Columbia 2011! Forum

[Excellence = a Habit]

Well how high can the index number go? I'm trying to figure out how to calculate it with my fall grades added in...

Ummm. It's an "index" number, not a "decision" number. Indexing means sorting the files. I really don't think they make decisions based on the index alone... they will look at your LSAT and then your GPA, so what difference does it make how how it goes?

I just assumed the index number must be some way of comparing very similar scores. The bigger the better

Sweet tar. And yeah, a 4.5 is a nice index to have For context, A 4.0 and 180 would get you to a 4.82 (according to LSP), whereas I with my 3.7 and 171 am sitting at 4.2 (which gives me a 25% chance or less of admittance to CLS, historically). Good luck!

[r6_philly]

[quote="Excellence = a Habit"

Sweet tar. And yeah, a 4.5 is a nice index to have For context, A 4.0 and 180 would get you to a 4.82 (according to LSP), whereas I with my 3.7 and 171 am sitting at 4.2 (which gives me a 25% chance or less of admittance to CLS, historically). Good luck![/quote]

I feel better with your 171/3.7 than my 170/3.9 (4.3).

[LinzerTorte]

Sweet tar. And yeah, a 4.5 is a nice index to have For context, A 4.0 and 180 would get you to a 4.82 (according to LSP), whereas I with my 3.7 and 171 am sitting at 4.2 (which gives me a 25% chance or less of admittance to CLS, historically). Good luck!

I feel better with your 171/3.7 than my 170/3.9 (4.3).

Ugh, how the index is weighted is so weird. What I should really count on with my index (I'm guessing) is NOT hearing anything in the first wave of decisions.

[Dany]

Also, everyone talking about CCN schollys vs. HYS sticker is depressing me! Can we go back to just stressing about our index numbers (sorry philly!)?

If it makes you feel better, the majority of us won't have either option, much less a decision to make between the two. I know I certainly won't!

These envelopes better come soon. I have ASWs to plan and I'd very much like to know whether I need to add another or not!

[Confused7]

FINGERS CROSSED FOR THE BIG DAY TOMORROW!!!

[r6_philly]

These envelopes better come soon. I have ASWs to plan and I'd very much like to know whether I need to add another or not!

NYC isn't so bad for me, but if all the places that I have to fly to don't give me decisions soon I won't be able to afford to go. Air fare just went up like a bunch it seems.

[kazu]

This weekend is going to be horribly, horribly long. Whether or not the New Yorkers get vomit in their mailboxes on Friday/Saturday.

[LinzerTorte]

This weekend is going to be horribly, horribly long. Whether or not the New Yorkers get vomit in their mailboxes on Friday/Saturday.

Its true. If no one gets any vomit I predict complete, insane meltdown in this thread.

[Fresh]

This weekend is going to be horribly, horribly long. Whether or not the New Yorkers get vomit in their mailboxes on Friday/Saturday.

Friday will be so long. Waiting and waiting for vomit in NYC.
No vomit --> Repeat on Saturday...
No vomit on Saturday --> zOMG early Feb fo realz!?!?#%?!?

[thecilent]

This weekend is going to be horribly, horribly long. Whether or not the New Yorkers get vomit in their mailboxes on Friday/Saturday.

Friday will be so long. Waiting and waiting for vomit in NYC.
No vomit --> Repeat on Saturday...
No vomit on Saturday --> zOMG early Feb fo realz!?!?#%?!?

lol

[4102011]

This weekend is going to be horribly, horribly long. Whether or not the New Yorkers get vomit in their mailboxes on Friday/Saturday.

Its true. If no one gets any vomit I predict complete, insane meltdown in this thread by dulcatis.

FTFY

[Dany]

Air fare just went up like a bunch it seems.

WHAT. NOOOOOO. I am so broke.

[thecilent]

This weekend is going to be horribly, horribly long. Whether or not the New Yorkers get vomit in their mailboxes on Friday/Saturday.

Its true. If no one gets any vomit I predict complete, insane meltdown in this thread by dulcatis.

FTFYM

FTFY

[supahstahxruv]

whether its by envelope or induced by lack thereof, either way there will probably be vomit here when the postman comes and goes on saturday

[prt86a]

Is the index a CLS-specific thing? I don't think I've read about it in any other threads.

[Fresh]

Is the index a CLS-specific thing? I don't think I've read about it in any other threads.

Nope. It's just that we needed something new to freak out about after all the past freak out threads

[c_dubya_s]

Is the index a CLS-specific thing? I don't think I've read about it in any other threads.

