New NYU Grading Forum

[takingmytime]

For those of you following the curve changes among the best law schools (SLS and HLS moving to systems similar to Yale), here is NYU's newest grading policy.

As you may know, after lengthy deliberation the faculty recently approved a new grading curve, effective immediately. All fall 2008 classes (including early seven week classes) will be graded using this curve. The new curve includes a number of innovations, including the introduction of an A+ grade. We believe that the new curve will more accurately represent the achievements of our students to the outside world.

Here it is:

Mandatory First Year Curve

A+: 0-2% (target = 1%)
A: 7-13% (target = 10%)
A-: 16-24% (target = 20%)
Maximum for A tier = 31%
B+: 22-30% (target = 26%)
Maximum grades above B = 57%
B: remainder
B-: 4-8% (target = 6%)
C/D/F: 0-5%


Advisory Upper Level Curve, for classes with 28 or more students

A+: 0-2% (target = 1%) (mandatory cap*)
A: 7-13% (target = 10%)
A-:16-24% (target = 20%)
Maximum for A tier = 31%
B+: 22-30% (target = 26%)
Maximum grades above B = 57%
B: remainder
B-:4-11% (target 7-8%)
C/D/F: 0-5%

* The cap on the A+ grade is mandatory for all classes, even those with fewer than 28 students. However, at least one A+ can be awarded in every class in the law school.

Edit: I wasn't sure what forum, so if it needs to be moved then so be it.

[silver11]

Law school grades confuse the hell out of me. With such a huge curve I just don't get what the median grade average is and how the "no grade" policies work.

[espresso]

Wow. I may not know much about law school grading, but that seems crazy to me. Basically: it's damn hard get below a 3.0

[M51]

It's damn hard to get below a 3.0 anywhere...
NYU's grading scale used to be harsher than CLS's.

Now, they'll have 5x-10x more A+s, 2x more As, and +50% more A-s than CLS's current system. And the corresponding - raw 10% Bs. This effectively shifts the top 40 NYU students in each grade category up to the next one until A, where only half of that, 20 people, move there. This also means that besides those 105 people who move up (40B + 40B+ + 20A- +5A = 105 people), everyone else's grades in comparison will suffer a bit... so in general, the top is being rewarded disporportionately to the bottm (especially people who typically get low Bs, but not B-s... they're the people most screwed).

It's a fairly big change, especially mid-semester. Gonna totally screw over all the 2Ls who don't yet have jobs, or who plan on getting clerkships in 3L year.... But, will help everyone who's a 1L this year and 1Ls next year, before the system balances itself and people adjust (since the entire school will be uniform the year after that).

[sweethotjustice]

I know this is a really old thread.

With that said - does anyone out there know what this sort of grade distribution translates to as far as median gpa/grade? Feel free to private msg me if you don't want to disclose online.

[nealric]

It's damn hard to get below a 3.0 anywhere...
NYU's grading scale used to be harsher than CLS's

That's not true. Some schools curve to as low as a 2.0. Even at T14 schools, totally slacking (or even a freak incident causing one bad grade) can cause sub 3.0 pwnage.

[YCrevolution]

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