How Formulaic - It's Only Numbers Forum

[danquayle]

I think you may be interpreting the data wrong: the fact that only people with at least something above a median are getting in doesn't necessarily mean that the softs don't matter. After all, not everybody who's above-median gets in. So which people with great numbers are getting right now? People with good softs, too. The people with great numbers but poorly written applications, no work experience, etc., are still in limbo, just like the people with poor numbers.

So it's not ONLY numbers. It's just dependent on numbers to a large extent.

You are looking at this wrongly as well.

There are some numbers that make you auto admit even with shitty softs, and a poor application.

There are some numbers that make you auto deny.

And there are some numbers were softs matter.

Agreed.

Though, I'd imagine there are certain "super" softs which will have a larger influence on decisions that other softs. But those are so exceptional they're probably handled on a case by case discussion, such that I don't think they merit discussion here.

[applepiecrust]

At this stage of the cycle, I am curious to know who, if anyone, and where someone has received an acceptance at a school where the applicant is a non URM and below both medians? A great deal of time, effort and money is spent working on and analyzing PS's, softs, etc. However, at least at this stage, I suspect it is a numbers game only and I suspect the responses to this thread will confirm it.

I thought I already just replied to this thread, but apparently not. Non-URM, in at Michigan with both numbers below median (but at/above 25th). But this was ED.

[cassidylane]

Not exactly what you're looking for, but with a 171/3.6 I should be auto-rejection at Harvard, but was placed on hold. I realize this is still probably an eventual rejection, but it does say something that I wasn't outright rejected, in my opinion. I sent in my app based on much higher practice LSATs and then didn't even think about it again until I received the hold email because I was so sure I'd be rejected.

edit: Not to incite anger, but a bunch of you have made claims similar to "there is no one getting in below the medians" but I mean....a median is a median....by nature half are below it! Maybe you meant no one below both medians ever gets in, which is totally plausible but still....HALF the people attending are by definition below the medians, and statistically speaking I don't think that entire half is comprised of URM at most schools. If I'm missing something feel free to fill me in.

[SG09]

I just searched LSN. I found 28 LSN users who were accepted at top 14 schools last cycle with both numbers below the medians and without any URM designation.

Here are those numbers for each school. (In parentheses are each respective school's total number of accepted applicants on LSN that cycle).

Yale - 3 (51)
Harvard - 4 (152)
Stanford - 0 (61)
Columbia - 3 (222)
Chicago - 3 (198)
NYU - 2 (329)
Berkeley - 10 (180)
Penn - 0 (180)
Michigan - 3 (269)
Virginia - 1 (189)
Duke - 1 (345)
Northwestern - 1 (157)
Cornell - 0 (231)
Georgetown - 0 (462)

I used the medians for the class of 2012, since that was the information that the applicants and admissions offices were working off of. Perhaps not surprisingly, Berkeley was the only school on that list whose median LSAT dropped and whose median GPA dropped more than .01 points. (I used this thread for a reference: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=128236)

[SG09]

By the way, here are the non-Berkeley profiles, in case anyone wants to contact these people or just figure out by looking at their information what helped them overcome their numbers.

Yale:
Saxonthebeach6 - 172/3.82
Smile - 171/3.75
Fingerscrossed27 - 158/3.84

Harvard:
SprangTyme - 171/3.85
enenoteen - 172/3.84
yahmoo2327 - 169/3.8
lizzerbie - 171/3.76

Columbia:
soccergirl2505 -171/3.7
redhead77 - 171/3.69
LRae - 171/3.67

Chicago:
EazyE - 170/3.7
Berkeleylove - 168/3.65
stopscreaming - 168/3.3

NYU:
2star - 170/3.65
forgottenman - 170/3.6

Michigan:
lukeskywalker - 168/3.63
BRUINWANG - 168/3.56
stopscreaming - 168/3.3

UVA:
soccer885 - 167/3.8

Duke:
stopscreaming - 168/3.3

Northwestern:
stopscreaming - 168/3.3

And here are the profiles for the Berkeley accepted applicants whose numbers are below their current medians:

berkeleyorbust - 165/3.71
insertwittyname - 166/3.67
iwantajd - 155/3.57

[09042014]

By the way, here are the non-Berkeley profiles, in case anyone wants to contact these people or just figure out by looking at their information what helped them overcome their numbers.

Yale:
Saxonthebeach6 - 172/3.82
Smile - 171/3.75
Fingerscrossed27 - 158/3.84

Harvard:
SprangTyme - 171/3.85
enenoteen - 172/3.84
yahmoo2327 - 169/3.8
lizzerbie - 171/3.76

Columbia:
soccergirl2505 -171/3.7
redhead77 - 171/3.69
LRae - 171/3.67

Chicago:
EazyE - 170/3.7
Berkeleylove - 168/3.65
stopscreaming - 168/3.3

NYU:
2star - 170/3.65
forgottenman - 170/3.6

Michigan:
lukeskywalker - 168/3.63
BRUINWANG - 168/3.56
stopscreaming - 168/3.3

UVA:
soccer885 - 167/3.8

Duke:
stopscreaming - 168/3.3

Northwestern:
stopscreaming - 168/3.3

And here are the profiles for the Berkeley accepted applicants whose numbers are below their current medians:

berkeleyorbust - 165/3.71
insertwittyname - 166/3.67
iwantajd - 155/3.57

I'd bet stopscreaming is a URM.

[neonx]

I got into Penn and UVA below both medians, non-URM, if it matters any. In my opinion, it's definitely not all about the numbers.

(Aside: I also got into Columbia, NYU, and Georgetown below their 25th LSAT; but I think the GPA helped.)

I'm interested in finding a non-URM who was admitted below both 25th.