<p>I didn't get a chance to read the entire discussion but I thought I'd throw this out there (don't know if it has been discussed)...I know that here at Penn some departments like engineering/wharton/etc. have lower grade averages somewhere in the high 2s (engineering)-low 3s (wharton) and most of these people end up getting outstanding jobs i.e. i-banks, consulting firms, microsoft, google, top fortune 500s, etc. For example, I know people in wharton with sub 3 gpas (like 2.8ish) who have gotten i-banking jobs. </p>
<p>So really depending on what you want to do lower grades at a top school (HYPS,etc.) might be better than a 4.0 at a state school because these schools open up more options for its students, even the mediocre ones. At state schools (with the exception of a few) very few people can actually land top banking/consulting jobs...even with a 4.0 their chances are slimmer. For grad schools its another story as many have minimum GPAs...</p>
<p>In general though grades don't really matter after your first job (even for your first job they don't matter too much)...it's more about the person. A person with a 4.0 with no personality,networking skills will not be successful no matter where they graduate from...while a person with a mediocre GPA,personality,networking skills,etc. will be more successful...hey if the average millionaire had a 4.0/1600 then most people would be screwed but in reality the average millionaire has a B- average and a sub 1300 SAT...</p>
<p>don't worry too much about grades...</p>