…very hard.
I honestly believe that there is a grade deflation system here. Example: My roommate is brilliant -1580 SAT and a 36 ACT. One of the smartest people I have ever met and he’s 20. He can hold his own with some of m prof’s and his GPA is 3.5 and that is with his afterburners on- all the time! I have other friends who aspire to be neuro and cardiac surgeons- same story.
So, for those who think they are going to waltz in here and continue with their lofty 4.00 HS GPA…good luck with that!.
Is he a pre-med? Majoring in a science?
No. Double major- Political Science & Econ.
I’m pre-med, but only a freshman. It’s definitely hard to get an A in a class. The science classes are even harder. I got A’s in every high school class and 4s and 5s on my science and math APs. But I took bio and chemistry in the fall and let’s just say it was not fun. I survived and I’m still trying to go pre-med. I’m not sure if I’ll make it all the way, but I’m going to stick with my bio major. I may go more into research or maybe become a PA. I’m going to give it a good shot, but it’s definitely hard. I’m happy I’m here. I wouldn’t trade it. Even the flag football league is hard 
but, for a second opinion, my D’s GPA at Boston College was higher than her high school GPA…
@bluebayou Wow. That’s great. That’s unique though imho.
Nearly all freshman are 3.8uw level or higher coming into BC. Not much room to go higher from there in reality. And the number of 4.0s at BC is ridiculously low.
So don’t feel that pressure students! But an A grade is certainly available and in every class. Really hard in chem bio maths etc.as a percentage. But they do exist. Lol.
In the end, do your best and be happy. It will all work out and try to be of service to others too.
@bluebayou That is very hard to do…if not impossible for 99.9% of the students on campus, and 100% for any student who are friends of mine and their friends…it is a big topic on campus.
ps
Without identifying the specific Poli Sci course, on the 1st day class, the prof openly stated, I do not give out A’s. I have give out only a handful of A’s since I have been here over the last 8 years…
I got a B.
Yikes, that’s ridiculous for a lit/hume course. I would drop that class like a hot rock. Gotta spend time digging up old course evaluations and asking other students to find those profs who are more reasonable, i.e., B+ curve. The good news is that grading becomes a lot more generous in upper division classes.
For every tough course like that, there are Profs who have an A- curve, i.e., half the grades A- or better.
Good luck.
I was under the impression @bluebayou that in the sciences there is an accepted B- protocol among the profs. @bbfan1927 is this your experience. Or is it class to class. My d would cry if she learned half her peers classes had an a- curve midpoint.
Generally correct, but it increases later. For example, Organic Chem moved closer to a B average second semester (for those that were still grinding it out). Upper division science classes are more generous (which is generally true everywhere).
Like many private colleges, BC has plenty of lit/hume courses that have an A-/B+ curve. If she’s a strong writer, consider a minor/double in Philosophy.
@bluebyyou… Unfortunately I couldn’t drop the course. Based on recommendations, the prof came highly recommended. I sought out his class and I settled for a B.
@privatebanker …I am a Poli Sci major with a Minor in CSOM. As I have said, both schools are very tough GPA killers. So a B- curve makes sense.
I do have a “half baked theory” that goes something like this; Grading is based on “student vs.student” paradigm. What I mean is, its not enough to nail the prompts in the assignments or test, but one has to equal the work of the best student for that particular assignment, test, project. So, if a student absolutely over the TOP nails the assignment, therein lies the A, and everyone else, is B bound or less. And if NO student wows the prof, its B+ B- as a reference point. Yes, its a theory and its not scientific but that’s what it appears. Perhaps there is another/better explanation?
Not even a good theory, bbfan.
There are just too many good/great students in a college like BC for some/many not to nail the prompt, and receive an A. Does Agora still show your (approx) Class rank along with GPA? If so, you can then back calculate how many students are acing their classes.
Per a report from a few years back, ~50% of BC grades were an A, and those numbers were similar for CAS and CSOM. Even if the schools have tightened up grading policies a bit, there is no way that either school is now a ‘GPA killer’.
(tbf: GPAs are tough in Econ and pre-health (CAS) or Finance in CSOM; OTOH, Psych and Marketing can be cush. The mean norm for Accounting 1 has been a ‘B’, which means a bunch of A’s for Frosh.)
(not trying to be argumentative, just don’t want to scare off prospies.)
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another way to view grading at BC is to look at Latin Honors.
~30% of the class has at least a 3.67 for cum laude (assuming the change for class of 2021 does not materially change the Latin targets)
In comparison, (as an example) Dartmouth has about 35% of its class graduating cum laude.
DEGREE WITH HONORS (BC)
Academic honors printed in the Commencement program are based on averages at the end of the second semester senior year. The summa cum laude is awarded to the top 4.5 percent of the graduating class, magna cum laude to the next 9.5 percent, and cum laude to the next 15 percent. Academic honors are not calculated for graduate students.
Starting with the class of 2021, the cumulative average for degrees with honors will be as follows:
summa cum laude (with the highest honors)—3.9–4.0
magna cum laude (with high honors)—3.8–3.899
cum laude (with honors)—3.667–3.799
https://www.bc.edu/offices/stserv/academic/univcat/undergrad_catalog/policies_procedures.html#degreehonors
I@bluebyyou…Yes, I am aware of the GPA requirements for honors. The problem is nobody I know is above 3.50- - 3.60’ish. To be clear, we are not a party crowd. We play board games on the weekend for fun. (get the picture?)
We are a smart group of students all 1500 and above SAT’s/ 34+ ACT’s… Even a few 1575+'s and 36 ACT… I call em like I see em…
Getting an A is rough for many…
Lets see how the stats quoted get confirmed during the commencement.