Can you explain UChicago?

[warblersrule]

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@tpavone

The school does not grade inflate like other top schools (cough…Harvard) so it’s difficult to get a high GPA.

This has been much discussed. </p>

<p>See these posts:

@newmassdad

What grade deflation? Two years ago, when my D graduated, if I recall correctly, something like 60% of the students graduated with honors. I know because I counted during the long convocation ceremony. 60% over 3.25 GPA implies an average well over that, probably in the 3.3 - 3.4 range. </p>

<p>Getting a 3.9 is tough. UofC is not Harvard…maybe more like Pton in its grading.

@JHS

Has grade inflation come to UChicago? For years, someone or other has been counting the number of people getting general honors at spring convocation. General honors requires a GPA of 3.25 or higher (i.e., B+), and a certain number of quality grades that I’ve never heard of anyone falling below. Two years ago, and the two years before that, about 60-65% of the spring graduates had general honors. This year, it was way higher than that – about 75%. I used to estimate that the median GPA at Chicago was somewhere between 3.3 and 3.4, and there was other data to confirm that, but I think that’s probably too low now.

@Cue7

THEN: Rumor was, for the class of 1996 or 1997, the average GPA was around a 2.9 or 3.0. Sure, you had the academic superstars going on to MD/PhD programs at Harvard and winning Rhodes Scholarships (there were 3 my year), but lots of kids just could not hack it when faced with a faculty that first, believed in enforcing the fabled Chicago rigor and, second, generally had exposure to the higher overall level of academic talent found at Harvard, Yale, MIT, etc. Yes, Chicago students struggled.</p>

<p>NOW: I think this needs to be empasized: I believe that now, CHICAGO DOES NOT HAVE GRADE “DEFLATION”. Do they do this to the extent of a Brown or Dartmouth? (See my previous threads for links to the rampant grade inflation at these schools.) NO. Everyone is not getting As, and 90% of the U of C student body is not graduating with honors. At the same time, as seen above, my sense is that grades have crept up as the incoming classes have increased in strength, and now, again, students are more content with the result of their labor at Chicago. While 8 years ago, the average GPA might have been around a 3.0, now, I’d imagine it’s around a 3.3-3.4 (behind the 3.5 or so average at Chicago’s peer schools, but not by much at all).

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