<p>U of C does nothing to special to "deflate" grades by downcurving them, so I don't think you can fairly say that it has grade DEflation. From my limited experience, I've found that grades are inconsistent from subject to subject, even from professor to professor. Average GPA at Chicago is around a B+, which sounds pretty darn good to me.</p>
<p>I don't know my GPA (haven't bothered to look it up since I last got grades), but I've actually consistently underestimated how well I'm going to do in a class.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone for their insightful input. In terms of law school, which looks to be at least a possibility, would Chicago's advantage in prestige put me in a better position than W&M, despite the fact that I would probably have better grades at W&M?</p>
<p>Honestly, I think you'd have a great shot coming from either school. Both are excellent, prestigious institutions. Go to whichever is a better fit for you. Which do you like better? Look at things like social scene, student body, weather, campus aesthetics, clubs, etc.</p>
<p>NatalieW,
I don't think that I would necessarily conclude that you will have better grades at W&M. My reading of the comments above and folks that I talk to who are associated with W&M indicate that that is not necessarily going to be the case. I would strongly urge you to go to the school that you like better and where you, as an individual, think you would be happiest and best-placed. The grades at both will take care of themselves. </p>
<p>As for the speculation about placement into law school, it depends partly on where you plan to go. Virtually all colleges send more students to their own law schools than others so if you are interested in either U Chicago or W&M as a law school destination, then going undergraduate to either would likely enhance your chances at either. Beyond that, law schools aren't particularly caught up in prestige issues when they make their admittance decisions. They will look at your transcript, your GPA, your LSAT, etc. </p>
<p>Many small, comparatively unknown or unprestigious colleges regularly send graduates to some of America's top law schools, so you don’t need to go to either U Chicago or W&M to get yourself into one of the top schools. Look at the matriculation lists for Harvard and Yale and other top law schools that provide them and you will see this to be true. Versus W&M, U Chicago may send greater numbers to places like Harvard Law or Yale Law, but that is possibly a reflection of more applicants from U Chicago as well as the fact that the Virginians at W&M (67% of the student body) prefer to study and practice law in Virginia and thus are more likely to go to in-state options like U Virginia Law and W&M Law or nearby Georgetown Law.</p>
<p>you need to visit both campuses, and see which one feels best to you, and then go there.</p>
<p>Trying to choose which school to go to by which one will give you better grades and possibly a .5% better chance at a grad school is not a good way to choose where to spend 4 years of your life.</p>