Hardest Undergrad Schools (lowest GPA)

[happydays]

In your opinion, which are the hardest undergraduate schools to maintain a high GPA (>3.8)?

I've heard of BYU, Berkeley, and UMich, but I'm not sure if it's just a rumor.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[stifler]

depends on the major i think. like at my school if you look at latin honors ppl of them all only 2 were biochemistry majors and there are a decent amount of them at my school. i think humanities are bs when the gpa for the major has an average of 3.5/3.6 which is right on the line for cum laude.

so bitter at humanities majors

 

[sweetrts]

UC Berkeley for sure...unless you major in something requiring no science like mass communications or something.

 

[susan96]

I would have to cast a vote for Berkeley...no grade inflation, super competitive, cutthroat atmosphere. good prep for med school huh? (except for that low gpa I earned which totally screwed me) 😛

 

[phunkeyfantom]

I heard that Swathmore college is infamous for this very reason. Students sweat it out, no matter what major they're in just to get a C in a course. Swarthmore is so proud of its reputation that they even have a shirt that states "anywhere else it would have been an A.."

 

[jbm44]

BYU is very competitive and does not inflate grades in any way. All of the science, engineering, and business programs are top notch..Top 30 or 40 every year, not bad for a University in Provo, Utah...

 

[PublicEnemy]

I'm going to call out my school, Northwestern. Particularly in premed classes (bio and orgo) and engineering, BME, and ChemE, amongst some of the smartest people, doing some of the toughest stuff, with class averages on tests of 85% or better, yet class average is still set to a B- or C+, yes thats a 2.7 or 2.3.

Its weird how our school produces so many people that have gpas in the 3.1-3.3 range but with MCATS of 35 or better.

If you're an econ major however, different story though, great place to be.

 

[peetie]

BYU is very competitive and does not inflate grades in any way. All of the science, engineering, and business programs are top notch..Top 30 or 40 every year, not bad for a University in Provo, Utah...

Hmm... that's interesting - I seem to remember BYU being spitting distance away from losing their entire Science accredidation back in the late 90's. Doesn't sound too "top notch" to me.

The business program does kick butt - accounting too; I suppose I've heard a lot about the law school as well. Too bad all the football players either a) suck b) suck harder or c) are convicted of felonies we won't get into here.

 

[Centinel]

This thread is pointless.

Virtually everybody is going to say, "My school has NO grade inflation. Actually, it has hyper grade deflation, meaning that an F at my school is worth an A+ at every other American institution!!1"

A handful of people will say "My school is full of idiots and everybody gets an A."

And maybe, just maybe, one person will give you a less-biased opinion. This wheat will be lost in all the chaff.

 

[hopefulneuro]

depends on the major i think. like at my school if you look at latin honors ppl of them all only 2 were biochemistry majors and there are a decent amount of them at my school. i think humanities are bs when the gpa for the major has an average of 3.5/3.6 which is right on the line for cum laude.

so bitter at humanities majors

STFU. I am sick of everyone saying how easy humanities majors are. Those who do are often the ones who suck a$$ at the verbal section of the MCAT and complain about how damn hard it is. Being able to plug and chug or to memorize reaction mechanisms is not necessarily harder or easier than extracting the philosophy from a work of literature or understanding social structures. It's two different types of thinking that's involved.

As far as the grading in different majors is concerned, I'd be curious to see if there really is a difference. (What did you get in your freshman English stifler? ) Science classes usually have one correct, unwavering answer on test questions. Humanities is about absorbing, reflecting, reshaping, revising, and developing an idea into a coherent whole, and being able to convey one's understanding of that whole to someone else. Because of the highly personalized nature of this process there cannot be an absolute, correct answer. There are shades of correctness based on evidence of understanding. Thus, it could be argued that humanities courses are more difficult because one has to reason well enough to impress the teacher, rather than solve for angular acceleration which is found or not.

So, suck it up. You are not better than anyone because you study more or can name a gazillion compounds.

 

[PineappleGirl]

I've heard University of Chicago does not give out many As. Don't know how true this is, however. Perhaps someone there could verify this unsubstantiated rumoir.

