<p>I was wondering if anyone had anything to say about the topic. </p>
<p>At top tier schools, intelligent students struggle to stay afloat and maintain B-range grades, while students at other schools can often coast and receive better grades. Is one better-off going to a state school or other less-challenging school? Is it better to be just average at a top-school, or to shine at a less prestigious college?</p>
<p>I should clear up an argument some people may make: that it's not all about grades and making money and getting into grad school etc., and that top colleges offer a much better educational experience. This isn't entirely true, not at all. In my experience, I've found that what you get out of every class is dependent almost entirely on what you put into it, not the teacher, etc. Shakespeare is the same at every college, and while some teachers may make the information more understandable and enlightening at other schools, there's only so much they can do. </p>
<p>One just has to wonder if, in the end, it's really going to be worth getting your butt kicked and feeling miserable about yourself (getting mediocre grades, etc.).</p>
<p>Just like in high school -- it is better to have the most demanding curriculum and get the A, or B, than to coast in an easier class just to get the easy A. Plenty of students rise to the challenge at top tier schools.</p>
<p>With grade inflation so high at many Ivy League schools, it may be more difficult to achieve a high grade in a great but not stellar school (10-30 in USNWR) than an Ivy League. I agree in principle though - sometimes I hear from my friends who go to CSUs (and not the good ones) or much lower ranked colleges and the way they describe their assignments sound a lot like HS ones to me. Particularly papers - by the time you're a junior in college, you should not be stressed out about writing a 3-4 pg paper. Hell, that's the length of my regular reading response papers (1 per week) in one class.</p>
<p>
[quote]
At top tier schools, intelligent students struggle to stay afloat and maintain B-range grades
[/quote]
This is enough to indicate the whole post is going to be a fantasy, a product of the OP's imagination of what a top tier school is like rather than based on any real investigation or experience.</p>
<p>I agree with post #4 as top tier schools vary in their grading practices. I disagree, however, with the OP's assumption that there is only so much an elite school environment can do to enhance the overall learning experience in similiar areas, such as the teaching of Shakespeare. It might be interesting for the OP to sit in on a discussion based class at Chicago, Swarthmore, Yale, Princeton, Pomona or similiar academically challenging schools to experience the difference.
In answer to the OP's question: It is important to exercise & challenge your mind while young, growing & still developing.</p>
<p>I'm sure this is far from what you meant, however, I intern at an IT firm who places recent IT grad students with large companies. My job involves sifting through the students to find the potential employee a particular company desires. Most of the companies specifically state they only want students from Ivy League colleges, even when their resumes are less than stellar. </p>
<p>It seems to me, that while the actual education may be the same between a state school and a top-tier, there are businesses who fail to recognize that and are attracted solely to the top-tier name and want that graduate, not the kid from the state school who graduated top of his class and has twice as much experience. </p>
<p>It looks like having a glittering school name on your diploma may get some people in the door.</p>