Top Law Schools

Hi everyone,

I graduated last spring, I'm taking the LSATs in June, and I plan to enroll in Law School in the fall of 2018. I was very happy with my GPA until a week or two ago, when I read the LSAC's full GPA policy.

After my second year of college, I transferred from a top tier liberal arts college to an ivy-equivalent university, which made a big deal about how my grades from previous institutions would no longer count (under the assumption, I believe, that my new university had harder grading criteria than whatever institution I arrived from). Since my graduating GPA was a 3.91, I was pretty confident that a great LSAT score could get me into whatever law school I wanted. But, the LSAC takes all college grades into consideration and since my GPA at liberal arts school was 3.71, my cumulative comes to 3.83 (I took a few more classes at the second institution). Both schools are notorious GPA deflaters and neither grants A+'s under any circumstances (although I'm unsure how far the lib. arts' notoriety extends beyond social science PhD programs), so I think a 3.83 still seems pretty impressive, although now its below median at HYS.

So how much will HYS admissions account for my schools' academic rigor and tough grading policies? If I get an amazing LSAT score (say 175+) will I be a top candidate? How low can I score and still have a shot?

Get a reportable score and then come back. Until you score over a 170 you shouldn't even worry yourself thinking about HYS.

walks wrote: Both schools are notorious GPA deflaters and neither grants A+'s under any circumstances (although I'm unsure how far the lib. arts' notoriety extends beyond social science PhD programs), so I think a 3.83 still seems pretty impressive, although now its below median at HYS.

So how much will HYS admissions account for my schools' academic rigor and tough grading policies? If I get an amazing LSAT score (say 175+) will I be a top candidate? How low can I score and still have a shot?

You will get absolutely no bump for your institutions being so-called "notorious GPA deflaters", like absolutely 0. You have a 3.83, nothing more, nothing less.

Anyway, supposing you do actually score a 175+, Y&S are probably out, and H seems likely

Platopus wrote:

walks wrote: Both schools are notorious GPA deflaters and neither grants A+'s under any circumstances (although I'm unsure how far the lib. arts' notoriety extends beyond social science PhD programs), so I think a 3.83 still seems pretty impressive, although now its below median at HYS.

So how much will HYS admissions account for my schools' academic rigor and tough grading policies? If I get an amazing LSAT score (say 175+) will I be a top candidate? How low can I score and still have a shot?

You will get absolutely no bump for your institutions being so-called "notorious GPA deflaters", like absolutely 0. You have a 3.83, nothing more, nothing less.

Anyway, supposing you do actually score a 175+, Y&S are probably out, and H seems likely

Y&S have such low acceptance rates that the reason for their being "out" here isn't really because of OP's GPA. (I don't mean numbers don't matter at all, but with a 3.9-4.1 and 176-180, odds at Y are only 9% "better." It's a coin flip, either way.)

OP, your GPA is definitely good enough for HYS. Apply everywhere (including YS). With a 175+ LSAT and 3.83, you have as good odds at just about any outcome as anyone could hope to.

You have my sympathies re: the lack of A+s and grade deflation. It's unfair, but unfortunately this will be taken in into account very little, if at all.

I have no data so this should be taken with a huge grain of salt, but on a Y webinar (and I think in an online Q&A somewhere) they specifically said they would take grade deflation into account. I have seen professional advice about writing an addendum about grade deflation as well if specific #s can be provided (but only if it actually provides new information not readily apparent from transcript or LSAC academic summary report).

But also, this is all out of your control now so it's not worth stressing about, especially because YS are black boxes for everyone.