Which of these schools would be the easiest to be top 5-10%?? Forum

[jnwa]

No proof of this, but people at my school are definitely more laid back than people at other schools mentioned on this list. There is probably a correlation between certain personality traits and gpa, and there's also probably a correlation between certain personality traits and selecting school a vs. b.

How does a bigger class size double odds? Has to be a joke.

I agree that personality traits probably play a role, but I really think people here are discounting the effects of class size. I mean, just think about it:
With a class of 200, only 20 people will be top 10%. With a class of 600, 60 people will be in the top 10%. Gunning for 1 of 60 spots is much more likely to lead to success than gunning for 1 of 20, same reason it's easier to get a COA clerkship than SCOTUS.

That's why Georgetown is the clear winner here. Their entering class is the size of a small country and they add another province every year with transfers. All it takes to get top 10% there is a little elbow grease. The bottom 90 probably don't even try at school.

[kcdc1]

If the question is where is it easiest to get a high class rank, that's a nonsensical question.

If the question is where is it easiest to get a high GPA, that's basically asking which school is most pro-grade inflation. That one is answerable, though not many people will have a good understanding of grade inflation at more than one or two schools.

[stego]

You should assume median at any law school you attend.

[HonestAdvice]

No proof of this, but people at my school are definitely more laid back than people at other schools mentioned on this list. There is probably a correlation between certain personality traits and gpa, and there's also probably a correlation between certain personality traits and selecting school a vs. b.

How does a bigger class size double odds? Has to be a joke.

I agree that personality traits probably play a role, but I really think people here are discounting the effects of class size. I mean, just think about it:
With a class of 200, only 20 people will be top 10%. With a class of 600, 60 people will be in the top 10%. Gunning for 1 of 60 spots is much more likely to lead to success than gunning for 1 of 20, same reason it's easier to get a COA clerkship than SCOTUS.

That's nonsense. Yes, there are more spots, but there are also more people gunning for those spots. In individual classes you may be right, but only because you will generally like people more the more you get to know them, and in a small class professors may feel bad about giving somebody a bad grade so there's a bias to gear the curve to a B+. Overall though, it's nonsensical. You also shouldn't assume median at any school you attend like the previous point. For the average student at most of these schools - white, male, no big law connections, ties only to big markets, median is a very volatile place to be.

[raven1231]

No proof of this, but people at my school are definitely more laid back than people at other schools mentioned on this list. There is probably a correlation between certain personality traits and gpa, and there's also probably a correlation between certain personality traits and selecting school a vs. b.

How does a bigger class size double odds? Has to be a joke.

I agree that personality traits probably play a role, but I really think people here are discounting the effects of class size. I mean, just think about it:
With a class of 200, only 20 people will be top 10%. With a class of 600, 60 people will be in the top 10%. Gunning for 1 of 60 spots is much more likely to lead to success than gunning for 1 of 20, same reason it's easier to get a COA clerkship than SCOTUS.

Assuming the intelligence/law school performance of the students is the same as the smaller class size then the chances would be the same.

[mornincounselor]

You have to pay the troll toll to get inside this boy's soul, you have to pay the troll toll, to get in.

[QuentonCassidy]

That's nonsense...

It's not nonsense; it's simple math: 60 > 20.

Furthermore I think it's ridiculous to assume median going into law school. Except in the case of EXACT ties in GPA, there will only be 1 student (assuming an odd-numbered class size) that is median. Only one. There is an insanely low probability of being that one student. As I pointed out in my example above, some schools have upwards of 50 people in the top 10%, much more than the measly 1 student who will be median. It's pretty simple actually: if the class size is >10, you are more likely to be top 10% than median.

[cantorb]

No proof of this, but people at my school are definitely more laid back than people at other schools mentioned on this list. There is probably a correlation between certain personality traits and gpa, and there's also probably a correlation between certain personality traits and selecting school a vs. b.

How does a bigger class size double odds? Has to be a joke.