 

[maddscientist]

STFU. I am sick of everyone saying how easy humanities majors are. Those who do are often the ones who suck a$$ at the verbal section of the MCAT and complain about how damn hard it is. Being able to plug and chug or to memorize reaction mechanisms is not necessarily harder or easier than extracting the philosophy from a work of literature or understanding social structures. It's two different types of thinking that's involved.

As far as the grading in different majors is concerned, I'd be curious to see if there really is a difference. (What did you get in your freshman English stifler? ) Science classes usually have one correct, unwavering answer on test questions. Humanities is about absorbing, reflecting, reshaping, revising, and developing an idea into a coherent whole, and being able to convey one's understanding of that whole to someone else. Because of the highly personalized nature of this process there cannot be an absolute, correct answer. There are shades of correctness based on evidence of understanding. Thus, it could be argued that humanities courses are more difficult because one has to reason well enough to impress the teacher, rather than solve for angular acceleration which is found or not.

So, suck it up. You are not better than anyone because you study more or can name a gazillion compounds.

Relax and just admit that it is WAY easier to get an A and especially a B in a humanities course as compared to a hard science course. All you have to do is read and regurgitate. Most instuctors are so stoked that you actually did the reading that they give you an A. When was the last time that you took a humanities course that had a curve? The verbal section of the MCAT is easy compared to the rest of the test and yes I did get A's in my softoss freshman english courses. I am suprised no engineering people have chimed up yet; they have it the worst.

 

[Centinel]

STFU. I am sick of everyone saying how easy humanities majors are. Those who do are often the ones who suck a$$ at the verbal section of the MCAT and complain about how damn hard it is. Being able to plug and chug or to memorize reaction mechanisms is not necessarily harder or easier than extracting the philosophy from a work of literature or understanding social structures. It's two different types of thinking that's involved.

As far as the grading in different majors is concerned, I'd be curious to see if there really is a difference. (What did you get in your freshman English stifler? ) Science classes usually have one correct, unwavering answer on test questions. Humanities is about absorbing, reflecting, reshaping, revising, and developing an idea into a coherent whole, and being able to convey one's understanding of that whole to someone else. Because of the highly personalized nature of this process there cannot be an absolute, correct answer. There are shades of correctness based on evidence of understanding. Thus, it could be argued that humanities courses are more difficult because one has to reason well enough to impress the teacher, rather than solve for angular acceleration which is found or not.

So, suck it up. You are not better than anyone because you study more or can name a gazillion compounds.

Once you get into complex enough science courses, the answers become much less quantitative.

An English professor can see the mental and technical processes that you employ when writing your essay. For an advanced enough science course where there may not be any one ideal answer, the science professor can see the same.

I don't think it's wise or fair to say that the sciences and the humanities require different modes of thought. Rather, memorization and problem solving are two different modes of thought (both of which are required to some degree for any area of study).

 

[Indryd]

Relax and just admit that it is WAY easier to get an A and especially a B in a humanities course as compared to a hard science course. All you have to do is read and regurgitate. Most instuctors are so stoked that you actually did the reading that they give you an A. When was the last time that you took a humanities course that had a curve? The verbal section of the MCAT is easy compared to the rest of the test and yes I did get A's in my softoss freshman english courses. I am suprised no engineering people have chimed up yet; they have it the worst.

Alright dammit...I'm doing both right now...in the final year of each. I am getting a BA and a BS, and most of the classes I have been taking lately are classes with all seniors and or grad students. Embryology, Advanced Mammalian Physio, Advanced Cell and Molec Bio, Biochem, none of these (NONE!) require half the work, creativity, critical thinking, or shifting away from "intuitive thinking" of any one of my Upper level lit classes.

You guys who are screaming how easy Humanities are, try writing a thesis on Ulysses that will be judged on an equal level with kids getting there PhD in early 20th century Irish Lit. I've done both the hard science and the crazy ambiguous lit, and I'm telling you, it's way easier competing with the PharmDs and Bio PhDs for an A in Embryology than writing at an A level in advanced lit courses.

To the guy who said he's taken lit and it's easy: just read and regurgitate: clearly you have not taken any lit classes with professors who give a f00k about what they are doing, because if you think you could get away with the teachers just being delighted that you did the reading you wouldn't make it through the first week of in-class writings in any upper level lit class at my Univ.

