^ Actually, the median GPA tends to be significantly higher at most highly selective schools. At Brown, for example, the median grade is now an A-. At most public universities, the median grade is considerably lower. That doesn’t mean Brown is “easier.” Brown has great students, and most of them take their studies seriously, work hard, and do well in their classes, and they’re rewarded with great grades. If there’s a “curve” it’s an extremely high one, but for the most part there’s no artificial curve; the professors feel they know good work when they see it, and they grade accordingly. Take the typical Brown student out of Brown and place her at another school, and she’d likely do just as well, even with a rigorous curve.
There is a cultural difference. At many less selective schools you’ll find more of a “sink or swim” approach: the school provides the classroom instruction, but the expectation is that it’s up to the individual student to make the best of it, and many may stumble and fall by the wayside. At the most selective schools, the expectation is that everyone will succeed, not only by meeting minimum standards but by excelling in their studies. They strive for a 100% four-year graduation rate. They expect to launch all, or nearly all of their students into successful careers or the most competitive graduate schools. And as jonri pointed out (post #11), the most selective schools invest heavily in academic support services to help everyone succeed. That, combined with lower s/f ratios, smaller classes, and more accessible professors (especially at LACs more so than research U’s) may actually make it easier for some students to succeed academically at highly selective schools. But it depends on the individual. Some people don’t need that kind of hand-holding and can soar academically even in the relative anonymity and sink-or-swim milieu of a large public university