Harvard Crimson -Student Reaction to Grade Inflation Report

[Anonymous]

I went to Harvard. The grade inflation is not new. We talked about this in the early 2000s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just read the report. The numbers are astonishing:

- the median GPA went from 3.29 in 1985 to 3.49 in 2005 to 3.83 in 2025!
- the percentage of A grades went from 25 in 2005 to over 60 percent in 2025.

Well in the 80s , 30 percent of applicants were given admissions offers: now it’s like 3 percent. The number of AP courses has also gone up.

My freshman college student is definitely way more prepared entering college than I was (I didn’t go to Harvard )- they are much more prepared and should be getting more As than I did


Whoever thinks high school in the 80s and 90s was better preparing kids for college is crazy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just read the report. The numbers are astonishing:

- the median GPA went from 3.29 in 1985 to 3.49 in 2005 to 3.83 in 2025!
- the percentage of A grades went from 25 in 2005 to over 60 percent in 2025.

Well in the 80s , 30 percent of applicants were given admissions offers: now it’s like 3 percent. The number of AP courses has also gone up.

My freshman college student is definitely way more prepared entering college than I was (I didn’t go to Harvard )- they are much more prepared and should be getting more As than I did


Whoever thinks high school in the 80s and 90s was better preparing kids for college is crazy

Where did you get the Harvard admissions number from the 80s?? It's completely inaccurate and overinflated. It was more in the teens. Students are definitely less prepared for college and have many, many more distractions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just read the report. The numbers are astonishing:

- the median GPA went from 3.29 in 1985 to 3.49 in 2005 to 3.83 in 2025!
- the percentage of A grades went from 25 in 2005 to over 60 percent in 2025.

Well in the 80s , 30 percent of applicants were given admissions offers: now it’s like 3 percent. The number of AP courses has also gone up.

My freshman college student is definitely way more prepared entering college than I was (I didn’t go to Harvard )- they are much more prepared and should be getting more As than I did


Whoever thinks high school in the 80s and 90s was better preparing kids for college is crazy

Where did you get the Harvard admissions number from the 80s?? It's completely inaccurate and overinflated. It was more in the teens. Students are definitely less prepared for college and have many, many more distractions.

Yes. Your number is off. My graduation year of high school 1990 acceptance rate at Harvard was 11%. Not 30%. 30% were some of the other ivies.

[Anonymous]

Harvard never had MA5 remedial math until recently. Why? Because they discovered that many recent admits lack the foundational math skills.

And the argument is not about whether or not high schools today as a whole prepare kids better or worse than in the 80s.

The issue is Harvard is admitted more and more academically underqualified students than ever.

[Anonymous]

1. Harvard had admitted more unqualified candidates in an effort to diversify and now we are seeing remedial math as a course option.
2. Many “highly qualified” on paper candidates are underprepared for failure. They worked hard in HS and got straight As and cannot fathom why the same isn’t happening in college. Witnessed this first hand with DC at different school and it took the whole first year to normalize to the different standards/grading of college.
3. Many top students were driven by parents micromanaging every aspect of their lives in HS and now. They are struggling to juggle work and life on their own with their parents.
4. Grade inflation in HS is very real and sometimes candidates look far better on paper than what they actually are capable of doing IRL.
5. This is a very dramatic generation of kids who obsess about mental health/focus on their levels of victimhood. DD is constantly “stressed out” and how life is so hard. I think she’s finally starting to grow up a little and has toned that down, but HS/freshman year of college was tough in terms of her perception of her personal hardship level.
6. Many expect to get to Harvard to network. They’ve worked hard in HS and the big hurdle was just getting in. Their perception of expectations is different than reality and that can be quite a shock.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harvard never had MA5 remedial math until recently. Why? Because they discovered that many recent admits lack the foundational math skills.

And the argument is not about whether or not high schools today as a whole prepare kids better or worse than in the 80s.

The issue is Harvard is admitted more and more academically underqualified students than ever.

This course is no longer offered as of this year because incoming ‘29s were required to take the SAT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harvard never had MA5 remedial math until recently. Why? Because they discovered that many recent admits lack the foundational math skills.

And the argument is not about whether or not high schools today as a whole prepare kids better or worse than in the 80s.

The issue is Harvard is admitted more and more academically underqualified students than ever.

