New Harvard grading Forum

[rayiner]

--LinkRemoved--

Choice quotes:

"However, she [Dean Martha Minow] said she did not know why the Dean’s Scholar Prizes are now worth an entire point more than the Honors grade."

"That may mean more Dean's Scholar Prizes for students in the future, but some have expressed concern that the new GPA formula will be used by employers during the current hiring process or that they will be asked about their GPA during interviews."

"Students won’t be told what their GPAs are, said Minow. She said students should use their time to pursue unique opportunities at the Law School instead of worrying about grades and trying to calculate their GPAs."

I don't think Minow has to worry. It's not like law students know how to calculate an average anyway.

[BruceWayne]

So basically the only law school with a no grade system is Yale. Stanford and especially Harvard are really pussying out on the no grade thing. Still it's Harvard Law School so their students will be fine either way.

[rayiner]

So basically the only law school with a no grade system is Yale. Stanford and especially Harvard are really pussying out on the no grade thing. Still it's Harvard Law School so their students will be fine either way.

Except all the ones that struck out of OCI.

You can bet this is ITE-related.

[prezidentv8]

I don't think Minow has to worry. It's not like law students know how to calculate an average anyway.

LOL

[IAFG]

lol @ HLS imagining employers would absorb 500+ grads without grades to distinguish them, ITE or otherwise

[BruceWayne]

lol @ HLS imagining employers would absorb 500+ grads without grades to distinguish them, ITE or otherwise

Although I agree with the ITE sentiment, I starkly disagree with otherwise part of your post. Before this economy hit, people well below median at GULC were pulling biglaw---let alone Harvard grads. I don't think a lot of people realize just how different things were before ITE. Going to a top 14 in 2006 or earlier was basically a ticket to making 160K+. Going to HYS in 2006 or earlier was a ticket to 160K plus in your market of choice. Read the vault law school buzz guides and TLS threads before 2009 to get an idea. A Duke grad from 05 told me "not to worry about grades" since I attend UVA "they won't matter too much" she added.

[nealric]

Yeah, people a class above me at GULC told me I would get biglaw if I managed at least a 3.0.

[GeePee]

The most frustrating this about this grading change is the complete lack of transparency. The rather meaningless "GPA system" that they imposed doesn't make sense, but that isn't even the biggest problem. Employers didn't know what to make of these passes and high passes either; nor that wasn't the biggest problem. The real problem is that students didn't know how they were doing. It made it more difficult to realize that conservative bidding was probably prudent and that securing a job was far more important than securing a V25 job.

When you don't tell anyone anything, inefficiencies from imperfect information result. When you're one of the top 3 law schools in the country, i would have hoped that maybe we'd take the sure thing instead of relying on the possibility that these inefficiencies might get more of our students hired, instead of less.

[clintonius]

Yeah, people a class above me at GULC told me I would get biglaw if I managed at least a 3.0.

Out of curiosity, which class year were/are you?