<p>Newmassdad - perhaps, but I still disagree with this statement: “A 3.7 by the end of jr year would hardly remove you from Marshall or Rhodes competition.”</p>
<ul>
<li>You might not be completely removed, but you’re not exactly in good shape with a 3.7 GPA (if you have no other amazing attribute), because the University is concentrating its resources on the candidates that are already better positioned.</li>
</ul>
<p>So I would refine your statement to read: “With a 3.7 by the end of your third year, candidacy just from Chicago for a Marshall or Rhodes would be a considerable long shot.” </p>
<p>Again, maybe a decade or two ago, with less grade inflation, a 3.7 might still have enjoyed a better shot. I’m sort of adjusting everything for what I assume is the new reality at Chicago (i.e. that the average GPA is now roughly a 3.4-3.5, and perhaps 50% of the students get honors from the college). In this landscape, a 3.7 GPA is still a great accomplishment, but there are just a lot more 3.7 GPAs walking around Hyde Park nowadays.</p>
<p>Finally, I agree about the mentality of the scholar winners from Chicago. Also, the marshals tended to be that way too - they all tended to be really passionate about what they did, so the success just followed. They weren’t concerned about resume building as much, again, they just loved what they did.</p>