<p>Schools in the middle tier like UCSD & UCI are really trying to bump their status, they may actually grade harder in some instances!</p>
<p>gotta disagree with somemom’s post. Grading “harder” is only possible IFF the individual campus gives out fewer A’s as a % of total, e.g., Cal gives out 25% A’s in Frosh Chem but Davis caps them at 15%. That just ain’t happenin’. Moreover, Cal and UCLA are packed with uber-AP/IB kids who are skipping the AP credit and repeating the course for the “easy A.”</p>
<p>For a higher gpa, Davis is the no-brainer, all other things being equal.</p>
<p>To add to my previous comment, I know multiple people at UCSD who have participated in meaningful research and have gone on to PhD programs at MIT, Stanford, and Berkeley.</p>
<p>Huh? Why is this a big deal? If you still want to go to a grad school in four to six years, you will go to one. As long as you get good research experience, your GPA won’t be a factor. My admissions committee hadn’t noticed my below average grade point until I brought it up during the interview. Pick the college you like the most and have a great time.</p>