<p>How much does grade deflation/ college GPA really matter? Especially if you are at an extremely prestigious institution?</p>
<p>For what? Getting a job? Getting into med school? Getting into grad school? What?</p>
<p>Job/grad school</p>
<p>What does prestige have to do with it?</p>
<p>Does GPA matter? Depends on the arena. If I’m interviewing two candidates from the same school and one has a 3.5 and the other a 3.0, all things being equal I’ll take the 3.5. If I’m interviewing a 3.0 from HYPMS vs a 3.7 from Alabama, all things being equal, I’m taking the Alabama grad. Some employers won’t even talk to candidates with GPAs below a certain level (Investment banks are notorious for this though I know of “regular” companies having cut-offs as well). </p>
<p>People tend to overrate the importance of prestige, especially those people attending so-called prestigious colleges; employers and grad schools care about performance. A reputation/policy for grade deflation at certain schools is probably well known, so after minor adjustments for results, I wouldn’t count on something subjective like ‘prestige’ to bail out a mediocre GPA.</p>
<p>So are you saying that a 3.5 from, say Marshall university, is better than a 3.0 from Harvard?</p>
<p>I’m unaware of any evidence that grade deflation at prestigious/selective colleges (if it even occurs at all) is a significant risk to post-graduation success. I would not recommend making this a major factor in choosing a college.</p>
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<p>I think what he’s trying to say is that most employers care more about your performance in college than your performance in high school. </p>
<p>Prestige, as it relates to colleges, largely focuses on successes made during high school and almost entirely ignores any successes made during the college years. Most employers want to know how a candidate performs under the rigors and pressure of college-level coursework, rather than high school level coursework.</p>
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<p>Fractalmstr is right. The harsh truth of the matter is that at a lot of major companies the 3.0 wouldn’t even get an interview opportunity regardless of the college attended. Implied in your question is the idea that there is something ‘special’ about the student just because they are at particular school; that somehow geography gives them access to some unique knowledge or training. In more than 20 years of hiring college students I’ve seen no evidence to support that idea.</p>
<p>What industry (and I assume graduate schools), cares about is performance. Within some very broad college parameters I looked at all 3.5+s as the same. They went to college, out-performed their peers and got their degree. The idea that simply being at Harvard gives you a .5 GPA buffer is non-sensical. Frankly, it implies an attitude of entitlement that a 3.0 “B” student hasn’t earned.</p>