<p>Grade ‘defaltion’ at Reed, if you want to call it that, is a mixed bag. It actually puts very capable and high-achieving graduates at a disadvantage because graduate and professional school screening algorithms and admissions officers could, for the most part, give a rat’s ass that Reed is more ‘honest’ about grades. They will take the 4.0 GPA from reputable College X (some grade inflation) over a 3.2 gpa from Reed (“aren’t we special, so intellectual”).</p>