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I think the subject states the point pretty clearly, but I'll try to elaborate. Since the percentiles are medians, is it safe to assume that any GPA above the 75% is as good as any other (assuming, I suppose, the school being applied to is not looking to bump up their 75% GPA)?

For example, does an applicant with a 168/3.85 have the same chance as an applicant with a 168/4.33 if the school's 75% GPA is 3.80?

Apologies ahead of time as this post was definitely created out of a lethal combination of boredom and anxiety...

Look at http://www.lawschoolnumbers.com and decide for yourself.

LSN seems arbitrary (at times) to me. For example, a 169/3.9 will get accepted into NU while a 170/3.92 will get dinged. I am basically wondering if there is any rule of thumb, or, rather, if I am interpreting the percentile statistics properly...

sharrin7 wrote:LSN seems arbitrary (at times) to me. For example, a 169/3.9 will get accepted into NU while a 170/3.92 will get dinged. I am basically wondering if there is any rule of thumb, or, rather, if I am interpreting the percentile statistics properly...

NU is a different beast in that at NU work experience is almost mandatory.

I believe that many schools compute an index score for their applicants using GPA and LSAT. If your GPA is higher your index is higher.

Rock-N-Roll wrote:I believe that many schools compute an index score for their applicants using GPA and LSAT. If your GPA is higher your index is higher.

This. The higher your GPA or LSAT, the stronger a student you're likely to be (all other things equal), and the more a school should want to add you to the student body. That said, there's a drastic dropoff in the value of having a higher GPA or LSAT once you get past the target medians.

sharrin7 wrote:LSN seems arbitrary (at times) to me. For example, a 169/3.9 will get accepted into NU while a 170/3.92 will get dinged. I am basically wondering if there is any rule of thumb, or, rather, if I am interpreting the percentile statistics properly...

One of the biggest reasons is that people send their applications at different times. An earlier application goes much farther than you would think. Speaking from experience and the fact that most schools will tell you this.

There really is no rule of thumb. You have an impressive GPA, rest in that. If your LSAT is also good and you've had your PS critiqued repeatedly, I would say it's time to just relax and roll with whatever happens next. Good luck.

For some reason I automatically assumed this was referring to law school GPAs.

It depends on the school. In general, even at a school with a 3.8 median, the 4.33 (or really anyone with close to a 4.0 at schools without A+ grading) would have an advantage over a 3.85. But it wouldn't be as drastic as the jump from median to 75%.

This would probably apply most to reverse splitters. If the schools median LSAT is a 170, then you would be much better off with a 4.33 than a 3.85 because it shows you can overcome the numbers. If the median LSAT is a 166, you're in without top scholarship either way.