evilgenius wrote:From what I've heard many schools stack sections with students that have similar scores (or receive merit scholarships, etc.) and base the grading curve on individual sections - not the entire 0L class. Thus, if a URM scored poorly on the LSAT, in many schools its unlikely that he/she will be in a section with a high scorer.
I'd also add that there are many articles written on the subject of URM admittance to law school vs. law school performance, etc. TLS doesn't seem like the appropriate source to get information on this topic. At most you'll get unsubstantiated opinions, anecdotes, and a few helpful (or unhelpful) links to information. So if you're genuinely curious, you should probably seek out answers elsewhere.
I have read that schools are NOT stacking students by numbers, and instead create sections according to a "blind lottery" just to avoid that perception. In the past, schools were doing it, but I believe most schools, particularly the more prestigious ones (arguable t50 and above), do not stack or match their students.
Furthermore, it is quite possible that most law students, regardless of demography, are mismatched for their schools because of the manner in which they choose them, i.e., I'm going to school X b/c it is ranked higher in USNWR. Nevermind that the rankings are highly flawed and do not take many important aspects of a school into account. Prestige should be important, as should job prospects, clerkships, pipeline to academia and "student quality". But culture, location, alumni networks, specialized programs, clinics, etc are equally important, as are the quality of the UG and other grad programs.
Moreover, student quality is measured by more than GPA/LSAT; it is intangible and cannot be discerned until one matriculates at a school. This is why schools like Northwestern, Arizona, W & L, W & M, Emory, Tulane, Pepperdine, Miami, and others get students excited. The students who pick such schools are well-qualified, diverse and multitalented, and seem to take a more holistic approach to the process and to their lives. The adcoms at those schools - and there are some in the t30 and above that also fit the mold - seem to do the same.
