Anonymous wrote:It seems that many students view gaining admission to Harvard as the ultimate achievement — they’ve already worked hard to prove themselves. As a result, some may feel they don’t need to maintain the same level of effort once they’re there. Several parents I’ve spoken with have expressed a similar sentiment: “Getting in is hard, but once you’re in, it’s easy.”
The above is a problem at many other colleges, not just Harvard or the Ivies. It's a shame for everyone at these colleges, because there are bright and hardworking kids there, but there are also kids who grifted their way into without ultra-high ability because they had extensive parental help, essay writers, expensive college counseling strategies, etc. In an academically rigorous environment, it would be obvious who these grifters were, and who were the actually brilliant hard-workers. In a grade inflated environment, the kids who were shoehorned in can fly under the radar and get their degree and high GPA. When these kids hit the job market, they drag down the reputation of the schools because it's clear they are just average.
My university was notorious for grade deflation back in the day, and that was okay with me because it was well known by employers and graduate schools. If I were a hardworking student at any of the top schools today, I would not be happy with grade inflation because my achievements wouldn't be valued.