It’s hardly that simple. High schools are not preparing kids well AND there are lower academic standards for admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just read the report. The numbers are astonishing:

- the median GPA went from 3.29 in 1985 to 3.49 in 2005 to 3.83 in 2025!
- the percentage of A grades went from 25 in 2005 to over 60 percent in 2025.

Well in the 80s , 30 percent of applicants were given admissions offers: now it’s like 3 percent. The number of AP courses has also gone up.

My freshman college student is definitely way more prepared entering college than I was (I didn’t go to Harvard )- they are much more prepared and should be getting more As than I did


Whoever thinks high school in the 80s and 90s was better preparing kids for college is crazy

Where did you get the Harvard admissions number from the 80s?? It's completely inaccurate and overinflated. It was more in the teens. Students are definitely less prepared for college and have many, many more distractions.

Yes. Your number is off. My graduation year of high school 1990 acceptance rate at Harvard was 11%. Not 30%. 30% were some of the other ivies.

I think some of the ultra low acceptance rates nowadays is driven by applicants with no chance of getting in. I don’t remember anyone except the very top students applying to places like that in the 80s/90s. My spouse was a double Harvard legacy, had excellent grades, a very top SAT score, lots of ECs and was an excellent varsity athlete (played in college). Flat out rejected from Harvard in the late 80s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just read the report. The numbers are astonishing:

- the median GPA went from 3.29 in 1985 to 3.49 in 2005 to 3.83 in 2025!
- the percentage of A grades went from 25 in 2005 to over 60 percent in 2025.

Well in the 80s , 30 percent of applicants were given admissions offers: now it’s like 3 percent. The number of AP courses has also gone up.

My freshman college student is definitely way more prepared entering college than I was (I didn’t go to Harvard )- they are much more prepared and should be getting more As than I did


Whoever thinks high school in the 80s and 90s was better preparing kids for college is crazy

Where did you get the Harvard admissions number from the 80s?? It's completely inaccurate and overinflated. It was more in the teens. Students are definitely less prepared for college and have many, many more distractions.

Yes. Your number is off. My graduation year of high school 1990 acceptance rate at Harvard was 11%. Not 30%. 30% were some of the other ivies.

I think some of the ultra low acceptance rates nowadays is driven by applicants with no chance of getting in. I don’t remember anyone except the very top students applying to places like that in the 80s/90s. My spouse was a double Harvard legacy, had excellent grades, a very top SAT score, lots of ECs and was an excellent varsity athlete (played in college). Flat out rejected from Harvard in the late 80s.[/qu

Sane is still happening - I know double Harvard legacies or multi gen, full pay legacies - excellent students , rejected by Harvard . One ended up at Williams , one at Columbia

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just read the report. The numbers are astonishing:

- the median GPA went from 3.29 in 1985 to 3.49 in 2005 to 3.83 in 2025!
- the percentage of A grades went from 25 in 2005 to over 60 percent in 2025.

Well in the 80s , 30 percent of applicants were given admissions offers: now it’s like 3 percent. The number of AP courses has also gone up.

My freshman college student is definitely way more prepared entering college than I was (I didn’t go to Harvard )- they are much more prepared and should be getting more As than I did


Whoever thinks high school in the 80s and 90s was better preparing kids for college is crazy

Where did you get the Harvard admissions number from the 80s?? It's completely inaccurate and overinflated. It was more in the teens. Students are definitely less prepared for college and have many, many more distractions.

Yes. Your number is off. My graduation year of high school 1990 acceptance rate at Harvard was 11%. Not 30%. 30% were some of the other ivies.

I think some of the ultra low acceptance rates nowadays is driven by applicants with no chance of getting in. I don’t remember anyone except the very top students applying to places like that in the 80s/90s. My spouse was a double Harvard legacy, had excellent grades, a very top SAT score, lots of ECs and was an excellent varsity athlete (played in college). Flat out rejected from Harvard in the late 80s.

Partly this, but also partly because grade inflation + rescaling and redesign of the SAT has created way more 4.0+ GPAs and 1500+ SAT scores. A lot of these kids cannot be distinguished from one another by metrics alone. If a kid has the metrics, you can't blame them for trying!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard never had MA5 remedial math until recently. Why? Because they discovered that many recent admits lack the foundational math skills.

