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WHich Ivies and other schools inflate grades the most? The least? Thanks.

By Alexandre (Alexandre) on Sunday, July 18, 2004 - 11:51 am: Edit

Stanford is notorious for grade inflation.

By 08pride (08pride) on Sunday, July 18, 2004 - 03:05 pm: Edit

Is that good or bad?

By Jetboy1857 (Jetboy1857) on Sunday, July 18, 2004 - 03:18 pm: Edit

Grade inflation is generally a bad thing.

Why?

Because just as economic inflation devalues the dollar, grade inflation devalues good grades. If just about everyone gets A's and high B's then getting such a grade is no longer very special and thus it makes it harder for the really good students to stand out from the rest of the pack (in terms of the transcript at least). There are plenty of other ways to tell top students from others, but having an inflated transcript is certainly not a good thing. People that matter generally know when this is a problem and thus may consider someone with a lower GPA from another school to have "higher grades" becuase of this very issue.

Would I change my coice in a school because of grade inflation? No. There are many things to consider and this is just one point, but it is certainly something to keep in mind as boasting about your GPA from school X may not impress as many people as you want due to this issue. Just something to think about.

By 08pride (08pride) on Sunday, July 18, 2004 - 03:39 pm: Edit

But A's from Stanford would still be considered above everything else because it's Stanford, right?

By Alexandre (Alexandre) on Sunday, July 18, 2004 - 03:48 pm: Edit

Grade inflation is bad. A 3.0 GPA out of Stanford is pretty much meaningless. At scholls like Cal, Michigan, Cornell, Chicago, Princeton etc..., a student really has to earn her/his Bs. At Stanford, a B takes relatively little effort.

Obviously, a 3.7+ GPA out of Stanford is highly respected, but most top graduate schools expect at least a 3.5 GPA to consider a Stanford Graduate.

There was a time at Stanford when a student could drop a class the day before the final exam without penalty or without it showing on her/his record. At most schools, that would result in a "F" or a big, fat, ugly "W".

By Stanfordman99 (Stanfordman99) on Sunday, July 18, 2004 - 04:34 pm: Edit

www.gradeinflation.org

Harvard is the school that is most notorious for grade inflation. Yale too. How else did George W Bush graduate from Yale undergrad and Harvard grad?

But of course, Stanford has its fair share grade inflation as well. In fact, all the HYPS schools have tons of grade inflation. That's because all the students used to be straight A students in high school.

Also, a 3.0 at Stanford is worth more than a 3.0 at Berkeley, Cal, Michigan, etc. Just look at Berkeley's Boalt Law. They give more credit for GPAs from HYPS than they do for other schools.

By Shyboy13 (Shyboy13) on Sunday, July 18, 2004 - 04:48 pm: Edit

Generally, I totally agree with Stanford man and now is no exception. I must add, though, that regardless of that grade inflation website provided, a Stanford graduate with a 3.0 is probably worth more than a Cal 3.0 just because it is Stanford. People recognize a stanford graduate as smart (and they generally are) BECAUSE of their school. It is pretty much understood that Berkeley students must work harder for their grades than Stanford students. Also, one must keep in mind that, although the website is a good tool, it should no way be considered "the rule."