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My understanding is that 3.3 is fairly consistent with UVA's peers. I suppose it's more generous than lower ranked schools which tend to curve around lower GPAs (I believe).GenericLawApplicant wrote:Found it on the TLS Wiki and on some posts on TLS about how UVA is less competitive.
http://www.top-law-schools.com/wiki/Uni ... ool_of_Law
WahooLaw24 wrote:My understanding is that 3.3 is fairly consistent with UVA's peers. I suppose it's more generous than lower ranked schools which tend to curve around lower GPAs (I believe).GenericLawApplicant wrote:Found it on the TLS Wiki and on some posts on TLS about how UVA is less competitive.
http://www.top-law-schools.com/wiki/Uni ... ool_of_Law
slight derail, but what's with all the angst over columbia's curve/competition on this forum? is CLS's curve especially brutal in some way?banjo wrote:UVA's curve was leaked accidentally, so we actually know a LOT about it: http://abovethelaw.com/2014/06/oops-top ... licants/2/
Median is apparently 3.405, which on first glance looks pretty high. I wouldn't be shocked if the upper class median (not the 1L median) at CLS was about the same though. The upper class curves, especially in seminars, are very generous.
But is the curve even relevant?Clearly wrote:WahooLaw24 wrote:My understanding is that 3.3 is fairly consistent with UVA's peers. I suppose it's more generous than lower ranked schools which tend to curve around lower GPAs (I believe).GenericLawApplicant wrote:Found it on the TLS Wiki and on some posts on TLS about how UVA is less competitive.
http://www.top-law-schools.com/wiki/Uni ... ool_of_Law
In general I think you're right. I have some federal job postings that will say things like "minimum 3.0 law school GPA", so I guess it would matter in that context.GenericLawApplicant wrote: All hiring is based on class rank, correct?
So even if I'm in a school with a more generous curve, wouldn't I be no better off than a school with a lower curve?
Yes, class rank is what employers really care about, but many top schools (UVA included) don't reveal class ranks. Employers have to guess based on the GPA. If the employer doesn't know the school well, they may be tricked into thinking that a high GPA = top ranked student, when it's really a result of a more generous curve.GenericLawApplicant wrote: But is the curve even relevant?
All hiring is based on class rank, correct?
So even if I'm in a school with a more generous curve, wouldn't I be no better off than a school with a lower curve?
This might make a difference if the employer isn't familiar with and doesn't normally hire from your school. However, if you're talking about BigLaw/law firms in general, this is completely wrong.swampman wrote:Yes, class rank is what employers really care about, but many top schools (UVA included) don't reveal class ranks. Employers have to guess based on the GPA. If the employer doesn't know the school well, they may be tricked into thinking that a high GPA = top ranked student, when it's really a result of a more generous curve.GenericLawApplicant wrote: But is the curve even relevant?
All hiring is based on class rank, correct?
So even if I'm in a school with a more generous curve, wouldn't I be no better off than a school with a lower curve?
But you're right, there aren't many situations where this is relevant and it shouldn't go into your decision when picking a school.
Yeah basically my understanding is the generous curve is helpful when you're school doesn't rank and when you're applying to a region that doesn't know your school well (but still respects your school for whatever reason).swampman wrote:Hence the part where I said "If the employer doesn't know the school well" and "there aren't many situations where this is relevant"
This is entirely incorrect, at least as far as law firm hiring goes. Firms know what the curve is, what the median is, etc. Plus, please explain to me how this works comparing Chicago and UVA? How can you possibly compare a school with a normal grading system vs a 160-186 grading system other than by knowing how grades are distributed.LA Spring wrote:For those schools that do not rank, a generous curve means the professors can hand out more A+; A; A-; B+…this is a very big deal. If a UVA applicant is up against someone from CCNP with B’s and the UVA applicant has a B+ and better, the advantage definitely goes to UVA.
I mentioned CLS because the OP asked about it. In reality I think the CLS curve is really generous. It also has only four real grades (A, A-, B+, B), so you pretty much never worry about ending up with a B-/C.dabigchina wrote:slight derail, but what's with all the angst over columbia's curve/competition on this forum? is CLS's curve especially brutal in some way?banjo wrote:UVA's curve was leaked accidentally, so we actually know a LOT about it: http://abovethelaw.com/2014/06/oops-top ... licants/2/
Median is apparently 3.405, which on first glance looks pretty high. I wouldn't be shocked if the upper class median (not the 1L median) at CLS was about the same though. The upper class curves, especially in seminars, are very generous.
WhooshLA Spring wrote:For those schools that do not rank, a generous curve means the professors can hand out more A+; A; A-; B+…this is a very big deal. If a UVA applicant is up against someone from CCNP with B’s and the UVA applicant has a B+ and better, the advantage definitely goes to UVA.
Yes, the mean GPA had to be between 3.25 and 3.35, it was up to the professor what breakdown to give. But only in rare instances was it materially different than what you'd see at other schools.Tiago Splitter wrote:There's a UVA grad who used to post here frequently who often complained about the curve there. Said that profs just had to have a certain median like 3.3 but that that meant they could give out more A's if they gave more C's. So if you don't do well you can end up with a few C's which tend to be rare at T-14s.
IncorrectLA Spring wrote:For those schools that do not rank, a generous curve means the professors can hand out more A+; A; A-; B+…this is a very big deal. If a UVA applicant is up against someone from CCNP with B’s and the UVA applicant has a B+ and better, the advantage definitely goes to UVA.
Both of those.DavidConeSplitter wrote:On the low end, is there a reason that TTT and TTTTs tend to have curves fixed at a lower GPA? Is it to capitalize on conditional scholarships, keep people near the top from transferring?
There shouldn't be anydabigchina wrote:slight derail, but what's with all the angst over columbia's curve/competition on this forum? is CLS's curve especially brutal in some way?banjo wrote:UVA's curve was leaked accidentally, so we actually know a LOT about it: http://abovethelaw.com/2014/06/oops-top ... licants/2/
Median is apparently 3.405, which on first glance looks pretty high. I wouldn't be shocked if the upper class median (not the 1L median) at CLS was about the same though. The upper class curves, especially in seminars, are very generous.