<p>As a parent of a Princeton 15’ student, I have to agree that if you are choosing to attend an institution that offers arguably the best undergraduate education in the country, you should expect to be challenged. We had a conversation with my son (who was a straight A student in high school) regarding grade “deflation” when he was deciding between Harvard, Princeton and Yale. We explained that if he chose Princeton, it would not be a matter of if, but rather when, he did not get an A in a class and would he be ok with that. He said he wanted the best professors and biggest challenge and he loved Princeton, so that was his choice. His first semester he got a B+ in one of his classes. Yes he was disappointed, but when I asked him if he wished he had gone to Harvard or Yale, he said absolutely not, because the A’s he received at Princeton meant something. Since that first semester, he has received another B+ and a couple A-'s, but this past semester he had all A’s and an A+. I don’t know that I’ve seen him more proud of the work he’s put in. Would you have higher grades at Yale or Harvard, probably so, but would you feel as much satisfaction in your grades, probably not. I understand the concern over grades relating to grad school, but when I asked a friend who is on the admissions committee at a higher echelon medical school if Princeton grads are at a disadvantage because their GPA might be lower than a Harvard or Yale grad, she said no, that the admissions committee knows how the grades are handed out and take in to account the differences in the school’s grading policy. I image that is the case at most high level graduate schools.</p>