PS...and first I was a math major...wasted 2.5 years on it...got through advanced calc/linear algebra...did mega insane proofs...etc...even THAT was easier...imo.

 

[wowzer]

Alright dammit...I'm doing both right now...in the final year of each. I am getting a BA and a BS, and most of the classes I have been taking lately are classes with all seniors and or grad students. Embryology, Advanced Mammalian Physio, Advanced Cell and Molec Bio, Biochem, none of these (NONE!) require half the work, creativity, critical thinking, or shifting away from "intuitive thinking" of any one of my Upper level lit classes.

You guys who are screaming how easy Humanities are, try writing a thesis on Ulysses that will be judged on an equal level with kids getting there PhD in early 20th century Irish Lit. I've done both the hard science and the crazy ambiguous lit, and I'm telling you, it's way easier competing with the PharmDs and Bio PhDs for an A in Embryology than writing at an A level in advanced lit courses.

To the guy who said he's taken lit and it's easy: just read and regurgitate: clearly you have not taken any lit classes with professors who give a f00k about what they are doing, because if you think you could get away with the teachers just being delighted that you did the reading you wouldn't make it through the first week of in-class writings in any upper level lit class at my Univ.

PS...and first I was a math major...wasted 2.5 years on it...got through advanced calc/linear algebra...did mega insane proofs...etc...even THAT was easier...imo.

JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

 

[stifler]

STFU. I am sick of everyone saying how easy humanities majors are. Those who do are often the ones who suck a$$ at the verbal section of the MCAT and complain about how damn hard it is. Being able to plug and chug or to memorize reaction mechanisms is not necessarily harder or easier than extracting the philosophy from a work of literature or understanding social structures. It's two different types of thinking that's involved.

As far as the grading in different majors is concerned, I'd be curious to see if there really is a difference. (What did you get in your freshman English stifler? ) Science classes usually have one correct, unwavering answer on test questions. Humanities is about absorbing, reflecting, reshaping, revising, and developing an idea into a coherent whole, and being able to convey one's understanding of that whole to someone else. Because of the highly personalized nature of this process there cannot be an absolute, correct answer. There are shades of correctness based on evidence of understanding. Thus, it could be argued that humanities courses are more difficult because one has to reason well enough to impress the teacher, rather than solve for angular acceleration which is found or not.

So, suck it up. You are not better than anyone because you study more or can name a gazillion compounds.

so far ive taken 3 humanities courses (2 A's and 1 B). how about you give physical chemistry a run for its money? there is so much theory involved along with the calculations. btw when there is only one answer it more difficult to be correct than if there are multiple correct answers. just based on probability. oh wait that class is not enough of a challenge for you to take.

also, at my school i take 4 courses. last semester i had 21 hours of class for the same credits as a humanities majors taking 4 courses for 12 hours. there is no way those four courses assign 9 hours of reading each week every week. my roommate is a successful humanities major and he certaintly doesnt do that much reading. perhaps once every 2 weeks, but thats about it.

humanities are easier than sciences if you are decent at both. granted if i totally sucked at sciences then i would say humanities is easy. but i think im a fairly balanced person and i think sciences are significantly more difficult than humanities in terms of effort and analysis. i chose my path and im not exactly 100% pleased with it, but i sure know if i majored in sociology or government i would barely have to attend class.

 

[drguy22]

Rutgers is no walk in da park. 😎

 

[stifler]

Alright dammit...I'm doing both right now...in the final year of each. I am getting a BA and a BS, and most of the classes I have been taking lately are classes with all seniors and or grad students. Embryology, Advanced Mammalian Physio, Advanced Cell and Molec Bio, Biochem, none of these (NONE!) require half the work, creativity, critical thinking, or shifting away from "intuitive thinking" of any one of my Upper level lit classes.

You guys who are screaming how easy Humanities are, try writing a thesis on Ulysses that will be judged on an equal level with kids getting there PhD in early 20th century Irish Lit. I've done both the hard science and the crazy ambiguous lit, and I'm telling you, it's way easier competing with the PharmDs and Bio PhDs for an A in Embryology than writing at an A level in advanced lit courses.

