<p>Statements like that are meant to capture averages. Yes, passion matters. That said, I’ve known many engineers who hate liberal arts take those courses, find them easy, and get A’s. Those same engineers might have a sub 2.8 GPA. But to your point, I’ve met engineers with high GPAs struggle in a Government class. I’ve taken a wide variety of courses at Cornell and am generally interested in many subjects (hence why I was CAS), and some departments are consistently more difficult. Some academic disciplines simply require deeper thinking and synthesis of a greater body of knowledge. What it takes to become what is considered an expert historian is not at the same level as what it takes to be an expert in physics.</p>