Top Law Schools

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You are going to have to say what school. It makes a difference.

Guessing your at Cornell since grades came out today. Its hard to tell. Median is more like a 3.5 or really close to it so I would say that you are at median not really slightly above if you do go to Cornell. I mean if you have social skills you'll be fine. Just bid correctly and you should get a job. However, you still have another semester to go so I would focus on that first rather than these hypos. You definitely aren't biglaw safe from there. If the median is actually a 3.35 because you go somewhere else then your probably almost biglaw secure.

ReformedCat wrote:A- A- A- B L/W: B+ = 3.5
Median: 3.35

How worried should I be if I want to go into Biglaw?

Thanks!

I mean, maybe you're not a BIGLAW LOCK but I think you should feel pretty good about your chances with above median grades from Cornell.

Thank you for your replies.

Yes I go to Cornell. That is troubling to hear that the median is at 3.5. Is this for certain?

Thank you again.

Lacepiece23 wrote:Guessing your at Cornell since grades came out today. Its hard to tell. Median is more like a 3.5 or really close to it so I would say that you are at median not really slightly above if you do go to Cornell. I mean if you have social skills you'll be fine. Just bid correctly and you should get a job. However, you still have another semester to go so I would focus on that first rather than these hypos. You definitely aren't biglaw safe from there. If the median is actually a 3.35 because you go somewhere else then your probably almost biglaw secure.

This is right. I know someone said the median was 3.35, but if you check the grading policy, it says the acceptable variation is from 3.2 to 3.5. And most professors have curved upward, so the median is probably close to 3.5.

See also: http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 0#p5140926
And: http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 5#p6296052

Lavitz wrote:

Lacepiece23 wrote:Guessing your at Cornell since grades came out today. Its hard to tell. Median is more like a 3.5 or really close to it so I would say that you are at median not really slightly above if you do go to Cornell. I mean if you have social skills you'll be fine. Just bid correctly and you should get a job. However, you still have another semester to go so I would focus on that first rather than these hypos. You definitely aren't biglaw safe from there. If the median is actually a 3.35 because you go somewhere else then your probably almost biglaw secure.

This is right. I know someone said the median was 3.35, but if you check the grading policy, it says the acceptable variation is from 3.2 to 3.5. And most professors have curved upward, so the median is probably close to 3.5.

See also: http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 0#p5140926
And: http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 5#p6296052

Sigh.. thank you. =/

ReformedCat wrote:Thank you for your replies.

Yes I go to Cornell. That is troubling to hear that the median is at 3.5. Is this for certain?

Thank you again.

Lacepiece and Lavitz are on point in regards to the GPA median. 3.5+ puts you in consideration for many different firms. At that range, most people will get at least 1 offer, though some don't. There are a few key things to getting job when you're middle of pack.

First, try to develop connections in any secondary markets you have ties to (ideally in the early summer where people you meet with won't immediately suspect you're shaking them down for a job). As surprising as it may sound, many attorneys at big firms in secondary markets are happy to meet with current students of their alma mater as long as you frame it as you asking for advice. While you're not going to get a callback invitation during lunch/coffee, they often can refer you to recruiting once the interview season starts.

Second, bid smart. Many people overestimate their softs and bid too high. Consult current 2Ls when you are making your bid list. Don't trust career services to sort out all your bidding issues.

Third, relax and focus on your second semester. Many people make measurable gains during their second semester. You obviously knew enough to be above median in 3 classess. Try to focus on what you think went right about those classes and do more of that second semester. For me, the class I did worst in first semester was the one I outlined the earliest. I thought this may have been a problem and I changed the timeline of my outlines second semester by starting them later. Little changes like this can make a big difference. Your 3.5 is not set in stone.

Maybe an obvious question, but would it be best for OP to leave class rank off the resume, and just put gpa, so as to hopefully get the benefit of the grading policy?

justonemoregame wrote:Maybe an obvious question, but would it be best for OP to leave class rank off the resume, and just put gpa, so as to hopefully get the benefit of the grading policy?

We don't have ranks anyway. Employers just see the GPA and the grading policy stating the that median is supposed to approximate 3.35 but can vary from 3.2 to 3.5.

The ambiguity is meant to help all of us look better. But some evidence shows that the effect may be wearing off:

http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=41118&start=4025#p6813078 wrote:Looked online today, as an example, Davis Polk's average was listed as 3.70 last year, and it was 3.77 this year. Obvs I dont know for sure, but my gut tells me this upward trend in some of these firms came from the word getting out about our effective median moving from 3.35 to 3.5. So yeah, grade inflation... Perhaps what temporary employment boost we got from that is over now.

Also, all of ImNoScar's advice seems credited. You can definitely still improve this semester, OP.

Lavitz wrote:

justonemoregame wrote:Maybe an obvious question, but would it be best for OP to leave class rank off the resume, and just put gpa, so as to hopefully get the benefit of the grading policy?

We don't have ranks anyway. Employers just see the GPA and the grading policy stating the that median is supposed to approximate 3.35 but can vary from 3.2 to 3.5.

The ambiguity is meant to help all of us look better. But some evidence shows that the effect may be wearing off:

http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=41118&start=4025#p6813078 wrote:Looked online today, as an example, Davis Polk's average was listed as 3.70 last year, and it was 3.77 this year. Obvs I dont know for sure, but my gut tells me this upward trend in some of these firms came from the word getting out about our effective median moving from 3.35 to 3.5. So yeah, grade inflation... Perhaps what temporary employment boost we got from that is over now.

Also, all of ImNoScar's advice seems credited. You can definitely still improve this semester, OP.

I think it'll still make Cornell students look better when applying to firms that aren't familiar with the new grading policy. I've never understood why schools like Michigan keep their median so low while Cornell and Northwestern are presumably helping their students cop jerbs in secondary and tertiary markets where a 3.5 is golden.

wiz wrote:

Lavitz wrote:

justonemoregame wrote:Maybe an obvious question, but would it be best for OP to leave class rank off the resume, and just put gpa, so as to hopefully get the benefit of the grading policy?

We don't have ranks anyway. Employers just see the GPA and the grading policy stating the that median is supposed to approximate 3.35 but can vary from 3.2 to 3.5.

The ambiguity is meant to help all of us look better. But some evidence shows that the effect may be wearing off:

http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=41118&start=4025#p6813078 wrote:Looked online today, as an example, Davis Polk's average was listed as 3.70 last year, and it was 3.77 this year. Obvs I dont know for sure, but my gut tells me this upward trend in some of these firms came from the word getting out about our effective median moving from 3.35 to 3.5. So yeah, grade inflation... Perhaps what temporary employment boost we got from that is over now.

Also, all of ImNoScar's advice seems credited. You can definitely still improve this semester, OP.

I think it'll still make Cornell students look better when applying to firms that aren't familiar with the new grading policy. I've never understood why schools like Michigan keep their median so low while Cornell and Northwestern are presumably helping their students cop jerbs in secondary and tertiary markets where a 3.5 is golden.

Yeah man I wanted to work in a secondary market. After firms saw my GPA which wasn't that much above median they were pretty much like we want you what can we do to get you here. Cornell really made it easy for me with some misplaced deception.

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