To the guy who said he's taken lit and it's easy: just read and regurgitate: clearly you have not taken any lit classes with professors who give a f00k about what they are doing, because if you think you could get away with the teachers just being delighted that you did the reading you wouldn't make it through the first week of in-class writings in any upper level lit class at my Univ.

PS...and first I was a math major...wasted 2.5 years on it...got through advanced calc/linear algebra...did mega insane proofs...etc...even THAT was easier...imo.

i agree its very difficult to making sense and to bull**** from material that no one gives a damn about. just my two cents.

 

[Centinel]

I've heard that the following schools have NO grade inflation:

Central Oregon Community College
KU
UPenn
Tufts
Cal State Fullerton
Swarthmore
Texas Tech


This list has at least as much validity as any. 😱

 

[AxlxA]

Yea i totally agree that humanities are not easy. In fact, why do you think most of us went into science? Because we find it easier.

I would have to vouche for my school as well, Berkeley. Too cut throat. Try to get an A in a class like MCB102 with the average being a 64%.

Of course, all of those who went to Cal and applying to med schools were the ones getting the marginal A's so i feel privileged to be once again competing with my peers.
.... i hope you all die!!!! jk

 

[mynamewastaken]

U Penn was very very tough for me and many of my peers agreed.

I've heard that the following schools have NO grade inflation:

Central Oregon Community College
KU
UPenn
Tufts
Cal State Fullerton
Swarthmore
Texas Tech


This list has at least as much validity as any. 😱

 

[Indryd]

i agree its very difficult to making sense and to bull**** from material that no one gives a damn about. just my two cents.

Funny...compare your "I bet if I..." and "I'm sure if I..." to my "I did..."

In science classes, even the ones when I am competing with the grads, you are being TAUGHT science. Maybe you have to make a couple of leaps and bounds and a little independent thinking to come up with the answer that the prof already knows, but you are not cutting edge. Learn what the prof wants you to know and you get an A. End of story.

In upper level lit classes, if you don't come up with something the prof has never seen before (prof who is usually one of maybe top 50 in his or her field), something cutting edge and new and independent and creative, AND support it AND make it work with the texts AND write it perfectly AND make it interesting...forget about even getting a C.

 

[Indryd]

i agree its very difficult to making sense and to bull**** from material that no one gives a damn about. just my two cents.

Yeah you summed it up right there smart guy...smoking gun...knife in my heart.

I relent.

 

[stifler]

Funny...compare your "I bet if I..." and "I'm sure if I..." to my "I did..."

In science classes, even the ones when I am competing with the grads, you are being TAUGHT science. Maybe you have to make a couple of leaps and bounds and a little independent thinking to come up with the answer that the prof already knows, but you are not cutting edge. Learn what the prof wants you to know and you get an A. End of story.

In upper level lit classes, if you don't come up with something the prof has never seen before (prof who is usually one of maybe top 50 in his or her field), something cutting edge and new and independent and creative, AND support it AND make it work with the texts AND write it perfectly AND make it interesting...forget about even getting a C.

I flat out don't buy it. End of discussion. Go back to your circle jerk humanities buddies while reciting the Bard.

 

[Kazema]

I'd throw in CS (and ECE) programs at the big name schools like MIT, CMU, Berkeley, Caltech, UIUC, RPI, Cooper Union (from what I hear, especially so here), etc etc. At Cooper for example a 2.8 is considered a pretty good GPA.

At these programs, they don't teach you anything. They just throw insanely difficult assignments and projects at you and hope you have the initiative to learn everything on your own so that you can complete the projects. Of course, they don't tell you that when you're applying for these programs...

On the plus side, my friends tell me that they're glad they went through it because it's exactly how the work world works. On the negative side, it's absolute hell to go from high school right into that kind of environment. Very demoralizing if you're not ready for it.

In the last CS class I took before transferring out, the average for a D was a 45% (I shot for a D in most of my CS classes back then). I was 2 exam points from passing the course - and I had scored a 7% on the midterm. Yes, I suppose this is grade inflation, but that was due to how ****ing hard the class was. If they used the regular 90%-80%-70%-60% scale half the class would've failed.

 

[Centinel]

U Penn was very very tough for me and many of my peers agreed.

