alongwait

I am applying EA and consider this a reach school. I actually think it's a match looking at the school facts and figures, but I don't have stellar GPA/SAT the way most on here do. I am wondering though, if admitted how difficult is this school? Sometimes it's harder to get into these private colleges than the classes actually are. Anyone here have difficulty once admitted?

3boymom

From the perspective of parent who sees the grades as they roll in every semester... you get a mix of academic demands at Elon. Level 101 in most subjects is pretty breezy and gets you easy high marks. But be aware that some courses appear to aim to identify talent and weed out slackers, too. Classes get progressively more challenging overall as you move on to upper level coursework. Grade inflation seems likely to decline going forward... i.e. school administration is speaking out against grade inflation, new faculty is being indoctrinated to anti-inflation mindset, Elon is matriculating higher caliber students in general compared to years past. Years ago Elon had a reputation for being a cake-walk school, but not anymore. If you do average work now you can expect to get average grades. These days, you need to do exceptional work, have a global perspective and be service-oriented to distinguish yourself in class and earn high grades.

eaglesmom09

As the mother of a freshman who has stats on the lower side of the published range (sat/gpa), I am eager to hear responses to this thread.

alongwait

Thanks 3boymom- I had heard some of this. In my recent experience with another school, it seemed that the classes got somewhat easier as the students progressed into their major course of study. The gen ed courses in the first year were the hardest.

I get frustrated sometimes when I see students/parents ask their "chances" when they know that they are clearly well qualified or superior for a university. It's the rest of us that need to know the real deal. Sometimes it gets be challenging to really see if certain schools are a fit for a student.

3boymom

From what I have seen, students coming into Elon at the lower end of average SAT/GPA range are not necessarily at a disadvantage. Successful outcomes in the college setting are often the result of finding your place socially and then managing time wisely. Elon does a good job of transitioning students, in my opinion, and support from the system is second to none if a student reaches out for guidance in times of need.

1 Sky Pilot

People tend to step it up in college, and SAT scores are kind of flaky...

There hasn't been too high of a leap in difficulty from high school to college (yet). It's not hard to be sucessful if you do things *early*, whether it's studying for an exam that seems to be far away or regular assignments. One of my science professors did scare me a little by saying that he aims for a C class average in order to beat the grade inflation that is apparently sweeping across campus....*cough*. If there is any grade inflation, my general impression is that it does not happen in the science classes lol.