<p>^^ Well, do you like this system? Or would you like all grades to be normalized? I'm not saying it will happen - just an idea situation.</p>
<p>^What do you mean by normalizing all grades? Do you mean only 20% of students at any university can get a GPA of 3.7+, 40% can get 3.3+ at all universities, etc.?</p>
<p>I for one think this would be really unfair.</p>
<p>I would like everyone to be judged according to their performace amongst peers. It is the way in HS, so why should someone at Harvard who is lagging behind their peers for whatever reason still be given A's? If they aren't performing well, good grades shouldn't just be handed out like candy.</p>
<p>The problem is, peers differ from school to school. The bottom 50% of Harvard's class would probably comprise the top 3-5% of a state school. Thus is relative grading really indicative of how well one knows the material?</p>
<p>"I for one think this would be really unfair."</p>
<p>It's fairer than grading kids from the top universities on the same scale as kids from easy state schools.</p>
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It's fairer than grading kids from the top universities on the same scale as kids from easy state schools.
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<p>Who said these kids from top universities are graded on a scale similar to easy state schools? How is this any fairer than what we have now?</p>
<p>"If they aren't performing well, good grades shouldn't just be handed out like candy."</p>
<p>We aren't talking about kids not performing well, just ones who perform worse than their brilliant peers. Comparing the good to the very good should not produce the same results as comparing the mediocre to the good.</p>
<p>"Who said these kids from top universities are graded on a scale similar to easy state schools? "</p>
<p>This isn't what we have now, but as I understand, this is what some people are arguing we should have. </p>
<p>"How is this any fairer than what we have now?"</p>
<p>I don't think it is. Where did you get that I do?</p>
<p>Well, perhaps I'm a little biased because I feel like I'm getting screwed in the college admissions process by being in the middle of the pack at my private school..</p>
<p>^^ Not really... colleges usually know which private schools and top publics are known for being difficult. If your school is known for being difficult you should be fine. Make sure you get good standardized test scores though.</p>
<p>^I have fine standardized tests scores .. 32 ACT.</p>
<p>Colleges don't weight the difficulty nearly enough as they need to.. Except for a select few, getting a 4.0 at most public schools here is like cake. My school's average SAT is 400 points higher than by public schools, yet they will get in and I won't. I know I'm complaining and I know there's nothing I can do to fix it, but I don't feel that that is right.</p>
<p>^^ No. Colleges have a point system in which they use to weigh your application. For each student it's different because each school is different.
Since yours is more rigorous, a 3.4 at your school is comparable to let's say, a 3.8 at some public school.
That's just a little example but it's a lot more complicated than that.
Again, adcoms have a point system they use for your app.
So, if anything, you have an advatage over public school students, unless you're doing miserable.</p>
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My school's average SAT is 400 points higher than by public schools, yet they will get in and I won't.
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<p>i actually agree somewhat with this sentiment. so im not sure if it's worth to send kids to some prep colleges like Exeter since it will be much tougher than publics to get grades...but for some reason, it's still a feeder... but i guess that might be because smarter students go there in the first place?</p>
<p>No, schools like Exeter are nationally renowned for being tough, so even kids with 3.3-3.4 sometimes get into Harvard and such, usually because even though they are middle of the class, they have awesome SAT scores and would be rocking it at a public.</p>
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<p>so i guess what you're say is that, students from Exeter can get away with low GPAs cuz their school is nationally renowned for being hard, but you won't get those privileges because your school is not as renowned as Exeter....</p>
<p>Yes, that's what I'm saying. I feel like unless your school is nationally known for being hard, if you are in the middle of your class you are at a disadvantage because even though you are working hard, you won't be given enough credit for your work. I see people on here who have 3.5 UW and are top 20%.. At my school you might be in the 4th decile with that if you are lucky. My point relating to the thread is that if everyone knows Ivies are hard, why do they need grade inflation?</p>
<p>Even though everyone knows it, med and law school programs don't take major of choice or college of choice into account. That's why it's not a great idea to be an engineering major who wants to go premed or go to a school like Caltech wanting to be premed. Since Ivies know the majority of their students would be at the top of their respective state school in terms of GPA (and therefore able to get into med and law school) they have to make sure that they protect their students goals and the only way to do this is to inflate the GPA.</p>
<p>No, they inflate the GPAs so students don't whine and moan when they realize that even though they got into their Ivy of choice, they are no longer the smartest person in the class anymore, and their grade suffers.</p>
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Except for a select few, getting a 4.0 at most public schools here is like cake.
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<p>You're bitter because you go to an excellent high school that probably offers you tons of resources (courses, clubs, tutoring, advising, etc.), so you resort to bashing the vast majority of high schools?</p>
<p>I'll tell you this: while your high school may be "rigorous," a very large number of public schools--yes, those easy public schools full of students who don't have the bear the burden of a difficult school--have their own equivalent of your school, called a magnet program. Not all schools have that in name. Essentially, the students take honors/AP courses, which are typically small. These are the students who are president of the student body, who win state competitions, who get into Yale and Stanford and Harvard.</p>
<p>By the way, it doesn't matter whether your high school is as well known as Andover and Exeter or not; there is a counselor report that gives adcoms all the info they need to assess the difficulty of your school and the rigor of your course load. They will take this into account when comparing your "rigorous" school to all those "easy" schools out there.</p>
<p>I'm not bitter at all, I'm very thankful for what my school has given me. I only brought it up because someone said that Ivies are hard, so they need grade inflation to have chances at good grad programs. My school is hard, we don't have grade inflation.</p>