Go to a private college? You're a genius. True story!

Back in 1950, the average GPA of a college student in the United States was 2.52. That's right, your grandparents weren't too bright. You always knew there had to be a reason why they lied about walking seven miles uphill in a raging snowstorm to school. Now we know it was all probably a cover story to explain their shaky GPA.

GPAs at both public and private colleges generally rose in tandem until 1950. But, starting in 1950, something magical and wonderful started happening at private colleges: their GPAs started skyrocketing while public college kids' GPAs only rose marginally. Thank God, too, because you'd hate to see a private school student not get an advantage in life at some point.

According to a study by two researchers, Stuart Rojstaczer and Christopher Healy, GPAs at private colleges kept running wild until they finally reached the current average of 3.3. Public colleges tried to keep up--but fell short, at only 3.0. In short, public college professors padded grades--they just didn't pad them as much as a private college professor did. Or, put another way, there's nothing to say we're not all still 2.52 GPA students as a whole--but damned if all sides aren't going to lie enough to make us all seem brighter.

Private school people can't claim they're of a higher caliber. The researchers used only students of nearly identical makeup (SATs, backgrounds, income, etc.) from both public and private schools to help create the average.

The nifty little part of this all is that by having higher GPAs private school students are led to have a greater chance at being placed in medical schools, law schools, and PhD programs--just from admissions officers smitten by bigger GPA numbers. Likewise, such advanced degrees often lead to better employment prospects upon graduating (at least on the medical and law school front), with higher income and greater advancement. All, possibly, from a professor padding your grade. If professors held any more power, they might start levitating. 

Just don't tell your grandma all this. She might claim that with inflation her GPA was really a 10.97 all along.