<p>I noticed the same thing comparing the comparative quality of the graduate programs at Cajun State vs. Purdue (I attended both and found Purdue easier :-)). Talking about it with my cubemate, the PhD guy from Carnegie Melon, he said a very wise thing:</p>
<p>At the average schools, there’s a big difference between the good students and the bad students. The good students are, well, good, but the bad ones, well, they’re a C- short of academic probation…</p>
<p>In the good schools, be it HYPS, top 20’s, etc, he said he found that the BAD students of a good school were far better than the BAD students at the average schools. That allows the profs to NOT teach to the lowest common denominator, lifting the challenge level for everyone.</p>