Nope. It's just that we needed something new to freak out about after all the past freak out threads

Every school has its own index number system for applicants. But the whole 4.3/4.4/4.5 breakdown is exclusive to CLS.

[LinzerTorte]

Is the index a CLS-specific thing? I don't think I've read about it in any other threads.

Nope. It's just that we needed something new to freak out about after all the past freak out threads

Every school has its own index number system for applicants. But the whole 4.3/4.4/4.5 breakdown is exclusive to CLS.

Also, and I'm not trying to give anyone false hope here or anything, but the above breakdown is something collectively generated from LSN and TLS data-mining, right? It isn't something that like, Columbia's adcomms have announced.

In other words, there will be exceptions to the 4.2 = rule, right? RIGHT!?!?!?!

[Fresh]

In other words, there will be exceptions to the 4.2 = rule, right? RIGHT!?!?!?!

Yup

[Dany]

Also, and I'm not trying to give anyone false hope here or anything, but the above breakdown is something collectively generated from LSN and TLS data-mining, right? It isn't something that like, Columbia's adcomms have announced.

Yes, it's basically a way to sort yourself into a relative chances group, based on how CLS perceives your numbers. Not all 4.4s will get in, and not all 4.2s will be WL/rejected, but as a whole the 4.4s will do better than the 4.2s. Although this sounds just like common sense (as in, higher numbers do better than lower numbers, which is obvious) I guess it's more of a way to see how Columbia views your numbers together and not as a separate LSAT/GPA. There aren't any cutoffs or announcements by CLS, it's just how applicants with certain indices have fared over the years (according to TLS/LSN).

[c_dubya_s]

Is the index a CLS-specific thing? I don't think I've read about it in any other threads.

Nope. It's just that we needed something new to freak out about after all the past freak out threads

Every school has its own index number system for applicants. But the whole 4.3/4.4/4.5 breakdown is exclusive to CLS.

Also, and I'm not trying to give anyone false hope here or anything, but the above breakdown is something collectively generated from LSN and TLS data-mining, right? It isn't something that like, Columbia's adcomms have announced.

In other words, there will be exceptions to the 4.2 = rule, right? RIGHT!?!?!?!

It's a LSN data-mining thing. I agree with what was said a few pages back--it's what they use to group files, not to make admissions decisions. So there will probably be exceptions to the whole index breakdown, which is VERY general. If you really want to go see where you stand, go back and find the graphs in this thread (sorry, I'm at work--otherwise I would do it myself). I'm a 4.4 rounded index, but my spot on the index graphs (which plot index vs. your LSAT) is split between admits and WLs.

[prt86a]

If its just based on LSN data, why does each school seem to have a different index scale? Do we know if Columbia actually uses a scale similar to the LSP 4.x one?

[Dany]

If its just based on LSN data, why does each school seem to have a different index scale? Do we know if Columbia actually uses a scale similar to the LSP 4.x one?

Each school publishes their own index. If you look at the index column on LSP you'll see they're all different, with some being low as 3.x and others higher than 200. the 4.x one is Columbia's official index.

Also I don't know if someone posted the actual index formula, but I didn't see it so if y'all are curious:


Columbia University

0.045 (multiply by LSAT)
0.559 (multiply by GPA)

-5.512 (subtract)

= your index

[LinzerTorte]

Also, and I'm not trying to give anyone false hope here or anything, but the above breakdown is something collectively generated from LSN and TLS data-mining, right? It isn't something that like, Columbia's adcomms have announced.

Yes, it's basically a way to sort yourself into a relative chances group, based on how CLS perceives your numbers. Not all 4.4s will get in, and not all 4.2s will be WL/rejected, but as a whole the 4.4s will do better than the 4.2s. Although this sounds just like common sense (as in, higher numbers do better than lower numbers, which is obvious) I guess it's more of a way to see how Columbia views your numbers together and not as a separate LSAT/GPA. There aren't any cutoffs or announcements by CLS, it's just how applicants with certain indices have fared over the years (according to TLS/LSN).

Well yeah, I understand all of that. I was half-joking about my own situation, but I think it can be important for people to remember that we are nothing close to a representative sample of applicants and admissions.

EDIT: Holy crap, Eskimo, that's you! I don't know how I feel about that new tar.

[r6_philly]

Air fare just went up like a bunch it seems.

WHAT. NOOOOOO. I am so broke.

That's why I was trying to book before the new year but I didn't get no acceptances. It's like $480+fees Philly-SF now. It was close to 400 when I traveled 2 weeks ago, and this is 3 months in advance.