My point wasn't to say that these schools weren't tough. I'm just throwing out a random assortment of schools, some of which will be considered bad, some average, and some great, in the hopes of getting people to realize that this debate is pointless.

 

[mynamewastaken]

oh, i agree....i was just giving my experience as an anectode. take it or leave it no difference to me. didn't mean to get off topic though.

My point wasn't to say that these schools weren't tough. I'm just throwing out a random assortment of schools, some of which will be considered bad, some average, and some great, in the hopes of getting people to realize that this debate is pointless.

 

[DrBowtie]

This thread is pointless.

Virtually everybody is going to say, "My school has NO grade inflation. Actually, it has hyper grade deflation, meaning that an F at my school is worth an A+ at every other American institution!!1"

A handful of people will say "My school is full of idiots and everybody gets an A."

And maybe, just maybe, one person will give you a less-biased opinion. This wheat will be lost in all the chaff.

I agree. Just close it now before it gets ugly.

 

[Zephyrus]

Caltech/MIT get my vote as most difficult, with Swarthmore and Chicago ("where fun goes to die") close behind.


As for my school: Duke is massively grade-inflated in the humanities but the science departments are tough (B-/C+ medians), although not unreasonably so.

Z

 

[Will Ferrell]

JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

Hell yea. Close the thread.

 

[rugirlie]

Yea, this thread probably should be closed but of course, I gotta throw in my two cents first...

Ok, I just need to second that this argument is all relative... No one and I mean no one can compare unless they are comparing two institutions, both of which they've gone to and taken the same courses at. And just because you went to a top notch private school or a public state school does NOT mean you can generalize for all state schools or private schools.... For example, I have a good friend at Wharton right now and he told me that on average, in his classes, pretty much 1/3 of the class gets A's, a 1/2 B's and a 1/6 C's.. I even put down my own state school first and was like I'm sure we're inflated much more than here and he disagreed with me... but how would either of us really know? I mean I didn't think RU was too hard to do well at but drguy seems to think so... basically, this is all relative and a pointless thread...

As far as the debate of humanities versus sciences, I take offense to both sides... Both are challenging and hard work... to the poster who talked about writing a thesis in lit, don't even tell me writing a thesis in sci is easier... One of my best friends did her thesis on french philosophers from the 18th century and I found it very interesting and complex.. however, she did all this in like 7 months... reading for her research and then writing her thesis... I spent 2 years of lab research, original, and ndependent thought directed project, where I had to constantly examine what experiemnts I should do to progress and what they would show or not show, over and over, coming up with new ways to test the latest results.. and THEN i had to write all of that up in a clear and intelligent way... Both are just as challenging, so no more of this humanities versus science debate cuz its crap.

 

[DrBowtie]

People are different. For some engineering might be harder than english or vice versa. Also, there is a good deal of variation based on teacher, grading scale, book, tests that can affect the outcome (GPA) so you can't really compare that either. There is just no possible way to definitively say what schools are harder than others.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

SDN never ceases to amaze me. Please people, do some homework!

Grade Inflation

 

[Phil Anthropist]

These threads tend to tend to turn ugly and pointless, but I avoid closing threads unless I really feel the need to do so.

I'll leave it open for now, because it hasn't devolved enough...yet 🙄

You're welcome to continue beating the dead horse, but at least keep the discussion civil.

 

[_ian]

In your opinion, which are the hardest undergraduate schools to maintain a high GPA (>3.8)?

I've heard of BYU, Berkeley, and UMich, but I'm not sure if it's just a rumor.

UMich had 10% of its students in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts graduate with 3.782 or higher in May 2004. Historical averages for most first and second year chem, physics, and math courses are B-/B. Your call whether that is difficult or not.

 

[hmgcoa]

Berkeley.

Here's something funny...

When I was a freshman, a few guys in our dorm were taking a math class (for those who would know: Math 55) where the prof was insanely hard. On the exams, he would give you +1 pt if you got the correct answer, a -1 pt if you got an incorrect answer, and 0 pts if you just left it blank. It turned out, after 2 rounds of midterms, the exam mean was a NEGATIVE number. The professor didn't really seem to care until people complained that there were actually students who turned in a blank exam who ended up getting above mean ... (ie. a score of a 0).
One of the only times the school got involved and allowed students to change their grading option (from letter grade to pass/fail) after the deadline. For those that were failing at the time...i guess it just sucked to be them...

