<p>what's duke's general grading policy--are the classes generally inflated or deflated? and how hard is it to get an 'a,' namely in the sciences?</p>
<p>From the classes I took so far grades are definitely not inflated. It takes a fair amount of work to get an A. Duke doesn't give them away. I'd say it's tougher to get an A in the sciences. The curves for the classes that I took were based somewhere around a B, and everyone in the class is intelligent. That means that some smart people are getting low grades just because they fall on the wrong side of the curve.</p>
<p>I agree. Math and science classes are tough, as are all Duke classes. You really have to work if you want an A, and even then there's no guarantees you will get one.</p>
<p>But is the work manageable? How's the amount of free time? I've got several extracurricular activities I'd like to continue through college. </p>
<p>I know that it's dumb, but I can't help but focus on grades in most cases. Bad grades would be disheartening for me, even if I'm learning a lot.</p>
<p>Yeah, you'll have free time. Might sound cliche but you just have to learn how to budget your time well. As a science major, I am sort of jealous of all the free time that non-science/engineering majors seem to have, but I still have plenty free time of my own.</p>
<p>I actually dont want any "free time" I want my college experience to be consumed with red hot academics sprinkled with tons of fun activities sprinkled in..... I'm starting to look at running for some local positions at Durham :)</p>
<p>Its going to be AMAZING!</p>