<p>The average GPA overall is about 3.35. Different majors have substantially different ranges. You can get some idea by looking at what is required for honors in a department. Some have benchmarks as low as 3.0, some as high as 3.6. Grades at Chicago are not terribly deflated, and 3.5 or 3.6 is not that uncommon. The general feeling among most students I knew is that a B+ is very doable in just about any class with a reasonable amount of effort, and an A- is also fairly realistic unless you are taking an advanced class in a field you are unfamiliar with. It’s pretty hard to get an A without really mastering the content and taking a step further, but it’s also pretty hard to get a C outside of the majors with curved exams. The 3.35 average GPA, which is slightly above a B+ seems to bear that out. The one big difference between Chicago and some peers in the 3.8+ range, which is pretty tough to crack (8% or so). You’ll likely have a class or two where you spend every effort of your being and end up with a B+. But you’ll also probably have a class or two where you get pleasantly surprised.</p>
<p>The university has put forth quite an effort in the big time scholarship effort in recent years, in terms of pro-actively identifying strong candidates and encouraging them to apply. They had another Truman Scholar this year, and have had as many as three in a single year in the past few years (each university can nominate four – so landing three winners in one year is pretty notable). They also had a Marshall Scholar this year. At least with the Truman, they seem to pretty thoroughly prepare the finalists that advance from the university (you have to put together a full proposal for the advising staff at Chicago, they conduct simulated interviews, etc. to pick the university’s finalists, and then further groom them for the actual national process). (I don’t know much about the other processes). It seems like they have at least one award winner in each of the three more famous scholarship (Rhodes, Marshall, Truman) most years.</p>