My personal opinion is that grades are one aspect of a filter that decides which college and subsequently which network a certain individual will have access to. It has a high correlation with intelligence but not linked via causation.

Every generation has struggled with it, except now it’s discussed heavily on social media and other forums. Hence the impression that it’s unique to this generation.

Are there challenges today that didn’t exist for previous generations? Yes! Are they more complex compared to what the previous generations faced? No!

The real story is what has changed to increase the stakes of grades. I suspect freshmen are taking out historic debt to contend with food, housing, and tuition costs meanwhile the entry-level job market is extraordinarily competitive.

Money is the easy excuse.

The root of the problem is that many of them simply are not ready for college for a variety of reasons from parent coddling to defunded primary schools to the reduced ability to think abstractly and with foresight due to the lack of long-form reading.

I know on HN, every reflex is to blame money in one form or another. But there's plenty of blame to go around.

Famously places like china/india/japan/etc have extremely traumatic final exams. There was just an article about suicides from some kind of (indian?) final exam screw up.

It doesn't take much of a logical leap to associate it with the pressure put on the children taking the tests.

Presumably that kind of pressure ia coming to america.