I think employers and graduate schools have raised the stakes around GPA to be too high. Here's a thought experiment, should employers just punish prospective h

I think employers and graduate schools have raised the stakes around GPA to be too high. Here's a thought experiment, should employers just punish prospective hires who have above a 3.9 GPA without demonstrating exceptionally difficult coursework? To me, this is similar to Lebron James trying to go 3/3 from the field with 2 assists and no turnovers. Anyone with that high of a GPA in my mind did not seek to challenge themselves through taking the most difficult subjects, i.e. they maximized credentials over learning. Elite schools then become worried that students won't get the best jobs, so they add easier classes to ensure GPA averages stay similar to comparable schools. Overall, this produces a worse "real" educational outcome. Companies should start asking interviewees with a 4.0 GPA, "Why didn't you challenge yourself?" Medical schools should add 0.5 points to biomedical engineering degrees, etc. I think these actions have a much higher correlation to grade inflation than a couple students getting accepted due to a large donation.