Badgers2012 wrote:Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I'm just wondering, in general, if anyone knows why more schools aren't splitter friendly? It seems to me that if the schools takes an approximately even number of splitters and reverse-splitters it has the same effect on medians anyway? (I don't know how to really factor in for 25th and 75th % and how much weight that carries in comparison)
I think it just stems from the admissions philosophy present at a given institution (which probably comes from the dean). I mean why does NU care about work experience and other schools don't? Why does NU dip below 3.0 but others don't? Why do MVP dip below 3.5 whereas Berkeley/Duke don't?
While from a numerical standpoint you are right that schools could all out just gun for their medians, most schools do and have GPA/LSAT floors. It probably has to do with some belief that students below a certain number (e.g. 3.0) have a failing that makes it a bad idea to admit them or maybe that they don't like seeing a number less than 3.0 when the incoming class' GPA range is posted.
As for 25th and 75th... look at NU's and WUSTL's TTT 25th percentiles for GPA (they are the 2nd and 1st lowest respectively in the T19, using T19 just because I can). Another thing is that Duke/NU have identical medians yet NU has far lower 25ths (both GPA and LSAT) because they take splitters/reversesplitters and Duke does not.