Splitter 75%ile Forum

[Clearly]

ED to NU will be a waste if they keep the full ride on the table for ED admits. If you want NU just apply RD everywhere and be ready to change your app to UVA to ED if things move against you. Also, this:

Schools rationally shouldn't care about scores over the 75th, but they sure seem to.

Although yield protection at some schools flips this theory on its head. Look at the LSN graph for Penn.

http://penn.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats

My concern with this is that UVA will ding me before NU responds RD, in which case I'm not sure if I could request a reevaluation under ED, I've heard conflicting stories. I could RD everywhere day one, then wait to hear from NU before EDing UVA, but I'm not sure the ED would have the same impact later in the cycle as a day one ED application...

[Tiago Splitter]

I could RD everywhere day one, then wait to hear from NU before EDing UVA, but I'm not sure the ED would have the same impact later in the cycle as a day one ED application...

That's very true. ED to UVA loses its luster as the cycle goes on. But if you would strongly prefer a different school, it doesn't make sense to ED UVA. And depending on your work experience NU might be somewhat safe. Unfortunately their new ED situation, should it continue, sucks for applicants in your shoes.

[Samara]

Not sure about chances at admissions, but a score well above the 75th might increase scholarship offers since many schools use formulas to determine merit aid. Take Michigan, for example. Their 25th percentile for GPA is around a 3.6 and their 75th for LSAT is 170. Looking at Law School Numbers, a 3.6/170 will get you $30,000 in merit aid. A 3.6 and a 171 - 175 gets you something between $45 & $67,500 and everyone with a 176 and up got $67,500.

WUSTL has a similar system. For big splitters, I think the cutoff for $84k is 172 or 173. 170 gets you $60k, IIRC. Under 170 gets you little or none.

So, it can matter for scholarships, but once you're a point or two above the 75th, the marginal benefit of each additional point is very small.

Except I had a 2.7/168 and got $84k from WUSTL. I guess their standards are a-lowering.

Damn, nice. Did you have other factors? I was going off what I had seen on LSN, but I stopped looking after like Jan or Feb, so maybe it evened out.

[Wily]

Not sure about chances at admissions, but a score well above the 75th might increase scholarship offers since many schools use formulas to determine merit aid. Take Michigan, for example. Their 25th percentile for GPA is around a 3.6 and their 75th for LSAT is 170. Looking at Law School Numbers, a 3.6/170 will get you $30,000 in merit aid. A 3.6 and a 171 - 175 gets you something between $45 & $67,500 and everyone with a 176 and up got $67,500.

WUSTL has a similar system. For big splitters, I think the cutoff for $84k is 172 or 173. 170 gets you $60k, IIRC. Under 170 gets you little or none.

So, it can matter for scholarships, but once you're a point or two above the 75th, the marginal benefit of each additional point is very small.

Except I had a 2.7/168 and got $84k from WUSTL. I guess their standards are a-lowering.

Damn, nice. Did you have other factors? I was going off what I had seen on LSN, but I stopped looking after like Jan or Feb, so maybe it evened out.

I wrote an addendum explaining my low GPA, and had a few years of work experience, and went to Harvard undergrad. That's all I can think of. Not a URM. I also negotiated their scholarship upward from $60k to $84k using my $75k from GW.