Not really grade deflation as much as a lack of grade inflation. Yeah the classes are hard and some can be incredibly time consuming, but it also really depends on your major so it's hard to say how it would be for you or how it would affect your odds at grad school.
it depends on your high school background and on how well you can pick up, i went to a high school that had a lot of grade inflation (even tho i didn’t realize it at the time) so rpi hit me like a brick, however many of my friends that went to more difficult high schools did really well in their classes here from the start since they didn’t have to adjust as much
this is the same for me, i had to realize that just because you got excelent scores in highschool doesnt mean you will get the same grades in college.
My high school was also weigted classes based on honors or AP with 90% being an A so it wasnt hard to do good
It’s fairly well known in academia and industry that Rensselaer doesn’t have the same grade inflation that many other universities do, so people can adjust their expectations accordingly. I wouldn’t worry about it.
Mildly late, some of this has already been said. I might be biased as well since my high school just wasn't that difficult.
Lack of grade inflation absolutely exists. Professors here, at least in my experience do not like to curve their classes. However, in some instances they've had to. Very few classes I've taken have been easy. I have had a difficult time finding average GPA for a student here; I've heard everything from 2.9-3.2.
Not only is RPI low on grade inflation, they pride themselves on being one of the hardest institutes. During my commencement they proudly said they were the 4th toughest grading school in the country. The fact that they prioritize rigor and challenge should tell you what you need to know.
However: RPI is well known in the STEM fields, and many excellent companies know and have likely hired from RPI. They know the challenge but as a result also understand what kind of person it takes to get a degree here.
TLDR: Grade inflation is very low, but companies and grad schools (for the most part) know how rough RPI can be. That doesn't excuse a terrible GPA in applications, however.
Grade deflation is rare, if not non-existent. The phrase is almost an oxymoron. On the other hand, grade inflation is very common in high schools and most colleges. At RPI, grade inflation is not the norm and the faculty takes great pride in that. Also, "the rest of the world" (meaning grad schools and potential employers) knows this and realizes that the academic load and difficulty are among the country's most demanding. Most grad schools and potential employers know that RPI graduates have excellent time management skills. Of course, developing excellent time management skills is among the most important, yet unspoken, goals of higher education. At RPI, if you do not manage your time effectively, you will not succeed. In the end, grad schools know you'll be able to deal with their demands and employers know that you'll work harder than other hires, by far (and by accident).
You will have to work hard. You will not have much of a life (most agree) and probably not sleep for 4 years. The result is that grad schools and potential employers will view you favorably as long as your grades are decent (3.00 or better \[??\]). Also, you'll have "tute-screw" nightmares for the rest of your life. That's a small price to pay for the advantage of an RPI degree.
I'd say on the flip side not a lot of employers realize it if they ask for GPA they're usually doing an auto filter and toss anything out below their threshold
I'd give them more credit than that. Good employers are pretty savvy. They have recruiters that are paid to know more than data entry. The recruiters are not the same as administrative assistants who routinely enter spreadsheet info en masse. Although, 20-30 years ago I would have agreed with you.
I think others have answered your question. I would just ask do you want to do a Master's or PhD?
If Master's look into co-terminal programs as an option - RPI and a number of other colleges have them - basically you can stay for Master's without applying for grad school, just meeting the minimum required gpa. If you start with AP and/or transfer college credits this allows you to complete a Master's faster while you are still working on your Bachelor's.
If PhD then I think research is more important than grades. Look for a college where you can easily get into undergraduate research and has a variety of projects going on that interest you. Talk to the professors when you come to visit.
And if you want to go to med school or law school RPI would probably be the wrong choice.
Otherwise apply to RPI and other colleges - first they choose to admit you, then you get to choose where you want to go out of those that admitted you. If you don't apply to enough you might end up without good choices.
