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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]you mean to heaven?

Amherst is prelaw heavy, high GPA benefits kids who are shooting their shots at HYS law.[/quote]

Very pre-med heavy as well. My kid at Amherst works his @ss off for As in the most challenging STEM classes available to him. There is no coasting for him. But there are definitely kids who are adept at selecting the classes known to be easier. There are different ways to approach earning As for the kids worried about maintaining high GPAs.[/quote]

Asked DS, who's home now, about grade inflation. He said he was surprised that the curves in some of his classes his pretty low. He mentioned a 55 to get a B, not sure if that was consistent or for one particular assignment or test. Said he strives for high As, regardless of the curve, because he assumes that will help him with recommendation letters, and that's why he works so hard. He's also a perfectionist who likes to challenge himself. So I suppose there could be a discussion about curve determination? This is just anecdata of course.

I also wonder if the high proportion of FGLI and recruited athletes (55% of the current freshman class) hasn't resulted in pressure to adjust to a softer grading system, in order to maintain the excellent grad placement outcomes for which Amherst is known.[/quote]
Wait, Amherst has curves for its tiny courses?! That's bizarre. You wouldn't expect a curve if the classroom culture is small and focused. Curves are to separate the memorizers from the masters in a large classroom space where that isn't obvious and you have a lot of noise (average students), but at a tiny college, most courses shouldn't be curved. The professors should have a great understanding of student knowledge and shift the dynamics of the course from that. This is really disheartening to hear.[/quote]

There are the larger STEM intro classes, so 90-ish students. Not sure what curves are like in upper-level courses.[/quote]

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