GPA and the Greats: Grades of High Achievers

[riccitensor]

I was curious, about the relation of grades to high achievments. It's safe to assume, that most Nobel Prize winners for instance had rather high grades. Does anyone know if there has been studies of grades of high achievers?

More in particular, where can one find the grades of Einstein, Witten, Feynman and similar people?

 

[eri]

Grades record how well you did in classes. You don't get graded on your research, and research is what defines a good scientist. So while great scientists had to do well enough to get through grad school, the two skills sets - doing well in classes and doing well in research - aren't really that closely related. Plenty of people can succeed at one and suck at the other.

 

[aspiring_one]

If the system works correctly, a grade is assigned to your level of understanding of the material. I would surmise a strong correlation between high grades and high achievements.

 

[twofish-quant]

If the system works correctly, a grade is assigned to your level of understanding of the material. I would surmise a strong correlation between high grades and high achievements.

Not necessarily. One that happens is that if you work harder for an A instead of a B, you end up with less time to study things that aren't assigned in the curriculum.

 

[riccitensor]

Not necessarily. One that happens is that if you work harder for an A instead of a B, you end up with less time to study things that aren't assigned in the curriculum.

True. There should be some form of correlation, that is to say that people with very low grades usually aren't that good. But e.g. difference between 4.0 and below isn't related to talent. These people usually are good at studying, not at a special subject in itself.

Besides there are additional factors to consider, e.g. performance anxiety during exams, which hinders the flow. This is why most instititutions think of the grades more to "get an idea" of what the student is capable of.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I think a discussion of what other people might have gotten for grades is pointless speculation. I also suspect that, since grades are not public, this discussion will not be able to transition to one based on facts instead of speculation.