<p>I think that it’s a generally safe assumption to say that most of the people at MIT got straight A’s or almost all A’s in high school. But obviously, not everyone gets straight A’s when they’re actually at MIT. Do a lot of new students take it really badly when they start getting grades that they were not used to getting in high school? Is it a big deal for people?</p>
<p>It can be, and the problem is really broader than accepting that you might not get straight A’s – it’s that you’re no longer the biggest fish in your local pond. </p>
<p>It’s helpful for this transition that MIT students are on pass/no record grading first semester of freshman year, so for that first adjustment to college, it doesn’t really matter what grades they receive.</p>
<p>My son likes not being the biggest fish in the local pond. He loves being around so many people that he has interests in common with.</p>
<p>Ah, I see. I’m not enrolled at MIT, so I didn’t know about the freshman pass/fail system. Just curious because I suppose I was one of the biggest fish in my local pond.</p>
<p>Being the biggest fish and being around people with common interests are not mutually exclusive…</p>
<p>In any case, yeah, it can definitely be rough. Students end up learning to find confidence in things other than “I am the smartest person ever”, though, which ends up being a healthier perspective anyway.</p>
<p>A bigger problem than not getting all A’s for me was my lack of study skills. I didn’t have to study much to get A’s in high school (except for English). At MIT I struggled at first because I really didn’t know how to study and wasn’t used to putting the time into it. Even after I figured out the study issue, I was studying much more and not getting the same grades.</p>
<p>However, learning those study skills prepares one for life at MIT as well as life as a professional engineer. You need to become a lifelong learner (with good study skills) to stay at the top of your profession. So, I believe that the biggest thing MIT taught me was how to study.</p>
<p>Your grades are likely to be lower in any top-tier school. You can view the statistics within the University of California system, here: [University</a> of California: StatFinder](<a href=“http://statfinder.ucop.edu/reports/schoolreports/default.aspx]University”>http://statfinder.ucop.edu/reports/schoolreports/default.aspx). Select “school reports” then click on “persistence.” For any high school, this database provides the average gpa of graduates and compares that with the average gpa those students received in the UC system. It’s always lower.</p>
<p>Every student at MIT was among the biggest fish in his or her high school. The only way you can ensure that you will remain at the top of the heap is to enroll in a school that cannot challenge you. But what would be the point? Life is an unending series of interesting challenges.</p>
<p>
This!</p>
<p>I was trying to get something like this out when I wrote my post, but obviously I’m not terribly articulate at 7:30 AM. :)</p>