I agree that personality traits probably play a role, but I really think people here are discounting the effects of class size. I mean, just think about it:
With a class of 200, only 20 people will be top 10%. With a class of 600, 60 people will be in the top 10%. Gunning for 1 of 60 spots is much more likely to lead to success than gunning for 1 of 20, same reason it's easier to get a COA clerkship than SCOTUS.

That's nonsense. Yes, there are more spots, but there are also more people gunning for those spots. In individual classes you may be right, but only because you will generally like people more the more you get to know them, and in a small class professors may feel bad about giving somebody a bad grade so there's a bias to gear the curve to a B+. Overall though, it's nonsensical. You also shouldn't assume median at any school you attend like the previous point. For the average student at most of these schools - white, male, no big law connections, ties only to big markets, median is a very volatile place to be.

With these logic skills, you can definitely make top 10%. Heck, you can probably manage to be that one student who is exactly median.

[raven1231]

That's nonsense...

It's not nonsense; it's simple math: 60 > 20.

Furthermore I think it's ridiculous to assume median going into law school. Except in the case of EXACT ties in GPA, there will only be 1 student (assuming an odd-numbered class size) that is median. Only one. There is an insanely low probability of being that one student. As I pointed out in my example above, some schools have upwards of 50 people in the top 10%, much more than the measly 1 student who will be median. It's pretty simple actually: if the class size is >10, you are more likely to be top 10% than median.

10 out of 100 is 10%, 100 out of 1000 is still 10%. Just because there are more overall students does not mean your chances to be at the top are any better or worse, they would be identical, assuming all else is equal.

[WinterComing]

That's nonsense...

It's not nonsense; it's simple math: 60 > 20.

Furthermore I think it's ridiculous to assume median going into law school. Except in the case of EXACT ties in GPA, there will only be 1 student (assuming an odd-numbered class size) that is median. Only one. There is an insanely low probability of being that one student. As I pointed out in my example above, some schools have upwards of 50 people in the top 10%, much more than the measly 1 student who will be median. It's pretty simple actually: if the class size is >10, you are more likely to be top 10% than median.

10 out of 100 is 10%, 100 out of 1000 is still 10%. Just because there are more overall students does not mean your chances to be at the top are any better or worse, they would be identical, assuming all else is equal.

'All else being equal." You forgot to factor in the lazy river. Easy mistake.

[raven1231]

That's nonsense...

It's not nonsense; it's simple math: 60 > 20.

Furthermore I think it's ridiculous to assume median going into law school. Except in the case of EXACT ties in GPA, there will only be 1 student (assuming an odd-numbered class size) that is median. Only one. There is an insanely low probability of being that one student. As I pointed out in my example above, some schools have upwards of 50 people in the top 10%, much more than the measly 1 student who will be median. It's pretty simple actually: if the class size is >10, you are more likely to be top 10% than median.

10 out of 100 is 10%, 100 out of 1000 is still 10%. Just because there are more overall students does not mean your chances to be at the top are any better or worse, they would be identical, assuming all else is equal.

'All else being equal." You forgot to factor in the lazy river. Easy mistake.

Damn! Gets me every time

[raven1231]

Akron takes the cake. All of it's law students are busy floating down Dat Lazy river bruuuu. Storm in there and take dat top 5-10%.

About how many lazy river hours would you say one could commit to and still be in the top 5-10%?

I'd imagine you could spend your entire time at Akron on the lazy river reading dem notes. Wake up, brush your teeth, make sure your laptops charged, and head down to the river just chegging your classes and e-mailing everyone for the notes. I'm tempted to apply, borrow a bunch of money, and literally spend my days floating down dat river not giving a single fuck.

When it comes time to pay it back I'll just go live off the land in the PNW and let the US government come try to find me.

I heard they are still taking applications up until August, so I'd hurry up in gets yours in before they fill up!

[stego]

That's nonsense...

It's not nonsense; it's simple math: 60 > 20.

Furthermore I think it's ridiculous to assume median going into law school. Except in the case of EXACT ties in GPA, there will only be 1 student (assuming an odd-numbered class size) that is median. Only one. There is an insanely low probability of being that one student. As I pointed out in my example above, some schools have upwards of 50 people in the top 10%, much more than the measly 1 student who will be median. It's pretty simple actually: if the class size is >10, you are more likely to be top 10% than median.

