<p>Like 3.5GPA +. More specifically in Economics?</p>
<p>Don’t know about econ. I’ve known kids with 3.9+. One of my daughters did that in COM. Grades vary a lot by the difficulty of the major, specific classes, etc.</p>
<p>I’ve heard from many review sites that grade deflation is extremely common in BU. So yeah, unless theres a current student that can clarify this, I’m afraid thats that.</p>
<p>Depends what classes/professors you take. I’m an IR major and I have a 3.93</p>
<p>I have around a B average GPA. I can’t remember the specific number. I’m a Classics major. My problem is that one of the teachers doesn’t curve any of the grades. =/ And exams can be difficult.</p>
<p>One of my daughters graduated with a 3.9+. She had friends with that GPA. </p>
<p>People confuse curving grades with grade deflation. BU’s average grades are normal, neither high nor low. I believe the number is now about a 3.1, but it varies by college. Grade practices are set by department and then by professor so I gather that classics grades harder. That may be what’s expected in the field. As it tends to be in many engineering programs across the country.</p>
<p>That makes sense.</p>
<p>Hmm…while there is ‘grade deflation’ at BU, I have a question and I’ll attempt to not come across as arrogant…</p>
<p>I took the SAT with minimal preparation and received a 2220 (though I basically would have had a 2400 had it not been for careless mistakes in the math + writing sections plus a bunch of random vocab words that I didn’t know in the reading section), haven’t gotten a B in any AP class since sophomore year, and I’m probably going to major in economics/political science/philosophy (two of those out of the three, probably), I’ve won various economics competitions at the state level but have never bothered to go to the national competitions (they’re expensive!), am VERY well-acquainted with undergrad material for philosophy and political science (especially political theory, the other focuses of political science…less so), and I’m decent, I guess, at math (I was 1.5 points off the AIME cutoff last year in the AMC and got at least a 740 on the math section of the SAT every time I took the SAT (and I was extremely ill two of the three times that I took it)) which matters for economics. And, in advance, yes, I am aware that the SAT math section basically tests extremely elementary mathematics skills.</p>
<p>So, basically, while there is grade deflation at BU, will it be that hard for me to get good grades seeing as I’m in the top 25% of students at BU in terms of high school performance (according to college board) and that that doesn’t even take into account my (relatively) strength in my areas of interest?</p>
<p>It might be hard for you to get 3.5+ since a B in an AP class is like a B in college and B =3.0</p>
<p>There is grade curving, like there is at almost every school. The curve varies by department, which sets its policies, and then by professor. The average GPA at BU is, last I heard, about 3.1, which is normal for a university, neither high nor low. </p>
<p>Here’s one reality: take all hard classes with hard grading professors and you’ll likely get lower grades than if you took a mix of hard classes and easier classes. Like at any school, you can take a killer schedule or an easy schedule. (That is what academic advising is partly about, preventing horrible schedules or stupid schedules.) </p>
<p>Here’s another reality: some kids will find BU - or any school - hard and others will find it easy. If your high school was hard, college will be likely be easier. (It isn’t always easy to know if your high school is hard, btw, since you’re only judging in the limited experience of your high school.) It’s a big country and every high school is different so naturally some kids are better prepared.</p>
<p>Here’s a third reality: those who study well do better. College classes are different. You need to use time differently. You need to know material differently and you need to understand the professor’s expectations without the feedback of constant teacher interaction. That’s true even in small colleges, though obviously less so. Those who work efficiently do better. Those who grasp the nature of college testing do better. </p>
<p>Good students at BU or any school get good grades.</p>