Where The Wild Grades Are II

Spring Break and midterms have come and gone.  Time for a quick look at how in the hell I'm doing as I try to get straight A's for an entire academic year for the first time since 1987 (fourth grade!)  In order of class time:

Sociology 205 (Diversity):
Still don't have the grade for my research paper.  It's 100 points (out of 360), so the grade more or less hinges on this one.  Get an A on the paper and I'm home free.  Get anything less than an A and I'm either scrambling or pretty much screwed.   On stuff I've already turned in, I've pulled in the full 35 points on response papers, 18 out of 20 on the pop quizzes, and 52.5 of 55 on the first test.  That's good for 96%.  So if I nailed this research paper, the odds look good for me to hit an A-range grade.

Core Humanities 203 (US History):
I took this class with the same instructor I had for CH202 last semester because I know he's a fan of my writing style (regular readers of this blog know that teacher has been leaning on me to write for a living).  I got a 96 on the first paper and 100 on the second.  Two papers left and I need to average a B+ to get an A for the class.  Easy-peasy, just like I expected.

Math 126 (Pre-Calculus):
Because of the teacher's very arcane grading system (go figure, in a math class!), I have no idea how well I'm doing, but if my homework grades and the 89 I got on the first test are anything to go by, I'm right on the cusp between an A and a B.  Fighting for every inch of territory will be the watchword because there are no plus or minus grades in the teacher's grading system; an 80 and an 89 have the same value of B.  Getting to 90 will be critical.  I'll know more after next week's test.  Stay tuned because I am on pins and needles.

IS201 (Excel and Access):
This class works on the "give away points" principle.  As in, I can "give away" 54 points (out of 740) and still get an A.  I've given away 19 with more than half the available points done.  Plus, I've learned a lot about how best to engineer the assignments in order to get maximum points on each.  As long as I get at least 65 out of 100 on the last project (a D!), this one's money in the bank.

Accounting 202 (Cost Accounting):
I busted my ass over the last week to make sure I got full marks on the last three chapters' worth of homework in order to shore up my grade.  As of this very moment  my average is 97.7% (and there may be some extra credit I'm forgetting about; if that's the case the 15 points bring my grade all the way up to exactly 100%.)  I'm majoring in this.  If I can't get an A in accounting at the sophomore level, something is seriously wrong.  This is another "no plus, no minus" grading scale, which from my point of view makes it so much more free money in the bank.

Economics 262 (Statistics II):
Speaking of busting ass, there were ten (no typo---it took me three and a half hours) assignments due Sunday night, worth a total of 15% of the grade.  Total score? 50 out of 50. I get to drop my lowest test score, and even then, the two remaining tests need only average 77.5% in order for me to get an A.  I got 107 out of 120 on the first test.  If I get at least 79 out of 120 (65.8%) on either the second test or (if I fail the second test) on the third, I get an A in the class.  No further questions, Your Honor!

So, let's recap.  Four A's all but clinched.  One A that's dependent on a paper but as good as in the book if I got a good grade on it.  One class where I'll be studying my ass off for five solid weeks to achieve an A.  Sounds suspiciously like last semester.  Playoff atmosphere, to be sure.  Wish me luck.