Princeton to clam down on grade inflation

[Andy Nguyen]

Grade inflation at the Ivy schools? No way.
And when Princeton recognizes the problem and try to fix it, one would think it set a new standard in higher education, right?

This goes back to the old question: should the students be treated as customers because they pay HUGE sum to study at these top schools?

When Princeton University set out six years ago to corral galloping grade inflation by putting a lid on A’s, many in academia lauded it for taking a stand on a national problem and predicted that others would follow.

But the idea never took hold beyond Princeton’s walls, and so its bold vision is now running into fierce resistance from the school’s Type-A-plus student body.

At Princeton University, Grumbling About Grade Deflation - NYTimes.com

 

[WilliamRFrost]

I imagine some people here would know... Do Princeton students usually get some more GPA leniency than other Ivy league schools because of this policy?

 

[IlyaKEightSix]

Moreover, do all Ivy League schools inflate their GPAs so high so that students wouldn't have a chance of looking bad in front of employers?

I mean let's face it--the only reason a GPA exists is for there to be an easy way to cull stacks of applications. Look for GPA or some other metric, and cut off everyone below a certain value.

If I was running an educational institution and I wanted people to come to it, if I had a reputation of selectivity a priori, why would I want to shoot grads' chances of landing a job and thereby giving a huge donation in the future by making it tough to get a 4.0?

 

[bigbadwolf]

Moreover, do all Ivy League schools inflate their GPAs so high so that students wouldn't have a chance of looking bad in front of employers?

I mean let's face it--the only reason a GPA exists is for there to be an easy way to cull stacks of applications. Look for GPA or some other metric, and cut off everyone below a certain value.

If I was running an educational institution and I wanted people to come to it, if I had a reputation of selectivity a priori, why would I want to shoot grads' chances of landing a job and thereby giving a huge donation in the future by making it tough to get a 4.0?

That's the thinking in Ivy League schools. The high GPA is essential not just for job applications but for applying to professional programs in law, management, and medicine. C is today the new failing grade, B adequate, and A good. Even in tech programs, instructors are often grading on the curve: so many As, so many Bs, and so many Cs and below.

 

[bluechimp]

As far as job search goes, Princeton recruiters know of the grade deflation policy, and some were even 'victims' of it when they were students there. At the very least, when you apply through Princeton's Career Services (which is the case for most jobs), your competition would be other Princeton students, so in that sense the GPA element is normalized.

Interestingly, the dean that instituted this very policy is Nancy Malkiel, wife to Burt Malkiel who wrote 'A Random Walk Down Wall Street'.