<p>How hard is it to maintain a solid GPA at Northwestern? Are the stories of grade deflation true? I’m thinking of being an econ major</p>
<p>Wondering the same thing…</p>
<p>Intro econ classes are pretty brutal. the tests are pretty easy and everyone scores well, so grade distribution is based on where you stand relative to everyone else. top 50% get B or better, etc. In the intro to macro class i took, a half a point on an exam could mean 10 percentage points. Econ here is pretty competitive in general. There are a lot of people here who study it nonstop. In the engineering classes (my area), most classes are curved so the average is a B. Apparently, the average engineering GPA freshman year is like a 2.75 or around that. Outside of those two areas, it’s not nearly as rough from what I understand.</p>
<p>Don’t take Japanese :P</p>
<p>Don’t worry about your GPA so much. Do your best, but try to have some fun.</p>
<p>From a fairly old article here: [Myth</a> of the Engineer, Debunked](<a href=“http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/2.13922/the-myth-of-the-engineer-debunked-1.1986132?MMode=true]Myth”>http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/2.13922/the-myth-of-the-engineer-debunked-1.1986132?MMode=true) , it looks like both Weinberg and McCormick have average GPAs in the 3.3’s.</p>
<p>3.43 is the average GPA for undergrads at NU. The financial aid office mentioned this when comparing the GPA of students that work on campus and those that don’t.</p>
<p>Do those who work on campus have a different average?</p>
<p>Identical. 3.43 for those who work and those who don’t. That was the reason for the financial aid office making the point that working does not appear to impact GPA.</p>