Boalt class rank approximation thread Forum

[Anonymous User]

Re: the transfer's grades from 2011 just above, I had similar grades this year (not a transfer) and only am in top 25%. As a point of clarification, you can never know if you are in the top X% for a given semester, because they will only tell you results by year (and of course, per honor code, you may only use it on academic or clerkship apps). You'd also end up finding out if you are in the top 10% over the course of the entire 3 years if you get Order of the Coif.

On a related note, I did just look at MyFinAid online and saw that Boalt is giving me a grant this year. They didn't send me any notification of it, so I have no idea *why* they are giving me a grant (not that I mind, but I'm super surprised). Anyone know if this is some kind of class-wide thing or whether I can track it to grades or financial hardship or...? My financial situation has not changed really (and I didn't get a grant before) but my grades are slightly better.

Are you saying you had an equal HH/H unit spread and were in the Top 25% and NOT the Top 10%? What class year were you?

Not equal, but as I said, similar. I had an even spread of HH/H, but I also had 5 units of CR (for research assistant, journal, etc) so perhaps not as many graded units as people with a similar split, but that made it into the top 10. Obviously, I have no idea how close I was to top 10. I'm a rising 3L.

But were these 1L grades or 2L grades. Don't they not tell you until February for the previous year? The reason I ask is because of the 15% HH 2L curve versus the 10% HH 1L curve.

They were my 2L grades, so yeah, it's the softer curve, but this transfer was (obviously) talking about his/her 2L grades as well, so it is apples to apples. I was surprised by how early the info on distinctions was ready as well, since the website indicates this information is not available for many months after an academic year ends, but Kim emailed all of us (rising 3Ls at least) abut a month ago now saying our distinction info was available to request already if we wanted it (and reminding us, of course, of the honor code requirements). Clearly, the leeway they give themselves on the website is more than necessary. Although the distinction info for 1L year was available later (so this did seem really fast to me for 2L distinction info), it also outperformed the timeline predicted on the website.

[Anonymous User]

The website policy reflects the (old) clerkship hiring timeline. Since clerkship applications are the only professional context in which a student can divulge yearly distinctions, the administration tries to time the release to coincide with when students will start "needing" that info. Until recently, pretty much no judges started accepting applications prior to February of 2L year. But that's changing, so the school's distinction timeline might change as well.