grade grubbing

grade grubbing (uncountable)

1. (US, slang, derogatory) The practice of students (especially those in college) attempting to negotiate or suck up for better grades.
   • 2017 July 2, Jay Mathews, “My dream of being valedictorian was tragically unrealized”, in Washington Post‎:

     My grade grubbing was so intense that my Latin teacher called me the "millimeter bandit."

   • 2018 April 1, Barbara Ellen, “Grade grubbers are simply preparing for the real world”, in The Guardian‎:

     Academics report that "grade grubbing" (the practice of university students trying to negotiate better grades) is on the rise. Some tutors put this down to parents overpraising their children, turning them into fully fledged narcissists, who feel so precious, gifted and talented that they can’t deal with a world or a marking system that doesn't agree with their own appraisal of themselves.

grade grubbing (comparative more grade grubbing, superlative most grade grubbing)

1. (US, slang, derogatory) Engaging in grade grubbing.
   • 2022 February 22, Joshua Kim, “Higher Education and 'The Generation Myth'”, in inside Higher Ed‎:

     Today's students are often painted with the generational brush of being grade-grubbing snowflakes, a prejudice accelerated by the 2014 publication of William Deresiewicz's Excellent Sheep.

• grade grubber