<p>In high school, grading patterns usually follow a bell curve (or at least are supposed to). The majority of students receive C’s, with few students receiving A’s and F’s. Do colleges follow the typical high school bell curve? If so, the median GPA would be a 2.0. This doesn’t seem right. So, what is the bell curve like at college? Do the majority of students receive A’s and B’s? What is it like? Also, is there any difference between the grading patterns at Ivy leagues versus community colleges or state schools?</p>
<p>It depends. Some colleges (like Harvard) are well known for their grade inflation, while a school like Princeton has policies put in place for grade deflation. Sometimes the curve at public schools is harsher than it is at private schools because they need to weed out students. Other times, the “bell curve” happens naturally (especially in big lecture classes).</p>
<p>Really the median grade is a B, even at places like Princeton where grade deflation is so highly touted the median grade is roughly a B…</p>
<p>At Harvard it is higher but still remember that this is a curve where you are competing against Harvard or Princeton people so to work for the top grades means standing out above the best of the best.</p>
<p>Yes, private universities have a greater tendency to give out, on average, higher grades. However, this does not mean in any way that you will be more likely to get an A at Harvard than your state public due to the composition of the respective student body. Also, just to add to what college_ruled said, having policies in place that are meant to deter grade inflation does not necessarily mean that the college is any less grade inflated: Swarthmore is known for its tough policies against grade inflation, yet the average GPA of its students is still among the highest unless my source is outdated.</p>
<p>The average GPA of students at private, “grade inflated” school seems to be about 3.4-5ish.</p>
<p>I’m going to Northwestern… I see that the average GPA is 3.41… that sounds good.</p>
<p>Could someone explain, though, in detail about grade inflation/deflation?? I know it’s a stupid question but I really don’t understand it. I hear it all the time but have never really bothered to ask. Thanks.</p>
<p>Grade inflation is a situation in which the mean GPA in a school is higher than what some standard dictates it should be. Historically this has been 2.0 = C, many people nowadays would say it should be 3.0 = B. People accuse colleges of doing this “intentionally” in the sense that academic deans supposedly encourage professors to maintain a “high average” because it improves their students’ admission to graduate school and employment prospects, thus enabling the college to portray itself as more successful in getting its students a job. Or sometimes perhaps it is due to professors themselves having lax standards and not wanting to give half of their students a grade below a B. </p>
<p>Top-tier schools refute criticism by saying that their students’ quality of work is better. To use an extreme example, if you had Newton, Archimedes, Einstein, Euler and Gauss all taking a math class at Super University, the bell curve would dictate that only one or two of them get As and Einstein is going to get a D. If you, me, Sarah Palin, Bill Cosby and Kermit the Frog are in a math class at Joe’s Bargain College, one of us is going to get an A too. Does that make me better at math than Einstein and a better candidate for a job according to my GPA? Super University says BS, so they’re not gonna give Einstein a D.</p>