<p>As you yourself said, there is a big difference between one’s GPA at UChicago, and the GPA that one is capable of attaining (albeit with hard work). Also, what I find happens a lot is that students who could get a 4.0 easily by doing “average” UChicago work, choose not to, instead taking the most rigorous classes and taking a bit of a hit in the grades department. So, if coursework were standardized (hypothetically, no one would want it so), there would be a lot more ~4s imho.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That’s the thing though. Although this is less true on Wall Street than in any other profession: where you start determines (on average) your pay scale 10, 20 years down the line. As such, a low starting salary is not a difference of 30-50k, but a difference of millions (on average) throughout a lifetime.</p>
<p>This worries me, simply because I have absolutely no idea what I want to pursue as a career. Who knows what I’ll need to get where I want to be…</p>
<p>Perhaps I’m in an unusual financial position, as both of my parents started out in a low salary range and ended up in a very high one. They were not consciously trying to make more money-- they were just very successful at the things that they did.</p>
<p>Basically, all I know is that my GPA makes it difficult for me to find a job on Wall Street or to go to a prestigious law school. Those happen to be two of the least desirable career paths for me, anyway. No tragedy here.</p>
<p>Try to bear in mind that there are many intangibles in attaining your post-graduate goals. </p>
<p>No doubt that for many regular (meaning non MD/PhD, for example) medical, school and business school programs there are relatively rigid grade/GPA admission algorithms that snare or weed out students below a certain value. This might well disproportionally hit U of C students. Chicago has a bit of a rep as a non pre-professional school, this is probably one of the reasons.</p>
<p>Having said this, PhD graduate programs (my direct experience is in the sciences) often look beyond GPAs – to the quality of your undergraduate research and the opinion of your faculty mentor, for example. UChicago excels at that level. The combination of a Core-based education and the stellar research opportunities is quite compelling to grad student admission committees. </p>
<p>It is also somewhat sobering to realize that for many of these financial jobs straight out of college, who you know and where <em>they</em> went to school can carry far more weight that a 0.2 difference in your GPA.</p>
<p>also, it should be mentioned that if you DO work hard and attain a relatively high GPA, it will really count for something. A 3.8 from Harvard or NYU is not teh same as a 3.8 from Chicago and I think graduate programs will know this.</p>
<p>First, I, as someone who has done very well at Chicago, vehemently disagree with the statement that 4.0s are within the reach of students. Sometimes I take classes that make me wonder why people don’t graduate with 4.0s. Then the next quarter I’ll have a class that reminds me. Grading is not consistent, but there are a lot of professors who are somewhat conservative with As, and some who basically don’t give them. To take the 42 classes you need to graduate and never hit a situation where an A is unrealistic would require a lot of luck. </p>
<p>The comment that 4.0s would not be that difficult seems to ignore the rather obvious counter-evidence that 1100-1200 students graduate every year from UChicago, and typically 1 or 2, if that, finish with a 4.0.</p>