Is it very difficult to maintain a 3.5 or above GPA if I want to major in Math and Economics? How rigorous are these majors compared to other LACs? Is grade deflation a major problem, I mean, do grad schools and employers in the north know about it?
FWIW, the entire concept of “grade deflation” statistically is a myth in American colleges and universities. “Deflation” implies artificially lowering grades below what should be earned – if someone “would have earned an A” elsewhere, they earned a B here, etc… But average grades in U.S. colleges has risen significantly over time. Which statistically suggests what is actually happening overall is grade “inflation” – either that or the college students who went on to send us to the moon, create the internet, etc. were just dumb or lazy compared to students today. I looked up my alma mater recently when I started reading about this “grade deflation” issue and when I was there the average graduating GPA was below 3.0. These days an institution would be accused of cruel and unusual punishment with that average. I have never seen an official statistic from Davidson on it’s average GPA but other posters in this forum and other sites have cited something in the 3.25 range, which certainly isn’t deflated. What might be fair to say is that Davidson is not grade inflating to the same extent as some of it’s peers, which if that is the bar being set has the equivalent effect.