which of these IB targets have the most grade inflation?

Duke vs. Dartmouth vs. Cornell

I'm applying to college this fall and trying to find out where to ED. This is a major factor. All three seem to have similar IB placement so i wanna know which one will help me get the best gpa

 

Dartmouth. 

But dude honesty apply ED to Duke. It’s way more fun there

 

I would go Duke. I heard that Dartmouth has median grades for each course you take on your transcript which is kinda concerning.

I may be wrong but I heard when you get your Dartmouth transcript it will be like (class - your grade - course average).

What do you think looks better?

Dartmouth transcript:

ECON 101 - A- Course median: B+

Any other school transcript:

ECON 101- A-

 

Are you high? The Econ department enforces a B median

 

One of my good friends had a similar dilemma in HS, I kept telling him daily to choose Duke (also got into Cornell but I don't think he considered it because of their tough grading scale and a lot of people from our HS burnt out there and didn't do well historically). He did go to Duke in the end and doesn't regret it one bit.

 

I went to Cornell and studied econ and literally coasted. graduated with a 4.0 and went to class maybe 5 times a semester. econ major at cornell is stupid easy it just has a reputation of being difficult. median grades for classes ranged from B+ to A, never saw a class with a B median. 

Stereotypes of schools are tough to beat i guess

 

Cornell will likely have the least grade inflation overall but I would caveat that AEM is one of the easier majors on campus and places very well (also one of the harder majors to get into directly). Don't need to be an AEM major to break into IB but their per capita placement is likely best. Something like Econ would likely be comparable to Duke or Dartmouth with respect to grade inflation but they both have better Econ programs than Cornell. All 3 schools place well.

I got accepted to all 3 schools (AEM for Cornell, Econ for Dartmouth / Duke) and attended one of them so happy to PM you if helpful. 

 

Cornell for grades

Dartmouth for pure placement

Duke / Dartmouth for most fun (both Greek life heavy)

 

Got accepted to all three and chose Dartmouth.

I’d automatically write off Cornell — very depressing, deflated, and places least into IB per capita. You’ll have a better time at Duke as its bigger, has better sports, and isn’t restrictive to only Greek life, but Dartmouth’s alumni network is the best and we have one of the highest placements because of that. You’ll quickly realize during recruiting season that GPA doesn’t matter as much as you think right now — it’s the matter of landing a first round thats way more important and networking gets you there. Also, people from other Ivies were taking my calls too

 

Did you feel that Dartmouth’s heavy Greek life was pressuring/affected job placement in anyway? Want to ED because it seems fun but the heavy Greek life seems a little scary because I know other colleges involve frats in club processes which I dislike a lot.

 

Greek life aspect is only a negative if you're on the outside looking in when all your friends are in it except you. There's a divide between people in Greek life and those who aren't. Hahaha a lot of the non-Greek life crowd want to abolish it for "patriarchy" so not unsure where you fall on the spectrum. 

 
Most Helpful

Please don’t pick a college based on your best chance at a high GPA. I’m also guessing you’ll pick your classes that way (and your major). That is going to be tiring, there is always a “next” level to get to, always another hurdle, if all you are trying to do is game the system to get to that next spot, life gets tiring (you may end up hating where you end up because you never thought about what you actually enjoy). Also, how you feel at the school will have as much (if not more) of an outcome on your grades than grade inflation. Being depressed at a school, not clicking well with the students, etc makes things much harder. Find the place you like the most, take some different classes early on to find out what you enjoy, and actually have fun during this time. 

 

This is what I keep being told as a rising senior as well, and I know it’s true but it’s just so hard to get that through my head.

 

To each their own I guess. I actually really had fun gaming the system, always finding that next class / schedule that would get me the best grade. I usually took 1 class for enjoyment / interest per semester and the rest for GPA. Not saying this is the way to go, but for me it was fun and enjoyable rather than stressful

Different preferences I guess. I really enjoy exploring new things, learning, hard problems, etc. I also think in certain career paths that is very important (you might still be that way but just not have connected with the school content, not saying anything about you); as an example throughout my career in HFs, the most successful people really enjoy trying to “solve” markets and it’s a lot of work. 

I also don’t think that picking a school based on grade inflation is a good idea even if you enjoy “gaming” the system (since usually the gpa comparison will take this into account and compare within your school). Regardless on your stance on gaming the system, I think you’ll be happier at a place you enjoy and that’ll impact your grades much more. 

 

Not only does duke have higher grade inflation but the quality of life will be much higher. You’d do yourself a disservice by choosing one of the other options over duke

 

Don’t know why people are talking about placements and placements per capita while completely ignoring the fact that you haven’t gotten into any of these schools.

If you want to play it safe, Cornell is the easiest to get into ED. It also places about as well as the other two. Look into the ED acceptance rates and really think about which one you like and why so you can tailor your story correctly. And please for the love of god don’t talk about IB in your essays or interviews.

Giving you this advice because I know a ton of self proclaimed hot shots who applied ED to Wharton, Columbia, Duke, etc. then got rejected and also got rejected from Cornell in the regular decision round. Most of those guys ended up at semi-targets at best.

Yes I’m a risk adverse pussy, I was born this way and will probably stay this way.

 

If you're less confident in your application or have unfavorable demographics, I'd apply to Cornell ED.

Between Duke and Dartmouth, it's up to you. I honestly think Duke is easier to get into than Dartmouth (at least during ED) but not by so much that I'd base my application on that. Both schools will have around a similar amount of difficulty once there.

With these application cycles, just be wary that RD is a blood bath; if ED doesn't work out, prep yourself for attending a safety.

 

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