Law school rankings aren't really that fine-grained. Being median doesn't mean being the one student who is the literal statistical median, it's more like being below the top third of the class and above the bottom third. There will be a cluster of people with roughly the same grades.

[asdfdfdfadfas]

That's nonsense...

It's not nonsense; it's simple math: 60 > 20.

Furthermore I think it's ridiculous to assume median going into law school. Except in the case of EXACT ties in GPA, there will only be 1 student (assuming an odd-numbered class size) that is median. Only one. There is an insanely low probability of being that one student. As I pointed out in my example above, some schools have upwards of 50 people in the top 10%, much more than the measly 1 student who will be median. It's pretty simple actually: if the class size is >10, you are more likely to be top 10% than median.

Law school rankings aren't really that fine-grained. Being median doesn't mean being the one student who is the literal statistical median, it's more like being below the top third of the class and above the bottom third. There will be a cluster of people with roughly the same grades.

Fine-grained. Damn dat word choice made me get a little hot.

I am glad we took what was once a thread that was completely mocked and are now seriously debating the question at hand. Just a bunch of hard working, ready to debate, future lawyers here.

See, I think the lazy river is in fact a viable option. I'd just need a partner in crime. Any ladies out there want to go to Akron on full loans, ride dat lazy river for three years, and escape to the woods up in the PNW afterwards so we don't have to pay back our debt ever?

[HonestAdvice]

No proof of this, but people at my school are definitely more laid back than people at other schools mentioned on this list. There is probably a correlation between certain personality traits and gpa, and there's also probably a correlation between certain personality traits and selecting school a vs. b.

How does a bigger class size double odds? Has to be a joke.

I agree that personality traits probably play a role, but I really think people here are discounting the effects of class size. I mean, just think about it:
With a class of 200, only 20 people will be top 10%. With a class of 600, 60 people will be in the top 10%. Gunning for 1 of 60 spots is much more likely to lead to success than gunning for 1 of 20, same reason it's easier to get a COA clerkship than SCOTUS.

That's nonsense. Yes, there are more spots, but there are also more people gunning for those spots. In individual classes you may be right, but only because you will generally like people more the more you get to know them, and in a small class professors may feel bad about giving somebody a bad grade so there's a bias to gear the curve to a B+. Overall though, it's nonsensical. You also shouldn't assume median at any school you attend like the previous point. For the average student at most of these schools - white, male, no big law connections, ties only to big markets, median is a very volatile place to be.

With these logic skills, you can definitely make top 10%. Heck, you can probably manage to be that one student who is exactly median.

Already did. I didn't have these logic skills then. What happens is if you do really well they take you into this room with a machine that's a cross between a time machine and a tanning booth, and then you walk out and get amazing logic skills..... like you can even know your odds of being top 10% in a class of 600 are 10%, and your odds of being top 10% in a class of 100 students are 10%. 60 is more than 10, but 540 is more than 90, but you haven't gone into the machine yet so you can't know.

[poptart123]

That's nonsense...

It's not nonsense; it's simple math: 60 > 20.

Furthermore I think it's ridiculous to assume median going into law school. Except in the case of EXACT ties in GPA, there will only be 1 student (assuming an odd-numbered class size) that is median. Only one. There is an insanely low probability of being that one student. As I pointed out in my example above, some schools have upwards of 50 people in the top 10%, much more than the measly 1 student who will be median. It's pretty simple actually: if the class size is >10, you are more likely to be top 10% than median.

... But what if the class has an even number of people?

[LawMan9000]

This is a beautiful post, that should be discussed until the end of time.

[stego]

That's nonsense...

It's not nonsense; it's simple math: 60 > 20.

