Best academic house on campus...is this good???

[Betarulz!]

Originally posted by Rudey
Isn't Stanford notorious for grade inflation? I remember reading that your average GPA was a 3.7 one year.

Typically at the Ivies and other schools that are at that level of prestige few people are going get bad grades...b/c if they did than everyone who didn't get A's or high B's would transfer. Who wants to pay $35000 + a year to get bad grades even if they are from Harvard or Stanford...particularly if they know that they can get great grades other places. Also throw in the fact that legacies get an upperhand in admissions, many of those who attend the Ivies (not all) tend to be sons and daughters of alumni and the school is smart enough to know that you don't want to lose the support of those people...

Grade inflation is rampant at those places.

[Rudey]

Originally posted by Betarulz!
Typically at the Ivies and other schools that are at that level of prestige few people are going get bad grades...b/c if they did than everyone who didn't get A's or high B's would transfer. Who wants to pay $35000 + a year to get bad grades even if they are from Harvard or Stanford...particularly if they know that they can get great grades other places. Also throw in the fact that legacies get an upperhand in admissions, many of those who attend the Ivies (not all) tend to be sons and daughters of alumni and the school is smart enough to know that you don't want to lose the support of those people...

Grade inflation is rampant at those places.

I wouldn't go that far. Only certain schools in the Ivy+ have a rep for grade inflation. And honestly, most (if not all) state schools give easy A's.

-Rudey
--Sorry for hijacking the thread...people should be proud to be intelligent.

[FuzzieAlum]

As far as the high GPA leading to toward rushing nerds, neither of the nerd chapters on my campus have particularly great GPAs (am I stereotyping? Well, when you have a Magic tournament as a rush event ...). On the other hand, the chapters with the top GPAs tend to turn out the Homecoming kings and get the biggest pledge classes. So at least on some campuses a high GPA isn't a mark of death!

[phikappapsiman]

Here is the really weird thing for me about reading some of the responses to this post...

I admit that I know very little about the academic reputations of most schools-I have always assumed that there are always those who achieve, and those who skate along, and depending on the individual drive of the student, that determines how well they do in school. Having said that, I personally have never said or felt that because I attended "X" University, that my 3.3 is worth a 3.7 had I attended "Y" University. So when a person says that Stanford is notorious for grade inflation, but that person has NEVER taken one class at Stanford, that to me is insulting. It insults me because I know that I EARNED EVERY GRADE I RECEIVED, whether it was an "A", "B", or even the rare and unwelcome "C". And yes, people DO flunk out of Stanford, even those with connections and daddy's money. Maybe, just maybe, if the average GPA was 3.7 or so, students ACTUALLY studied and the curve accurately reflected their efforts.

[lilkel244]

I kinda understand this...My sorority is brand new on my campus, we couldn't even get the highest GPA award because we didn't become a chapter until this past April 26th, but we have the highest GPA by far of any Greek organization on my campus. We are sooo proud of this because we have alot of really demanding majors (there is only around 10 female engineers at my school and 4 of them are in it) and many art and music majors ( I got to UHART in CT and they are two of the hardest schools withing the univerisity (I am an art major!Woohoo) so we have the stigma of dorks right now, but we are ok with it, we know we rock and thats what matters!

[Betarulz!]

Originally posted by phikappapsiman
So when a person says that Stanford is notorious for grade inflation, but that person has NEVER taken one class at Stanford, that to me is insulting. It insults me .

Maybe it's because I'm wasted after finals right now, but I think this is directed at me...I apologize for offendinge ayou... I didn't mean to directe it at anyo ne person. I am just repeating what I have seen in articles and studies. The thing is that a degree at stanford or an ivy is worth more than a degree somewhere else simpl y b/c of name recognition. I can't dispute that you earned all your grades, but I'm willing to bet that if you had been a "big fish in a small pond" your GPA would have been better than beign an average fish in a big pond. Simply by going to one of the elite schools in the nation yhou have earned a place in higher place in society than if you had gone to university X...that is simply a fact.

Again no offense was ever meant, and I respect your stanford education, b/c socitial norms suggest I should. But i'm so wasted that I may have totally mis interpreted you r entire point...

[phikappapsiman]

Thanks! You're a good man, and I appreciate the sentiment...

I didn't try to come across as disrespectful of your views, I just believe that ANYONE who gets a degree from a four-year institution of higher education is deserving of congratulations, no matter where they went. Obviously, we all earn our grades (except if you're a basketball player at the Universtity of Georgia, OUCH!), and most of us do try to work hard. And I'm sure that MOST professors don't give a darn who your daddy is at the end of the semester!

