<p>I was wondering how bad the great deflation is at USC. Are the curves very harsh? Would I be better off going to a different school if I'm planning on going to dental school?
THANKS!</p>
<p>I’m curious too…</p>
<p>it’s not horrible, sometime it may help you, but it is a curve nonetheless. so only a certain number of people will end up with an A- or A at the end of the semester. I think for biology 20% get an A- or A (looking at the curve from one of my exams). For biology, the average grade is set as the lowest B- (so an 80 or 81). Thus, doing a little above average will get you around a B. (there are hundreds of students)</p>
<p>Chemistry is curved as well, i think they make the average a C+. I think they also use 20% as cut off for A (i dont think they use +/- for A,B,D,F). Next 30% is B, and next 40% is C (with some as +/-), and the rest D or F. [these figures based off of o-chem curve statistics, which i assume are same for general chem].</p>
<p>so in the end, its all about competition</p>
<p>I got a B+ in Chem 105a and I blame all those pre-med students who were actually working hard and breaking the curve for me. It’s fairly easy to get a B, but anything above that you’re going to have to work harder.</p>
<p>Hawkwings…don’t you think that students “who were actually working hard” deserve a higher grade than you? This is USC - I would hope that to get an A that you would " have to work harder."</p>
<p>It’s sarcasm. I was admittedly not trying very hard in that class and coasting off my high school chem classes (I didn’t learn anything new until the last month) but its well-known that the hordes of freshmen who think they want to go to med school work extra hard those first few semesters (before they quit).</p>