Why does a 3.9 just look so much better than a 3.8?

Is it just me but why does a 3.9 look so much better than a 3.8? I know there were some threads in the past saying how 3.7+ and they just tick the box for GPA, then look at your other qualities, but in my eyes as a college student, there is just something about a 3.9 that just separates itself from a 3.8, kind of like how GS/MS/JPM are all considered "top tier" for IB but there is just something about being affiliated with GS that separates you from the rest. Ditto for McKinsey vs. Bain/BCG.

In my eyes, a 3.8 is a grade that is "achievable" through sheer effort and will.

A 3.9 however, isn't something that can be achieved only via dedication but (to colloquially put it) you must simply be "heads and shoulders above the pack".

Do you guys agree, or am I just being a pathetic college kid obsessing over a stupid ordeal? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

P.S. I'm talking about this in a general sense; I know some schools have different grading policies so yes, obviously this will not apply to a school like UChicago. Plz don't flame me

9 Comments
 

For what it's worth, I agree, but there are ways to game the system to achieve a 3.9. In the same vein, many highly intelligent kids clock in 3.8s, and could have easily achieved 3.9s or above had they taken an easier schedule or had better luck. That's why (most) people don't distinguish between a 3.8 and 3.9.

 

Get your eyes checked!!

"I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature."
 

"I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature."
 

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