[HexagonalKitten]

> My view is that higher education comes with the flexibility to apply it towards your own use

The problem is that your grades (the signal) depend on your success at the stretch-goal courses, not the signaling courses, meaning that the best strategy is to not take anything hard. If only the base classes counted to your grades you'd be free to stretch your mind without risking your expensive credential.

> and in any event, employers know the difference between the bird courses and the ones with real meat on the bones.

Some interviewers do, but I feel companies hire more blindly based on your GPA than that HR people actually dive in and weight your courses against other candidates.

> being taught higher math and physics for the same price as what my friends were paying for sociology and religion courses seemed like the ultimate cheat

Good attitude.

[nitrogen]

Are there any schools that use a 5.0 A (instead of 4.0) for harder classes? That might help encourage students to try harder classes.

[analog31]

I can't begin to imagine the politics that would erupt if a school had to classify easy and hard classes. I suppose it can be done at the K-12 level because there are already pre defined definitions such as "advanced placement."