UMich had 10% of its students in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts graduate with 3.782 or higher in May 2004. Your call whether that is difficult or not.

 

[mynamewastaken]

Just my two cents....I think where people are missing the intention of the OP is in the fact that grade inflation has little do with difficulty of a school. The original post asked if there are specific schools where being premed is relatively more difficult than others, and what schools have low average GPA's....those are two different questions as far as I can tell. Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but i do believe that average GPA's at every school in this country are somewhat stable. Regardless of this, that information seems irrelevant to getting into med school. Some students will do well anywhere and others will not so it's up to you to then choose a school where you believe you can excel. No matter where you go acceptance statistics to med schools are pretty consistent...the exception may be if you graduated from a Top 10 or so school you may get a bit of leeway as it seems. Along those lines, the post about Top schools and difficulty has been beaten ad nauseum and is a separate issue from the inflation topic. If you do well anywhere you will get into medical school so don't fret. Grade inflation probably does exist at some Ivy's and other top schools...it also probably exists at some community and state colleges....but it doesn't mean either of the premeds are any less capable and the students are undeserving....regardless of personal opinion and bitterness towards this topic, on the whole, students at Top schools are gonna do well anywehere and it's just simple fact they were stellar high school students...maybe a kid at princeton didn't "work" as hard for his A in organic chem...but that class is filled to the brim with kids who would still get an A anywhere else and had >1500 SAT scores....inflated doesn't mean easier. Agreeing with a previous post; It is all relative. Although this is just my own personal experience and I in now way mean or intend to generalize by using it....having taken science classes (in one instance the same class) at one upper tier private school and the next year at an Ivy....the material, the depth, the difficulty, the competition, the exams, and the faculty simply cannot be compared. The Ivy was materialistically more difficult and it was harder to get average grades for me... Just my experience. Many kids at the Ivy got A's...I was not one of them...I tried as hard as I could and could not get an A....I did with ease at my previous school though....just my piece.

 

[Centinel]

My resolution:

You can't compare GPAs from two schools directly in a meaningful manner. You can't compare two GPAs from the same school from different majors. You can't even compare two GPAs from the same school from within the same major because the course difficulty may have been different.

We need to start tracking the grades given by every teacher at every school over time. Only then (and with a lot of calculation) can we say that somebody's GPA is more meaningful than another's.

Or we could all have a beer.

"It's beer o'clock. I'm buying!"
- Memento

 

[Indryd]

As far as the debate of humanities versus sciences, I take offense to both sides... Both are challenging and hard work... to the poster who talked about writing a thesis in lit, don't even tell me writing a thesis in sci is easier... One of my best friends did her thesis on french philosophers from the 18th century and I found it very interesting and complex.. however, she did all this in like 7 months... reading for her research and then writing her thesis... I spent 2 years of lab research, original, and ndependent thought directed project, where I had to constantly examine what experiemnts I should do to progress and what they would show or not show, over and over, coming up with new ways to test the latest results.. and THEN i had to write all of that up in a clear and intelligent way... Both are just as challenging, so no more of this humanities versus science debate cuz its crap.

So you did a thesis that took you two years+ for an undergrad science class? WHat class was that? Crazy. I'm thinking most BS students aren't doing that. Maybe if they do it's an Honors thing or a kind of thing where they turn in one at the end. I haven't had to write jack for any of my science classes in my BS. However, for my BA, I have turned in 500+ pages of top-notch sheeyat to be tops. In the last 2 years I have written 10 thesis papers of 20 pages or more just for my regular classes...this is not some grand finale to complete my degree...just run of the mill sheeyat.

Lit major>>>>work than either Mathematics or Bio undergrad.

 

[rugirlie]

So you did a thesis that took you two years+ for an undergrad science class? WHat class was that? Crazy. I'm thinking most BS students aren't doing that. Maybe if they do it's an Honors thing or a kind of thing where they turn in one at the end. I haven't had to write jack for any of my science classes in my BS. However, for my BA, I have turned in 500+ pages of top-notch sheeyat to be tops. In the last 2 years I have written 10 thesis papers of 20 pages or more just for my regular classes...this is not some grand finale to complete my degree...just run of the mill sheeyat.

