<p>So Chicago has a reputation for grade deflation... how are A's given out? Is it a curve or only top 10% of students in each class? 90+ or 94+? </p>
<p>Chicago's still one of my top choices right now and I'm really not a grade grubber... I just don't want a totally nasty surprise if I do decide to go! ;)</p>
<p>based on my current grades, i think inflation is pretty rampant. Like I failed my math final (scored like a 20/180) but still managed a B+ for the course because most everyone around me got that. Likewise, while I received 2 C-'s and 4 A’s on my papers in Humanities class, that somehow averaged out to an A at the end of the quarter. I think if the teacher has a good impression of you, they’ll do some fuzzy math and try to round your grade up.</p>
<p>Basically curves vary from teacher to teacher so if you don’t get in the right class, you may end up screwed.</p>
<p>fortune, that makes me feel so much better. that was a big concern of mine. </p>
<p>By the wrong class, do you mean at the wrong level, or with the wrong professor? or both?</p>
<p>thanks for asking the question :)</p>
<p>My kids had slightly different experiences, both from those described above and from each other. </p>
<p>Large science courses are pretty straight curves around a B-. Half the class (or more) seems to get B- or C+. A few C or lower. Probably a fairly even distribution of B through A-, and somewhat fewer As. At least that’s what they thought. (Math I can’t comment on, except to say that my kids’ math grades seemed to track how well they understood the subject matter and the amount of work they put in.)</p>
<p>Neither had an easy time getting high grades in the Core courses. Lots of B+s and A-s, but few straight As. When they had chosen their majors and were taking courses in the major that were focused and that they were excited about, their grades improved significantly. Not only for the major courses, but for other courses as well.</p>
<p>Absolutely, grades can also vary from teacher to teacher. And if you plan to avoid classes with great teachers who are hard graders, you ought not to bother going to the University of Chicago in the first place – you aren’t going to feel at home there.</p>
<p>Similar experience to JHS’ kids except that I’d say the curves were more like B/B- in the science classes, sometimes higher, of course, depending on the teacher. And to reiterate his point, I’d have to say that one of the harshest (and oddest) grading teachers I’ve had was one of the best teachers I’ve had so far and I took both of the classes he offered even after he gave me the worst grade I’ve gotten at this school, and it was definitely worth a hit to the GPA.</p>
<p>I always like to advocate not stressing about GPA too much but I understand that in reality some small changes in those numbers could affect certain people’s future prospects. But try not to get caught up in the GPA game: I’m sure you could heavily research easily-grading teachers and get a fine GPA here but you might miss out on the one or two teachers who really shape your education.</p>
<p>One of the good things I’ve noticed is that the more advanced introductory science sequences tend to grade on a higher curve than the regular tracks (i.e. the AP5 Bio sequence vs. 180s Bio, or Honors Chem vs. Regular Chem) which gives you an incentive to take a class at a higher level. Of course your peers might be more motivated and knowledgeable from the start but that’s also a great asset to have. I guess what it comes down to is that you shouldn’t be afraid to challenge yourself or allow the prospect of a bad grade prevent you from taking a particular class!</p>
<p>I think to say that grade inflation is “rampant” is a HUGE exaggeration. </p>
<p>It really depends on the class. I think in HUM classes, there normally isn’t a “curve.” They are going to grade your paper as an independent paper based on its quality and the professor’s expectations. But 90 will most likely not get you an A. Most professors I’ve had who grade on a percentage scale have given As to 93/94 and above (after the curve if there is one).</p>
<p>I agree with JHS… I have had a very hard time getting a straight A in Core HUM/SOSC classes. I think line between A- and B+ is somewhat fuzzy but As are saved for the absolute bests. Also, some teachers will give you a formula for the term grade (for example, 25% for each of 3 papers and 25% for participation) while others will just somehow come up with a combination of all grades you got. </p>
<p>Now, math and science classes I’ve been in and/or heard have much more straightforward curves around B/B-. (Hence you can get a 20/180 on a final and still manage a B+ if the average is something like 20, which occasionally happens.)</p>
<p>According to my ECON 200 professor, the policy of the econ department is to give out A’s to the top 5% of the class, but I doubt that many econ professors actually strictly adhere to this. Chances are, if you can obtain an actual A on every assignment and exam, which is certainly doable in many of the intro 200-203 courses, you will receive an A. Thus, even if there are 15-20 people above you in terms of final weighted grades, you probably will end up with an A. Obviously there will be professors who give really difficult and possibly unfair exams (e.g. a 20 page midterm that tests more on computational skills than economic intuition), and in this case there will typically be a generous curve or some other form of “remedy” (e.g. cancelling the contribution of that 20 page midterm to the final weighted grade).</p>
<p>For higher level math courses, classes are typically small, and to obtain an A you absolutely have to strive to be in the top of the class.</p>
<p>For statistics, the curves are usually very generous. Michael Stein, the head of the undergraduate program, typically teaches a section of STAT 244 (highest intro course), and he made it explicit that a 65/100 on his midterm would mean you are in a good position to get an A. If you are good at math, it’s very easy to get an A in STAT 234. Wichura is apparently basically the sole lecturer for STAT 251 (intro to probability theory) and he gives generous curves as well, but the fact that gave 3.5 hours for one of his midterms certainly says something about the difficult level of the exams.</p>
<p>Gen Chem this year was curved to a B.</p>
<p>As in hum/sosc are very doable, though it’ll vary from quarter to quarter. hum/sosc in general are graded easy. I think most people get A-/B+/Bs. Anything lower is pretty rare, though it depends on the teacher. </p>
<p>The math department is awful, though. Some teachers curve as high as B+, some as low as C. Luckily most math professors will let you pass/fail right up until the final.</p>
<p>Thanks for the insights guys!! It looks like most of them definitely aren’t as terrible as only top 5% 
Not that Chicago is a cakewalk at all, haha.</p>
<p>yeah my lowest grades were definitely in the Core… but those are some of the most important classes, too!</p>
<p>Huh. My best grades were actually in the Core classes. Straight As, in fact, and I didn’t feel like I put in that much effort. Then again, I made sure to sign up for the smallest classes with professors, not grad students. Maybe that makes a difference?</p>