<p>There has been discussion about the inflation of undergrad GPA's in the Ivy League. Princeton introduced grade DEFLATION a few years ago. Does anyone have recent statistics on average GPA's at HYP. Anyone know the current average GPA for the 2008 Yale graduating class?. Does anyone know what GPA was needed to graduate with honors and what percentage of the class graduated with honors?</p>
<p>For Yale:</p>
<p>General Honors:
The bachelor's degree cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude is awarded at graduation on the basis of the student's general performance in courses taken at Yale. At Commencement, General Honors will be awarded to no more than 30 percent of the class. The bachelor's degree will be awarded summa cum laude to no more than the top 5 percent of the graduating class; it will be awarded magna cum laude to no more than the next 10 percent of the graduating class; and it will be awarded cum laude to no more than the next 15 percent of the graduating class. Eligibility for General Honors is based on the grade point average (GPA) earned in courses taken only at Yale.</p>
<p>Your GPA, to a geat extent, depends on what course you take and what your major is. The GPA and class rank is not very meaningful because of this.</p>
<p>which majors are generally considered to be GPA boosters?</p>
<p>There was (and probably is) something called distinction in one's major which is an easier honor to obtain. It may vary from major to major, but in my major you had to get As in 75% of the classes in your major and no grade lower than a B (B-?) in any of the other 25% of classes. It's not as big a deal as the honors related to overall GPA, but I've definitely seen it noted on resumes and other biographical profiles.</p>
<p>The benchmark for cum laude has been climbing in recent times. There was a YDN article this past year about how the cutoff jumped last year from 3.73 to 3.75, and having graduated this year with a 3.76 and no notation on my diploma a couple weeks ago, it seems to have once more risen.</p>
<p>Since it is a fluid GPA cutoff, and there is no accurate way to gauge how your class is doing, it's thus not possible to rate the relative difficulty of getting honors in comparison to other schools. </p>
<p>Honestly, your degree will matter the most in the first few years out of school, and most people have their first job/have been accepted to a graduate school before they have any idea if they made the cut. A good GPA from Yale is well regarded no matter what, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. Even though I barely missed the mark, I got into every law school I applied to...so it couldn't have made that much of a difference.</p>
<p>3.76 not even in the top 30% of the class? A tell tale sign of rampant grade inflation in a school.</p>
<p>Or a particularly strong class. If a lot of kids do A level work, they deserve to get As. Since Yale students are generally the best and brighest, more of them do A level work than at other universities. It is thus not surprising that the cutoff is so high. Grade inflation could also play some role, but there really is no telling.</p>
<p>For the record, I'm positive I missed top 30% by .01. My friend with a 3.77 got it, so it's not that absurd.</p>
<p>Who discusses gpa with their friends?</p>
<p>When everyone is applying to grad schools and feels no sense of competition, it's not a big deal. Within my suite we helped proofread each other's resumes, cover letters, and discussed job/school application prospects, which meant being open with one another. We were all within .05 of each of other, and after living together for 3 years, we all had a pretty good idea of how the others were doing anyway.</p>
<p>It's nothing like the Ivy League stereotype of students trying to prove their worth with the whole "my GPA/SAT is greater than yours." Quite the opposite, actually. We didn't try to conceal anything from each other, and did our best to help the others present themselves in the best light possible.</p>
<p>Is it generally more difficult to get a higher grade for a group IV course?</p>
<p>It is rumored that since last year, many science departments at Yale have been trying to ration the number of A's. In a YaleDailyNews article (which was published about half a year ago), students who need to maintain a high GPA, e,g., the pre-med crowd, have been fleeing from the science majors in the last 5-10 years. (just like Harvard).</p>
<p>Echoing entropic’s sentiments, the fact that Ivy League schools have very high honors cutoffs is most certainly a reflection of a strong class and very talented students who are capable of getting the highest marks at a ‘lesser ranked’ universities.</p>
<p>To make accusations of grade inflation is an example of a classic logical fallacy; because of point A (so many in the student body get high grades) therefore the inevitable outcome is point B (it must be the result of grade inflation).</p>
<p>In actuality, the more likely result of a talented and highly selective student body is their ability to do quality work meriting an A. I am a strong critic of grade inflation or deflation. They both indicate a form of social engineering; artificially manipulating marks belies the actual capabilities of students. If all the students in a class do work that, according to universal standards, is equal to an A, then an instructor should give all of them an A. It is as simple as that. But grade designation should be based on the aggregate student body across the United States. </p>
<p>As someone who transferred from a 4th tier state university to Yale, I can honestly say that the difference in student ability between the two schools represents a qualitative shift upward. To reiterate entropic’s remarks: higher honors cutoffs are in general an indication of better student quality, and not grade inflation.</p>