far as my actual performance is concerned, I'm still not sure if my increase in grades means I fared much better compared to the previous terms, or what specific areas I improved in. Based on my investigation, everyone in the class got higher marks and so I'm thinking the collective average grade also increased. 

Now my thoughts are that my grades are a bit "inflated" because everyone's grades also got better. I still believe that direct feedback from the professors regarding your performance in class is a better reflection of how you fared.

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