And the argument is not about whether or not high schools today as a whole prepare kids better or worse than in the 80s.

The issue is Harvard is admitted more and more academically underqualified students than ever.

It’s hardly that simple. High schools are not preparing kids well AND there are lower academic standards for admissions.

That wouldn't explain why MIT and a few others are getting all the top kids. It's definitely more about the selection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just read the report. The numbers are astonishing:

- the median GPA went from 3.29 in 1985 to 3.49 in 2005 to 3.83 in 2025!
- the percentage of A grades went from 25 in 2005 to over 60 percent in 2025.

Well in the 80s , 30 percent of applicants were given admissions offers: now it’s like 3 percent. The number of AP courses has also gone up.

My freshman college student is definitely way more prepared entering college than I was (I didn’t go to Harvard )- they are much more prepared and should be getting more As than I did


Whoever thinks high school in the 80s and 90s was better preparing kids for college is crazy

Where did you get the Harvard admissions number from the 80s?? It's completely inaccurate and overinflated. It was more in the teens. Students are definitely less prepared for college and have many, many more distractions.

Yes. Your number is off. My graduation year of high school 1990 acceptance rate at Harvard was 11%. Not 30%. 30% were some of the other ivies.

I think some of the ultra low acceptance rates nowadays is driven by applicants with no chance of getting in. I don’t remember anyone except the very top students applying to places like that in the 80s/90s. My spouse was a double Harvard legacy, had excellent grades, a very top SAT score, lots of ECs and was an excellent varsity athlete (played in college). Flat out rejected from Harvard in the late 80s.

Partly this, but also partly because grade inflation + rescaling and redesign of the SAT has created way more 4.0+ GPAs and 1500+ SAT scores. A lot of these kids cannot be distinguished from one another by metrics alone. If a kid has the metrics, you can't blame them for trying!

Right? There is another thread on here where the parent says her DD is not studious and asks what type of college she should go to. Then revealed the DD has like a 34 ACT and 3.9uw GPA. The parent correctly identified the DD as not a good fit for schools like Harvard (I think the DD, herself, wanted more of a party school), but meanwhile plenty of kids with these type of stats ARE applying to Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. Harvard had admitted more unqualified candidates in an effort to diversify and now we are seeing remedial math as a course option.
2. Many “highly qualified” on paper candidates are underprepared for failure. They worked hard in HS and got straight As and cannot fathom why the same isn’t happening in college. Witnessed this first hand with DC at different school and it took the whole first year to normalize to the different standards/grading of college.
3. Many top students were driven by parents micromanaging every aspect of their lives in HS and now. They are struggling to juggle work and life on their own with their parents.
4. Grade inflation in HS is very real and sometimes candidates look far better on paper than what they actually are capable of doing IRL.
5. This is a very dramatic generation of kids who obsess about mental health/focus on their levels of victimhood. DD is constantly “stressed out” and how life is so hard. I think she’s finally starting to grow up a little and has toned that down, but HS/freshman year of college was tough in terms of her perception of her personal hardship level.
6. Many expect to get to Harvard to network. They’ve worked hard in HS and the big hurdle was just getting in. Their perception of expectations is different than reality and that can be quite a shock.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this. I really appreciate it.

Can anyone recommend a YouTube video that walks kids through this? Like something a kid could watch over the summer, before they start at a T20 school?

I relate to much of what PP posted. I was woefully underprepared for the experience of going to a T10 college with such smart and driven kids. It took me a full year to adjust due to a mix of immaturity (mostly) and cluelessness. It was rough on both my mental health and GPA, but it forced me to grow up and develop resilience that has served me well ever since!

Thankfully, DS knows this story and won’t be caught unaware if he winds up at a college that challenges then beyond what he’s experienced in high school. Even so, he likes to be as prepared as possible for things, and I know he’d rather hear it from someone other than his father.

Ideal: A 20 minute YouTube video narrated by a smart, relatable college kid. Something like, “Guide to first year in college: What I wish I knew then”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harvard never had MA5 remedial math until recently. Why? Because they discovered that many recent admits lack the foundational math skills.

And the argument is not about whether or not high schools today as a whole prepare kids better or worse than in the 80s.

The issue is Harvard is admitted more and more academically underqualified students than ever.

MA 5 is calc 1. Not remedial at most schools.