Furthermore I think it's ridiculous to assume median going into law school. Except in the case of EXACT ties in GPA, there will only be 1 student (assuming an odd-numbered class size) that is median. Only one. There is an insanely low probability of being that one student. As I pointed out in my example above, some schools have upwards of 50 people in the top 10%, much more than the measly 1 student who will be median. It's pretty simple actually: if the class size is >10, you are more likely to be top 10% than median.

... But what if the class has an even number of people?

King Solomon chops the two law students on either side of median in half.

[WinterComing]

I think people misinterpreted the poll. Based on the results, they must have thought the question was, "Which of these schools would be the easiest to be unemployed from?"

[QuentonCassidy]

That's nonsense...

It's not nonsense; it's simple math: 60 > 20.

Furthermore I think it's ridiculous to assume median going into law school. Except in the case of EXACT ties in GPA, there will only be 1 student (assuming an odd-numbered class size) that is median. Only one. There is an insanely low probability of being that one student. As I pointed out in my example above, some schools have upwards of 50 people in the top 10%, much more than the measly 1 student who will be median. It's pretty simple actually: if the class size is >10, you are more likely to be top 10% than median.

... But what if the class has an even number of people?

If the class has an even number of people (again barring any exact grade ties) then it is even more difficult (read: impossible) to end up exactly at median, and thus you have infinitely more chance of being top 10% than median.

Furthermore, it should be noted that every one of my posts in this thread have been utter farce. I did not expect to have to explicitly announce that, but some of the more serious responses had me worried.

ETA: Stego's description of median with an even class size is 180

[QuentonCassidy]

I think people misinterpreted the poll. Based on the results, they must have thought the question was, "Which of these schools would be the easiest to be unemployed from?"

Really I think it was mine and jnwa's statistical brilliance that swayed them.

[asdfdfdfadfas]

That's nonsense...

It's not nonsense; it's simple math: 60 > 20.

Furthermore I think it's ridiculous to assume median going into law school. Except in the case of EXACT ties in GPA, there will only be 1 student (assuming an odd-numbered class size) that is median. Only one. There is an insanely low probability of being that one student. As I pointed out in my example above, some schools have upwards of 50 people in the top 10%, much more than the measly 1 student who will be median. It's pretty simple actually: if the class size is >10, you are more likely to be top 10% than median.

... But what if the class has an even number of people?

If the class has an even number of people (again barring any exact grade ties) then it is even more difficult (read: impossible) to end up exactly at median, and thus you have infinitely more chance of being top 10% than median.

Furthermore, it should be noted that every one of my posts in this thread have been utter farce. I did not expect to have to explicitly announce that, but some of the more serious responses had me worried.

ETA: Stego's description of median with an even class size is 180

Wait what? The big reveal! I am absolutely perplexed.

[QuentonCassidy]

Wait what? The big reveal! I am absolutely perplexed.

I imagine that mornincounselor will be even more shocked.

[criminaltheory]

That's nonsense...

It's not nonsense; it's simple math: 60 > 20.

Furthermore I think it's ridiculous to assume median going into law school. Except in the case of EXACT ties in GPA, there will only be 1 student (assuming an odd-numbered class size) that is median. Only one. There is an insanely low probability of being that one student. As I pointed out in my example above, some schools have upwards of 50 people in the top 10%, much more than the measly 1 student who will be median. It's pretty simple actually: if the class size is >10, you are more likely to be top 10% than median.

10 out of 100 is 10%, 100 out of 1000 is still 10%. Just because there are more overall students does not mean your chances to be at the top are any better or worse, they would be identical, assuming all else is equal.

So there are 10 slots in the top 10% if the class size is 100, and 100 slots if the class size is 1000. I'd just need one of those slots, so i have a better shot in the smaller class because 1/10 is better than 1/100.

[cantorb]

If the class has an even number of people (again barring any exact grade ties) then it is even more difficult (read: impossible) to end up exactly at median, and thus you have infinitely more chance of being top 10% than median.

Speak for yourself - plenty of people ITT are perfectly capable of being exactly median in an even class.

Furthermore, it should be noted that every one of my posts in this thread have been utter farce. I did not expect to have to explicitly announce that, but some of the more serious responses had me worried.

ETA: I like this gif better.