Originally Posted by Tallulah
Howler, go and read about some of those elite colleges and you'll be glad she didn't want to go. They can just be Lexington high school senior.
Originally Posted by aquinas
Also, remember that the grading system at the schools you listed is deliberately soft to encourage exploration and experimentation. There isn't the same pressure for GPA management as in high schools.
Quite a divergence of opinion about the elite colleges, but in a way you are both right.

My nephew recently graduated from Yale. His words were "It is hard to get an A, but much harder to get a C." If we extend that to the rest of the Ivies, then anyone admitted can get by with moderate effort, but excelling there takes real effort.

My experience is that MIT is in a different category, as just about everyone has to put in real effort.