I welcome people’s views as to HMC’s difficulty and grade deflation. http://tsl.news/news/7542/
Two-tenths of a point GPA difference between HMC and peer schools is huge.
My take is that the challenge at Mudd pays off in more knowledge gained. In the long run this is a boost to graduates. My kid finds her PhD program quite a bit easier than Mudd. And on the West Coast I think grad schools and employers understand the grade deflation situation fairly well.
It is less true outside the West, though, for grad schools and employers. It also can make it difficult for study abroad. Most programs have a 3.0 cutoff, and it isn’t uncommon for students to be just under that at end of sophomore year. Then grad school apps are due with GPA at the end of junior year — senior year typically results in a GPA boost, but it is too late to get that benefit.
I’d say net-net, I’d like to see some grade inflation at Mudd, but keep the workload (classes required, etc) around where it is. My kid still would pick Mudd over any place she got into, but a couple GPA points would have improved her grad school admission options.