Lit major>>>>work than either Mathematics or Bio undergrad.

I'm not even going to bother debating what you just said.... its your personal experience just like mine is mine... my point was simply to state that you shouldn't generalize to all sci majors and lit majors... I'm man (well woman) enough to say that I can't really declare one is harder than the other despite whether I'd want to or not, but I see you're not of the same mindset.

 

[hnbui]

uchicago
mit
caltech
reed
berkeley
cornell

 

[riceman04]

BYU is very competitive and does not inflate grades in any way. All of the science, engineering, and business programs are top notch..Top 30 or 40 every year, not bad for a University in Provo, Utah...

Edited by Phil Anthropist: Please refrain from attacking other religions.

 

[byeh2004]

Once you get into complex enough science courses, the answers become much less quantitative.

An English professor can see the mental and technical processes that you employ when writing your essay. For an advanced enough science course where there may not be any one ideal answer, the science professor can see the same.

I don't think it's wise or fair to say that the sciences and the humanities require different modes of thought. Rather, memorization and problem solving are two different modes of thought (both of which are required to some degree for any area of study).

I think the issue between the difficulty of humanities and science classes are purely subjective. Not one or the other is officially easier or harder than another.

 

[byeh2004]

Is harvard a hard undergrad for premeds?

 

[sunnyjohn]

These threads tend to tend to turn ugly and pointless, but I avoid closing threads unless I really feel the need to do so.

I'll leave it open for now, because it hasn't devolved enough...yet 🙄

You're welcome to continue beating the dead horse, but at least keep the discussion civil.

 

[riceman04]

SDN never ceases to amaze me. Please people, do some homework!

Grade Inflation

Ummmm....so I have taken an upper level science course at UofH and it is easy as hell! No studying whatsoever got me an A! Go figure! But if you notice UofH (houston) is low on the grade inflation scale.....I would normally brush my experience as being very rare, but the truth is that all my friends from Rice have had an easy experience taking "hard" classes at UofH (Houston).

Sooooooooooo that graph does not give a true understanding of the difficulty in obtaining a high gpa a specific universities. Sam Houston.......who?....... 😕 ......another easy ass school, but low on that grade inflation graph.

But if you combine that graph with knowledge of which schools are known to be (overall) challenging then you are getting somewhere (in terms of understanding which schools make it the most difficult to obtain a high GPA)

 

[sunnyjohn]

Edited by Phil Anthropist: Please refrain from attacking other religions.

Although the Theological doctrine of the Mormon church has in the past been very unkind to persons of colour, I do not think it fair to say this.

Modern-day members of the CJC of LDS HAVE tried to make amends and reach out to all groups.

Remember, not to long ago the Baptist, Methodists, Anglicans and the Catholics weren't too fond of non-white people either.

 

[riceman04]

Although the Theological doctrine of the Mormon church has in the past been very unkind to persons of colour, I do not think it fair to say this.

Modern-day members of the CJC of LDS HAVE tried to make amends and reach out to all groups.

Remember, not to long ago the Baptist, Methodists, Anglicans and the Catholics weren't too fond of non-white people either.

tru dat! tru dat!

 

[DrBowtie]

Ummmm....so I have taken an upper level science course at UofH and it is easy as hell! No studying whatsoever got me an A! Go figure! But if you notice UofH (houston) is low on the grade inflation scale.....I would normally brush my experience as being very rare, but the truth is that all my friends from Rice have had an easy experience taking "hard" classes at UofH (Houston).

Sooooooooooo that graph does not give a true understanding of the difficulty in obtaining a high gpa a specific universities. Sam Houston.......who?....... 😕 ......another easy ass school, but low on that grade inflation graph.

But if you combine that graph with knowledge of which schools are known to be (overall) challenging then you are getting somewhere (in terms of understanding which schools make it the most difficult to obtain a high GPA)

It wouldn't necessarily mean it was harder only that the A you got was the same as the A someone 4 years ago got.

 

[DemonDeacon]

Wake Forest University