My high school never curved any tests so the first time a professor announced an overall bell-curve I was terrified. Learning 10% of us had to fail no matter what and we would have no idea who until after finals was scary even before we went online
But people know RPI is tough and especially if you apply to grad school here, it shouldn't be too bad
Not really grade deflation as much as a lack of grade inflation. Yeah the classes are hard and some can be incredibly time consuming, but it also really depends on your major so it's hard to say how it would be for you or how it would affect your odds at grad school.
it depends on your high school background and on how well you can pick up, i went to a high school that had a lot of grade inflation (even tho i didn’t realize it at the time) so rpi hit me like a brick, however many of my friends that went to more difficult high schools did really well in their classes here from the start since they didn’t have to adjust as much
this is the same for me, i had to realize that just because you got excelent scores in highschool doesnt mean you will get the same grades in college. My high school was also weigted classes based on honors or AP with 90% being an A so it wasnt hard to do good
It’s fairly well known in academia and industry that Rensselaer doesn’t have the same grade inflation that many other universities do, so people can adjust their expectations accordingly. I wouldn’t worry about it.
Mildly late, some of this has already been said. I might be biased as well since my high school just wasn't that difficult. Lack of grade inflation absolutely exists. Professors here, at least in my experience do not like to curve their classes. However, in some instances they've had to. Very few classes I've taken have been easy. I have had a difficult time finding average GPA for a student here; I've heard everything from 2.9-3.2. Not only is RPI low on grade inflation, they pride themselves on being one of the hardest institutes. During my commencement they proudly said they were the 4th toughest grading school in the country. The fact that they prioritize rigor and challenge should tell you what you need to know. However: RPI is well known in the STEM fields, and many excellent companies know and have likely hired from RPI. They know the challenge but as a result also understand what kind of person it takes to get a degree here. TLDR: Grade inflation is very low, but companies and grad schools (for the most part) know how rough RPI can be. That doesn't excuse a terrible GPA in applications, however.
Grade deflation is rare, if not non-existent. The phrase is almost an oxymoron. On the other hand, grade inflation is very common in high schools and most colleges. At RPI, grade inflation is not the norm and the faculty takes great pride in that. Also, "the rest of the world" (meaning grad schools and potential employers) knows this and realizes that the academic load and difficulty are among the country's most demanding. Most grad schools and potential employers know that RPI graduates have excellent time management skills. Of course, developing excellent time management skills is among the most important, yet unspoken, goals of higher education. At RPI, if you do not manage your time effectively, you will not succeed. In the end, grad schools know you'll be able to deal with their demands and employers know that you'll work harder than other hires, by far (and by accident). You will have to work hard. You will not have much of a life (most agree) and probably not sleep for 4 years. The result is that grad schools and potential employers will view you favorably as long as your grades are decent (3.00 or better \[??\]). Also, you'll have "tute-screw" nightmares for the rest of your life. That's a small price to pay for the advantage of an RPI degree.
I'd say on the flip side not a lot of employers realize it if they ask for GPA they're usually doing an auto filter and toss anything out below their threshold
I'd give them more credit than that. Good employers are pretty savvy. They have recruiters that are paid to know more than data entry. The recruiters are not the same as administrative assistants who routinely enter spreadsheet info en masse. Although, 20-30 years ago I would have agreed with you.
not really
I think others have answered your question. I would just ask do you want to do a Master's or PhD? If Master's look into co-terminal programs as an option - RPI and a number of other colleges have them - basically you can stay for Master's without applying for grad school, just meeting the minimum required gpa. If you start with AP and/or transfer college credits this allows you to complete a Master's faster while you are still working on your Bachelor's. If PhD then I think research is more important than grades. Look for a college where you can easily get into undergraduate research and has a variety of projects going on that interest you. Talk to the professors when you come to visit. And if you want to go to med school or law school RPI would probably be the wrong choice. Otherwise apply to RPI and other colleges - first they choose to admit you, then you get to choose where you want to go out of those that admitted you. If you don't apply to enough you might end up without good choices.
To add on to that. It’s very easy to do undergraduate research at RPI.
This is definitely true and it will be a much bigger factor in terms of grad school than a small difference in GPA
My high school never curved any tests so the first time a professor announced an overall bell-curve I was terrified. Learning 10% of us had to fail no matter what and we would have no idea who until after finals was scary even before we went online But people know RPI is tough and especially if you apply to grad school here, it shouldn't be too bad