Are there any schools in particular that are known for grade deflation, intensive competition or the general stressfull atmosphere? What resources could I use to find this? I’ve heard that Princeton, Chicago, Cal Tech, MIT and JHU are know for being extremely stressful.
Do you want to apply to such schools or are you hoping to avoid them? All the ones you mentioned are said to be pressure cookers (except for Princeton, which is a demanding place but not usually lumped in with the Suicide Squad). You should also add Cornell, Columbia, Swarthmore, Reed, and Carnegie Mellon to that list. Keep in mind, though, that every school with a rep for stress will also be home to many students who are mellow and cooperative and professors who are kind and caring. The larger the school, the easier it is to create your own world within it.
I’m actually trying to avoid them. I always thought Princeton still had the grade deflation policy
Remember that intensive workload and cut throat are not the same. Yes, the schools that @sheepskin00 mentioned are famous for being very demanding, but that doesn’t mean they are cut throat. Students at Reed and Swarthmore, for example, are generally seen as being more collaborative. That may be true at the the other institutions mentioned too, I don’t know.
@ElmTree - “I always thought Princeton still had the grade deflation policy.”
Princeton got rid of the grade deflation policy in 2014 (I believe), but the old habit doesn’t die quickly so I heard that grading is still hard with minimal difference. I haven’t heard of any report that Princeton is “cutthroat,” though.
Competition for grades in curved classes may be more intense in some courses and majors, such as those popular with premed students.