BigLaw GPA Question Forum

[Anonymous User]

I understand that different schools have different medians. For example I go to UCLA and I believe we have a lower median than most as we have a 3.0 curve for 1L classes. If we mass mail firms that are out of market (think DC and NY) do firms generally keep track of what a schools median is? I mean a 3.4 at UCLA would be above median but in comparison to other schools it might be right at median. Or does it really not matter what your GPA is relative to your schools curve because firms have the same GPA cutoff for all schools?

Sorry if this is confusing.

[ithrowds]

It would be dumb of them not to know. They know what the median is at your school.

[wons]

.

[Anonymous User]

UCLA student here - From my understanding, 3.0 is not the median. It's closer to 3.2/3.3.

[Lexaholik]

We don't keep track. Even though law school GPA is the single most predictive attribute of an applicant's future success at a law firm, and even though we receive 100s of apps every year from all the best schools, easily enough to figure out the relative curves of all the key schools, we just throw that information aside. We like to live dangerously, and we particularly like to screw people from schools with lower medians, since they generally are inferior lawyers.

Yep. What's more, the firm's so-called minimum GPA floor is often disregarded if they like the candidate enough. I remember going to a recruiting meeting at my former firm and they kept telling me the lowest GPA they'd take from my law school was 3.7. And yet somehow I got in despite having a 3.49 after 1L year.

[Anonymous User]

We don't keep track. Even though law school GPA is the single most predictive attribute of an applicant's future success at a law firm, and even though we receive 100s of apps every year from all the best schools, easily enough to figure out the relative curves of all the key schools, we just throw that information aside. We like to live dangerously, and we particularly like to screw people from schools with lower medians, since they generally are inferior lawyers.

Yep. What's more, the firm's so-called minimum GPA floor is often disregarded if they like the candidate enough. I remember going to a recruiting meeting at my former firm and they kept telling me the lowest GPA they'd take from my law school was 3.7. And yet somehow I got in despite having a 3.49 after 1L year.

wait what

[Lexaholik]

We don't keep track. Even though law school GPA is the single most predictive attribute of an applicant's future success at a law firm, and even though we receive 100s of apps every year from all the best schools, easily enough to figure out the relative curves of all the key schools, we just throw that information aside. We like to live dangerously, and we particularly like to screw people from schools with lower medians, since they generally are inferior lawyers.

Yep. What's more, the firm's so-called minimum GPA floor is often disregarded if they like the candidate enough. I remember going to a recruiting meeting at my former firm and they kept telling me the lowest GPA they'd take from my law school was 3.7. And yet somehow I got in despite having a 3.49 after 1L year.

wait what

Firms say they have a GPA floor but you can get past it if you're likable, bring something extra to the table (e.g. diversity, LR, EE/CS background, etc.), and interview well. There's probably no one internal policing GPA minimums. I think back in my day someone got a callback with Davis Polk with a 2.9 and someone else got a callback with Simpson with a 3.1.

[deuceindc]

We don't keep track. Even though law school GPA is the single most predictive attribute of an applicant's future success at a law firm, and even though we receive 100s of apps every year from all the best schools, easily enough to figure out the relative curves of all the key schools, we just throw that information aside. We like to live dangerously, and we particularly like to screw people from schools with lower medians, since they generally are inferior lawyers.

Yep. What's more, the firm's so-called minimum GPA floor is often disregarded if they like the candidate enough. I remember going to a recruiting meeting at my former firm and they kept telling me the lowest GPA they'd take from my law school was 3.7. And yet somehow I got in despite having a 3.49 after 1L year.

wait what

Firms say they have a GPA floor but you can get past it if you're likable, bring something extra to the table (e.g. diversity, LR, EE/CS background, etc.), and interview well. There's probably no one internal policing GPA minimums. I think back in my day someone got a callback with Davis Polk with a 2.9 and someone else got a callback with Simpson with a 3.1.

Flexibility depends on the firm, though. A friend at a V10 told me that he observed a partner attempting to call-back a candidate who didn't meet the firm's GPA minimum. This partner regularly wore jean shorts to work, so safe to assume that he had some clout. At any rate, the hiring partner vetoed the callback because the candidate didn't meet the GPA floor. So, at least anecdotally, the floors can be binding.