3.8 at NU Forum

[Anonymous User]

Just graduated and wondering where this GPA sits at in terms of class rank. If anyone has an idea it would be much appreciated as Northwestern doesn't rank.

[madame defarge]

Northwestern is notorious for grade inflation. At least, that's the reputation it had when I was clerking a few years ago. 4.0+ GPAs were so common that it was our informal cut-off for applications. Does NU give out honors at graduation? It might take a while to find out if you've made Order of the Coif (at my school, they sent out the awards in the fall after graduation).

[Pokemon]

Top 5% is around 4.0. Top 10% without including transfers is around 3.9. I would guesstimate around top 20-25% including transfers.

[Anonymous User]

Yeah so I know grade inflation is pretty rampant at NU. Honors came out already and they're based on GPA cutoffs. Magna is 3.97 and there were 14 people at or above it so I don't know if that helps anyone range anything. Cum laude is 3.65 and after a quick count I think there were 132 people at or above that (not counting those at magna). I think the overall class size is just above 300 but I couldn't find an exact figure on that.

Edit: Thanks Poke...just saw your response

[Sauer Grapes]

Calling Rayiner to see what he has to say. He seems to have as much knowledge on this subject as anyone.

[Anonymous User]

Yeah so I know grade inflation is pretty rampant at NU. Honors came out already and they're based on GPA cutoffs. Magna is 3.97 and there were 14 people at or above it so I don't know if that helps anyone range anything. Cum laude is 3.65 and after a quick count I think there were 132 people at or above that (not counting those at magna). I think the overall class size is just above 300 but I couldn't find an exact figure on that.

Edit: Thanks Poke...just saw your response

Guesstimate = top 20-25%.

[rayiner]

So this year, we have the following data points (from the Honor's data):

Class size ~=290.
3.97 -> top 5% (14/290)
3.65 -> top 50% (~145/290)

That means the STDEV is around 0.195. Using a Z-table, that puts 3.8 just outside top 20%.
My guess is that the coif cut-off was 3.9 on the dot.

[paulinaporizkova]

Top 5% is around 4.0. Top 10% without including transfers is around 3.9. I would guesstimate around top 20-25% including transfers.

oh wait nvm

but 3.7 is top 25? that is top 5 at my school. damn.

[attractive_NUisance]

Note even the z score calc is still an estimate because it assume graduation GPAs at NU are distributed along a normal distribution. Impossible to know for sure without the whole list from the admin but a good guess.

[bjsesq]

So this year, we have the following data points (from the Honor's data):

Class size ~=290.
3.97 -> top 5% (14/290)
3.65 -> top 50% (~145/290)

That means the STDEV is around 0.195. Using a Z-table, that puts 3.8 just outside top 20%.
My guess is that the coif cut-off was 3.9 on the dot.

Oh, of course. The STDEV and Z-Table. Cosin. Tangent. *head explodes

[Anonymous User]

OP here

gracias all

[Bildungsroman]

So this year, we have the following data points (from the Honor's data):

Class size ~=290.
3.97 -> top 5% (14/290)
3.65 -> top 50% (~145/290)

That means the STDEV is around 0.195. Using a Z-table, that puts 3.8 just outside top 20%.
My guess is that the coif cut-off was 3.9 on the dot.

holy grade inflation, batman.

[Anonymous User]

What's top 10% for NU 1st year?

[rayiner]

What's top 10% for NU 1st year?

Somewhere between 3.8 and 3.9. Firms don't really care. A 3.8 will put you in the running for nearly any firm in the country. For D.C., a 3.9 will be a tangible advantage. For places like WLRK and Munger, who don't do OCI at NU, a 4.0+ is probably a good thing to have.

[Icculus]

So this year, we have the following data points (from the Honor's data):

Class size ~=290.
3.97 -> top 5% (14/290)
3.65 -> top 50% (~145/290)

That means the STDEV is around 0.195. Using a Z-table, that puts 3.8 just outside top 20%.
My guess is that the coif cut-off was 3.9 on the dot.

holy grade inflation, batman.

Yeah, we're pretty ridiculous.

[Myself]

.

[ajaxconstructions]

This sounds much worse than Cornell grade inflation. MUCH worse.

[Anonymous User]

As an NU student with below a 3.8, this thread makes me sad.

[rayiner]

This sounds much worse than Cornell grade inflation. MUCH worse.

Grade inflation is Cornell moving their median to 3.5 this year, or GULC, CLS, or NYU increasing the number of A's in the last few years. NU's curve is just very wide--it's been the same for the last decade.

It's interesting to note that a wide curve like NU's rewards slightly different behavior than a narrow curve like UVA's. Staying at the top at UVA is all about consistent A/A-, and a random B- can kill you. At NU, the point is to rack up A+, and a random B- can be overcome.