Schools Schools recognizing grade inflations or deflations

[flyingpig]

I know a lot of schools recognize that it is definitely easier to get a 90% in College A than it is in College B. The 96% in College C may only worth 70% in College D.

But my question is, despite knowing these facts, do school really care? Like they know this, but how much do they care?

Now I know, when it comes to "big admissions", a lot of other things are considered.

But when it comes down to it, are all the 3.8GPA people's application cast away and only the 3.9GPA (or 4.0GPA) people's app get a chance to be glanced at?

 

[twofish-quant]

But when it comes down to it, are all the 3.8GPA people's application cast away and only the 3.9GPA (or 4.0GPA) people's app get a chance to be glanced at?

Physics graduate admissions committees generally do not care about the difference between 3.8 and 3.9 because there are just too many differences between schools to make that comparison useful.

They *do* care about the difference between a 2.5 and 3.5. because the belief is that if you got a 2.5, it doesn't matter where you went, you seriously messed up some way and some how.

 

[twofish-quant]

Also some of this comes to branding. For example, if you get a 2.8 from MIT, the fact that you managed to survived MIT at all is going to help you. Also the undergraduate programs often adjust things to fit graduate admissions. MIT for example, grades tests brutally, but they adjust things so that the transcripts says an A, even though the highest test is typically 60-70%. Harvard curves everything so that the grades are rather inflated.

 

[flyingpig]

I thought prestige of your undergrad institution never even comes to their minds...

What do you mean MIT grade tests brutally? I saw the open course ware exams, they weren't very difficult, do they take serious marks off for like sig figs? I mean compare to the exams in my college...

 

[twofish-quant]

I thought prestige of your undergrad institution never even comes to their minds...

It's not so much prestige, but that some schools have reputations for being nastier than others.

What do you mean MIT grade tests brutally? I saw the open course ware exams, they weren't very difficult, do they take serious marks off for like sig figs? I mean compare to the exams in my college...

They take serious marks off for everything.

 

[flyingpig]

It's not so much prestige, but that some schools have reputations for being nastier than others.

But what if I don't go to a prestige school...? I mean MIT actually CURVES their exams, many don't...like mine.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Flyingpig, you have posted a zillion threads with the theme "my grades aren't so good; please tell me this won't hurt my chances for graduate school." I'm sorry, but they will hurt your chances for graduate school.

You need to get your grades up. If you are truly passionate about science, you will find a way.