s of numbers. These numbers include grade point averages, high school senior class rankings, and scores on college admissions tests. When students enter college they are evaluated solely on the basis of grades. Unless a class is "passed" with an acceptable grade, a student is unable to earn a degree, another quantifiable factor: "To increase their job prospects, students may seek to amass a number of different degrees and credentials" (Ritzer, 1996, p. 64). In fact, all coursework-related activity at college is quantified. The courses themselves run for a standard length of time regardless of whether this time period is sufficient for students to grasp the materials taught. Coursework is mostly evaluated on the basis of tests and essays. More tests are given than essays because tests involve less work for the professors. Coursework is often calculated on the basis of a grade curve, which can be quite arbitrary. For example, if a student happens to be taking a class with a group of geniuses, that student might emerge with an inferiority complex.
The quantification of activities at college is understandable for two reasons, both related to the process of McDonaldization. First, quantified activities are efficient. Efficiency implies speed. Sometimes it is important that
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