<p>I can’t speak for all grad programs, but medical schools at least (and I’m assuming other competitive graduate school programs are similar), do NOT view a 3.75 and a 3.9 the same. The adjusting they do for coming from a school like Cornell is minimal. Moreover, a 3.5 most likely won’t be good enough to get in.</p>
<p>That said, you can do well at Cornell without killing yourself. It’s not impossible to get a 3.8+ - I know plenty of people who have done it and still managed to have a social life. You’ll work hard for sure, but I doubt that’s different from most top schools.</p>