Using Freshman Grading Effectively
You have a 54-unit credit limit for your first term at MIT. Since most MIT subjects are worth 12 units of credit, this is equivalent to 4 full subjects, plus an additional 6 units that you may or may not opt to use. Popular options for using the extra 6 units are a Freshman Advising Seminar or a music performance group like MIT Symphony or Concert Choir. Alternatively, you may just forgo the units to spend non-academic time on sports or student activities.
This section provides you with tips and advice on how to use freshman grading effectively.
Using Pass/No Record Grading Effectively
Beware of upperclass students who tell you that you don't need to worry about your academic performance during your first semester because you're on Pass/No record. Pass/No Record is not an excuse to coast through your first semester. It's important to take P/NR grading seriously. Departments have made it clear that they want their majors to have mastered the Science Core subjects and entry-level departmental subjects. These are the building-blocks for success in any major. If you don't master the material, you may find yourself struggling throughout your college years because you didn't learn the basic concepts.
The lack of recorded D and F grades is no reason not to take your studies seriously. Your freshman and upperclass advisors WILL see your internal grades. Your freshman internal grades are kept in the folder that follows you to your major advisor.
As well, there are consequences for getting a D or an F while you're on P/NR or ABC/NR. Freshmen who pass 42 or fewer credits are reviewed by the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Academic Programming (UAAP) at the end of the term, and may come up for review by the Committee on Academic Performance (CAP).
Pass/No Record grading should allow you to concentrate on learning, rather than competing with others or strategizing for a grade. You should measure your own progress and not compare yourself to your classmates.
Using ABC/No Record Grading Effectively
Once you are on ABC/NR grading, in the spring term, D and F grades will still not be recorded on your permanent record, but A, B, and C grades will be.
See this as a "transitional" semester to being on full grades as an upperclassman.
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