<p>Hello good people of le college confidential!</p>
<p>I'm an international student who got accepted at Middlebury for the class of 2016. I was checking out the 3-2 Engineering program they have over there and I heard from an admission officer that it's usual that sometimes students who get admitted into that program have 3.8 GPAs and whatnot. I was wondering if a Midd student/alum/etc.. tell me how hard is that to achieve while doing a science major? (I'm not sure if I want engineering yet, but I just want to keep ALL the options open for myself).</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>When I was a student it was very hard. A 3.8 would put you in Summa Cum Laude and likely Phi Beta Kappa. Friends with 3.8’s got into virtually every grad school they applied to. However, from what I understand, that’s changed dramatically over the last 5 or so years. Any more recent grads have any input?</p>
<p>When you say changed, do you mean it became easier or harder?</p>
<p>I am curious too. I wanna try that engineering program but I think there is a minimum GPA of 3.0 (idk about 3.8)… any1 else has any clue?</p>
<p>3.8 is hard. There is very little grade inflation at Midd. On the other hand, the grad schools know this, and a 3.5 there means more than a 4.0 at other schools.</p>
<p>OBD is right, it is hard to get a 3.8 at Midd, however, it has gotten easier (than when I used to walk up hill both ways to and from class). They’ve even changed the standards for cum Laude, magma cum Laude, and summa cum Laude.</p>
<p>It also depends on what science major you are thinking about. Biochemistry and neuroscience majors tend to have higher GPAs than MBBC. Not sure about physics. Probably somewhere in the middle with chemistry and biology.</p>
<p>How hard would it be to get a 3.7+ in economics?</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure my S has one, or close. Depends on your quant skills, but certainly not impossible.He is definitely not killing himself-has a 10 hour a week job, does a couple activities, certainly has time to enjoy himself.</p>
<p>^ Thanks. That’s good to hear. Hopefully I get accepted off of the waitlist!</p>
<p>hey transferkid44 good luck with the waitlist thing! Thank you for your replies every one!</p>
<p>btw Farkula, the Columbia program requires a minimum of 3.3 if you want to be guaranteed admission. However, the Dartmouth program does not offer guaranteed admission. I just want to keep the highest GPA possible to give myself a great chance in whatever program I eventually choose :)</p>
<p>@sherifnada -exactly what i thought too… then again, im unsure of my major. Anyway, thz for the thread.</p>
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<p>Why so? But I know S does not have a 3.8 and he’s a MBBC major. 
But I know it’s above 3.6. Amazing what one C first semester of freshman year can do to a GPA. :)</p>
<p>Moda: grad and professional schools look beyond first year grades quite often…and a 3.6+ in MBBC is quite an accomplishment at Midd. (hope the C was not in a first-year seminar)</p>
<p>PP99- Nope. Religious Ethics. Not sure what that says… :)</p>
<p>Essentially, biochemistry at Midd doesn’t require the hardest biology classes (in fact does not require any biology…not sure how you can call it biochemistry…but there are politics/tensions between chemistry and biology programs most everywhere…that’s beside the point, sorry) nor does it require some of the hardest chemistry classes, so the grades tend to be higher overall because they aren’t required to take the most rigorous classes, especially in later years when things get more hectic. Neuroscience is similar. They take some psych classes in which grades are higher than a lot of harder science classes (harder as in type of science, not difficulty of the class).</p>