Thanks again...

[BSUPhiSig'92]

Working at a university, most of the talk I hear about grade inflation actually comes from the faculty. On the campuses I have been on, there have been some faculty who are very vocal about the subject. I know Harvard has come under a lot of criticism for grade inflation, I believe even from the President of the university.

[damasa]

Originally posted by Rudey
people should be proud to be intelligent.

The best line/advice anyone can take from this thread.

[Munchkin03]

It's interesting...the Computer Science majors at my school possibly have the lowest GPAs, if we even calculated them. I don't even know what our house GPA is or where we rank with the other sororities...I would imagine that we're probably about all the same, based on the mix of majors and interests.

A MAGIC tournament as a Rush event? Scary!

I don't think grade inflation is rampant at Ivy/Stanford/Chicago/MIT/Caltech-like schools (which is what I think is meant by "those places"). It exists, but it exists everywhere. Schools like Harvard get more attention for it because of the position they hold in American society.

[AOII_LB93]

Originally posted by Rudey
I wouldn't go that far. Only certain schools in the Ivy+ have a rep for grade inflation. And honestly, most (if not all) state schools give easy A's.

-Rudey
--Sorry for hijacking the thread...people should be proud to be intelligent.

First of all having a high GPA has never been a detriment to anyone. Like someone said above, (and I can't remember who said it), it gives the parents a reason to look differently at the Greek system as a whole.

Secondly, in reference to above quote, I take offense to the comment that state universities give easy As. If that were the case I would not have worked my ass off to get a 4.0 every semester, I could have just sat back and partied and not worried about grades. I'm no dummy, and comments like that are rather outrageous. Like my degree is any less fab than someone else's because I went to a state school? Please.

Before we go insulting state schools by inferring that they give easy As, I'm sure people that go to state schools like UMich, UCLA, and Cal could comment on that statement. Though not as prestigious as Harvard or Yale, my degree, from a state school no less, is a Bachelor's Degree. The course of study I followed included more classes than some from other more prestigious schools with the same major. Don't denigrate my degree and the education I received because it wasn't covered in Ivy.

Getting off my soapbox now, I just got really peeved with that comment.

[PhiSigFly]

Don't take this the wrong way, but I think its kinda ridiculous that you would even ask this question. People are in college to succeed and if someone wouldn't rush because you had the highest GPA, thats really sad. Besides, "nerds" are not necessarily people with high GPAs, its the way they carry themselves. At my school, one of the most popular fraternities always has the highest or second highest GPA and EVERYONE wants to join or hang out with them. They have a lot of members on student government and involved in other school related things and this is seen as a good thing. Also, its a great selling point-- you know how to have fun but school is the number one priority-- you can sell pledges on having tutors, academic help, etc. Besides, its a lot easier to convince parents that fraternities are good things when you have the highest GPA! Think about it that way!

[RockChalk]

Originally posted by Sistermadly
Besides - sexy nerds are irresistible. At least they are to this geek girl.

Amen!!! Women date jocks, but they marry nerds.

[Rudey]

I'm glad you see your degree as being "fab".

-Rudey
--Never said it wasn't gorgeous.

Originally posted by AOII_LB93
First of all having a high GPA has never been a detriment to anyone. Like someone said above, (and I can't remember who said it), it gives the parents a reason to look differently at the Greek system as a whole.

Secondly, in reference to above quote, I take offense to the comment that state universities give easy As. If that were the case I would not have worked my ass off to get a 4.0 every semester, I could have just sat back and partied and not worried about grades. I'm no dummy, and comments like that are rather outrageous. Like my degree is any less fab than someone else's because I went to a state school? Please.

Before we go insulting state schools by inferring that they give easy As, I'm sure people that go to state schools like UMich, UCLA, and Cal could comment on that statement. Though not as prestigious as Harvard or Yale, my degree, from a state school no less, is a Bachelor's Degree. The course of study I followed included more classes than some from other more prestigious schools with the same major. Don't denigrate my degree and the education I received because it wasn't covered in Ivy.

Getting off my soapbox now, I just got really peeved with that comment.

[JerzeeBoy26]

high gpas are good. we got a 3.48 last year and finished with the top grades. we got 25 pledges (third largest on campus) with the gpa being quite a draw for many of our rushees. we are far from being a "nerd" house (just ask the ladies )