<p>I agree with you IB that college should not be relegated to being a mere stepping stone to professional school and that there is value to be had in a good college experience. </p>
<p>That being said, many people myself included feel that being able to attend a great professional school is very important. If you have to work day and night to get a 3.7 at Harvard, but could easily get 4.0 at a no-name school, then does the no-name school give you better value? Trust me, there are many schools out there where the exams look exactly like the homework and all you have to do is be a conscientious student to get an A. Harvard exams probably require novel thought processes, problem solving, and even some creativity. </p>
<p>For the above average but not stellar student, going to an HYPSM school has the potential to lower his or her chances of getting into a professional school of his choice. At face value, it seems unfair to me that something like this could go on. People complain of grade inflation at HYPS schools (M exempted), but in reality the real grade inflation goes on at the party schools.</p>