<p>Dude, I was a effin’ slacker. I happen to be good at slacking, but that doesn’t change the fact that I was definitely in the bottom half in terms of number of hours spent studying.</p>
<p>I don’t know of any course that curves to something below a B, certainly not a core class (and the OP’s question was about freshman-year GPAs). Many of the tougher ones curved to a B+, a few even to an A- (phys 2800).</p>
<p>There will always be a few people who completely bomb freshman year because they’re not emotionally ready, or too immature, to handle it all. They help the curve for everyone else. As long as you’re reasonably able to “hack it”, your GPA should be above a B. Hence my estimates of the median GPA being 3.4 for CC (more seminars / qualitative grading), 3.2 for SEAS.</p>
<p>All of this is worth a tinker’s damn, of course, if you have some real statistics. I only have this: [Columbia</a> University](<a href=“http://www.gradeinflation.com/Columbia.html]Columbia”>Columbia University)</p>