Grade inflation at Ivy League universities has been a growing problem. Harvard University professor Harvey Mansfield was the first to report to the Boston Globe about the unrestrained grade inflation at the undergraduate college at Harvard. According to The Economist, Harvard’s average grade was a C+ in the 1950s, while now the median grade is an A-. Grades may be higher now than in the 1950s simply due to changing academic standards. Nevertheless, about half of Harvard students receive  As and 82 percent of them graduate with honors. A startling figure, which raises the question — why is it even called honors?

Although students may find this grading system appealing, it is detrimental to many students. With no way to differentiate one’s self, a possible employer will find it difficult to notice the difference between an average student and a star student, especially if that employer is unaware of the rampant grade inflation. The most qualified applicant might not always be the one that gets hired. If the employer does not know of the grade inflation, then Ivy League students have an unjustifiable advantage over students at schools that do not over inflate grades. Employers will compare the inflated grades from Ivy Leagues with those from non-Ivy Leagues, and favor students with a higher GPA. This advantage results in disgruntled non-Ivy League students, cynicism and employers slowly losing faith in grades as indicative factors of applicant potential. Without the ability to distinguish students from one another, employers could resort to other methods of hiring that may not be fair — such as assessing applicants based on their personal connections.

In response to an article entitled “Don’t Send your Kid to the Ivy League,” by William Deresiewicz, Harvard professor Steven Pinker said the best solution to this dilemma is standardized testing. Although in theory standardized testing would resolve the issue on entirely meritocratic grounds, this is not always the case. As Professor Pinker admits, standardized test results highly correlate with socioeconomic status, as families with more money can afford the time and cost of studying. At the same time, it also seems unfair to set a nationwide quota on As given by each college. An A from MIT has different value than an A from the University of Massachusetts, which makes it difficult to compare the two. Perhaps a mix of greater emphasis on standardized testing and more interuniversity grading policies would lead to greater meritocratic hiring. In the meantime though, Ivy leagues could try to reduce grade inflation.

A version of this article appeared in the Wednesday, September 17 print issue. Email Vitto Bisin at [email protected].