Why is there grade inflation?

www.cbsnews.com/8301-505145_162-37243170/grade-in…

I find it shocking that my undergrad school made the list. Anyway, why is there grade inflation? Does the fact that those who go to a target (who already have an advantage), get the added advantage of grade inflation? Does that corrupt the recruitment process?

This is not a non-target vs. target debate, I am just referring to grade inflation and recruitment.

 

GPAs are largely subjective. It really depends on the institution, area of study and how much freedom you have in choosing elective classes. I assume employers realize this but it's possible that companies that receive a lot of resumes just ding the lower grades... it's a matter of convenience.

My gf finished udergrad with a 3.9 and she's no smart cookie. I'm pursuing an MBA now and I'm sacrificing my GPA because I rather take classes such as multivariate regression analysis and modeling and simulation as electives rather than intro to marketing or management courses.

 

The higher the gpa of the graduating class, the better jobs they get. They then make more and donate more back to the school. I.E. money makes the world go round.

Follow the shit your fellow monkeys say @shitWSOsays Life is hard, it's even harder when you're stupid - John Wayne
 
heister:
The higher the gpa of the graduating class, the better jobs they get. They then make more and donate more back to the school. I.E. money makes the world go round.

I think this is probably right. I don' think the reasoning is that professors are scared of failing students of well endowed families. It's not like Harvard hasn't been taking children of the wealthy for awhile now.

 
rothyman:
heister:
The higher the gpa of the graduating class, the better jobs they get. They then make more and donate more back to the school. I.E. money makes the world go round.

I think this is probably right. I don' think the reasoning is that professors are scared of failing students of well endowed families. It's not like Harvard hasn't been taking children of the wealthy for awhile now.

Didn't Bush and Kerry finish with C-level GPAs. I believe G.W.'s dad was the head of the CIA around that time too, so yea, doubt the professors at Yale were afraid to give mediocre grades.

 
Best Response
mb666:
rothyman:
heister:
The higher the gpa of the graduating class, the better jobs they get. They then make more and donate more back to the school. I.E. money makes the world go round.

I think this is probably right. I don' think the reasoning is that professors are scared of failing students of well endowed families. It's not like Harvard hasn't been taking children of the wealthy for awhile now.

Didn't Bush and Kerry finish with C-level GPAs. I believe G.W.'s dad was the head of the CIA around that time too, so yea, doubt the professors at Yale were afraid to give mediocre grades.

LOL, I'd be almost as afraid of the director of the CIA as the president, but we're splitting hairs. It goes beyond that: failing the child of a powerful person is bad PR for the school. If they piss off the powerful person, there will be blowback, and even if they don't the case can be made that their admissions process is corrupt (it is, but that's another conversation) and therefore hurt the school's public reputation. The point raised will be that "the only reason the school took this fuckup in was because of their parents" and while this is often the case, it's not something that they want in the newspapers.

The best option for the school is to give the grade and make them someone else's problem. It's wrong, and it's also not the majority of cases, but this is a factor. Imagine the politics of running a high school, and then just scale it up to the level where there's so many people that this type of thing can easily be hidden in plain sight.

Get busy living
 
heister:
The higher the gpa of the graduating class, the better jobs they get. They then make more and donate more back to the school. I.E. money makes the world go round.

This. If you follow any trail it will ALWAYS ultimately lead to this.

If the glove don't fit, you must acquit!
 

Princeton University has enacted a strict grade deflation policy since 2006, so it is not everywhere that private schools are more generous with A's.

Relevant article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/education/31princeton.html

Quote: "Nancy Weiss Malkiel, [former] dean of the undergraduate college at Princeton, said the policy was not meant to establish such grade quotas, but to set a goal: Over time and across all academic departments, no more than 35 percent of grades in undergraduate courses would be A-plus, A or A-minus."

Bene qui latuit, bene vixit- Ovid
 

I suspect this is mostly a problem with business schools. The majority of the material undergrads in business see is so easy, it's hard to not give out a ton of As. I'm at one of the schools in the tough grading category, and it's nearly impossible to find anyone here with less than a 3.0, even though that's what professors are supposed to curve to. We do have a much stronger engineering department though, and I'm guessing that's where grades are kept in line.

 

Quia illum illum animi dolor quia. Sit natus quas quibusdam ut nam vero dignissimos. Suscipit debitis et ratione ducimus ad repudiandae ullam. Ducimus nam amet ut dolorum libero. Aut velit dolor atque beatae nam doloribus ab.

Ipsa voluptatum tempora dolorem nam incidunt. Earum qui voluptatem perferendis eveniet et. Aut labore ut eum. Nulla aut labore eveniet possimus.

Get busy living

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”