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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous] landscape has changed and how little Larlo, with his mostly As and Bs, isn't getting into Harvard, despite his part time job and recreational sports.[/quote]

There is a modern culture of grade inflation and participation trophies.  I remember students getting A's in the second- or third-hardest calculus class, and joining the National Honor Society.  Big deal.

There are around 12 million undergrads enrolled in four-year colleges, but only around 300K at the Top 25 schools, or 2.5%.  This percentage might be a little higher if we eliminate part-time and online enrollment.  But still, a few generations ago, high schools and colleges actually gave C's.  The SAT has been rescaled to make high scores easier.  In 1985, the average SAT score at University of Maryland was 1110; it is now 1380.

High Schools graduate around 600 students per year.   That makes only 15 top 2.5% students.  That would be an above-average student in the hardest math class, or hardest Advanced Placement English, science, etc.  Is your kid really at that level?

This is actually good news, because at one time, Ivy League schools took a large percentage of students from rich high schools.  They selected on wealth and privilege instead of academic ability.  There are now more students applying, which makes it more competitive.  Fortunately, professors teach the same stuff at Ivy League schools and public universities.  There are thousands of four-year colleges in the U.S., and you can get a good education at many.

[/quote]

I’ve found grade inflation is actually the easiest part of the situation for the old-timers to understand. It’s the inflation of the whole system that boggles the mind. The students admitted to Ivies today have accomplished more before they set foot on campus than the Ivy students of 50 years ago accomplished by the time they graduated. [/quote]

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