Northwestern (NU) Order of the Coif Forum

[northernlion9]

Any historical data points for Northwestern coif cutoffs?

Word in the halls is that it used to fall around 3.8 high to 3.9 low, but grade inflation in recent years means it's usually mid-high 3.9s, or is even coterminous with magna (3.97). Lots of current students would love insight, especially since the registrar refuses to shed any light on the matter.

[lost3039]

Wait 10% of NW grads have above a 3.97? That can't be right.

[Access]

It's not 3.97, it's closer to low 3.9s most years. Don't think 3.8s is high enough, or at least it wasn't my year. See if you can find a list of graduation honors in a recent year, you'll see there's more coif than magna. And spot check alum firm profiles, you will see some cum laude + coif but not very many.

Also for the general public - NU gives 4.33 for A+ and has a lot of uncurved classes, so yes there are a lot of high GPAs at graduation. Not 10% above 3.97 tho.

[northernlion9]

It's not 3.97, it's closer to low 3.9s most years. Don't think 3.8s is high enough, or at least it wasn't my year. See if you can find a list of graduation honors in a recent year, you'll see there's more coif than magna. And spot check alum firm profiles, you will see some cum laude + coif but not very many.

Also for the general public - NU gives 4.33 for A+ and has a lot of uncurved classes, so yes there are a lot of high GPAs at graduation. Not 10% above 3.97 tho.

Thanks, that's what I figured. It's just frustrating not knowing where it'll land in any given year.

To add to the general public point, 1L classes are all curved, so the median at end of 1L is normal by other schools' standards: 3.35-3.45. In 2L and 3L, when people can opt to take uncurved classes (even exam classes with less than a certain number of students are uncurved), GPAs inflate a lot.

The unfairness in the system is that students who take difficult, curved classes are viewed equally to students that take easy, uncurved classes for coif & Latin honors purposes. Especially so when top-10% types flock to those difficult classes, making the classes' curves harder than normal.

If any clerks are peeping on this thread, take another look at NU transcripts when you get clerkship apps. If you see good grades in hard classes (fedjur, admin, etc.) in 2L/3L, then a high GPA is impressive, but if you see, for example, a 3.8 transcript full of American Indian Law (a seminar) & Law and Equity Colloquium-type courses, probably a safe bet to throw out that application.

[babblemiaow]

Adding to the general public info point, or just for anyone finding this thread while searching for this Q, here's how 2023 honors/coif ended up shaking out.

There were ~280 total JD grads. Latin honors:

• 1 summa cum laude (4.200+)

• 25 magna cum laude (3.970+)

• ~140 cum laude (3.650+)

For coif:

• 3 (of ~140) cum laudes made coif

• 4 magnas didn't get coif (at least two were transfers, which I think means they don't meet the 75% graded classes requirement)

Thus:

• the coif cutoff was nearly a 3.970, probably 3.95-96

• the median GPA was over a 3.65 (probably ~3.70 +/- .02)

• ~60% of the class made at least cum laude

In 2022, coif was exactly coterminous with the magna cutoff (3.970), but class of 2022 got one 1L semester of P/F which would have ordinarily been graded on a harsher curve, so higher gpas would be expected. Over half the class made cum laude that year.

[northernlion9]

Adding to the general public info point, or just for anyone finding this thread while searching for this Q, here's how 2023 honors/coif ended up shaking out.

There were ~280 total JD grads. Latin honors:

• 1 summa cum laude (4.200+)

• 25 magna cum laude (3.970+)

• ~140 cum laude (3.650+)

For coif:

• 3 (of ~140) cum laudes made coif

• 4 magnas didn't get coif (at least two were transfers, which I think means they don't meet the 75% graded classes requirement)

Thus:

• the coif cutoff was nearly a 3.970, probably 3.95-96

• the median GPA was over a 3.65 (probably ~3.70 +/- .02)

• ~60% of the class made at least cum laude

In 2022, coif was exactly coterminous with the magna cutoff (3.970), but class of 2022 got one 1L semester of P/F which would have ordinarily been graded on a harsher curve, so higher gpas would be expected. Over half the class made cum laude that year.

Thank you for the update!

It's frankly ridiculous that the median GPA at graduation is 3.70. That's not far below the coif cutoff at schools like Michigan & NYU.

[GFox345]

Damn, that is heinous grade inflation. And HALF the class is cum laude? Wtf?

[BEng,MBA,FRM,JD(?)]

It appears 166 out of 280 are cum laudes or more. So 60 percent.

[antelope]

Does this mean that someone with a 3.5 is in the bottom 40%? That's crazy

[BEng,MBA,FRM,JD(?)]

Does this mean that someone with a 3.5 is in the bottom 40%? That's crazy

Someone with a 3.64 also.