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I'm happy with my LSAT, but a 3.5 GPA is pretty damn low. However, I can explain it in an addendum:

I was a biology major for the first 2.5 years in college. I realized after continuously doing worse as the classes went on that I really hated it, and lost interest sometime along the line. So I switched my major to finance (which I really enjoy), and have a perfect 4.0 GPA in that. I'll have finished the degree in 4 semesters (including a summer semester).

My softs are:

- President of my fraternity (previously treasurer; managed about $35,000/semester)
- I've been running a web development business since about 2006; it's slowed down while I focused on school lately, but I've worked with over 25 clients
- Interned as a financial analyst at Morgan Stanley
- Member of the Financial Leadership Association at school
- SAT tutor over the past 4 summers
- Wrote (briefly) for the school newspaper

I know Yale and Stanford are out of the question; but what do y'all think my chances look like for the rest of the T14 schools? I'll also be applying to UT Austin/SMU/Baylor as backups, especially since I live in Texas.

Don't write a GPA addendum, it won't help in your situation. Your softs are good but won't change anything. You're in Columbia and down. Money is in play. You have an okay shot at Harvard, still less than 50% though.

Eta- with apps coming down younger have a better than 50% shot at H. I'm not sure

Applying early would TCR based on this cycle.

deputydog wrote:Don't write a GPA addendum, it won't help in your situation. Your softs are good but won't change anything. You're in Columbia and down. Money is in play. You have an okay shot at Harvard, still less than 50% though.

Eta- with apps coming down younger have a better than 50% shot at H. I'm not sure

Sweet. Thanks for the reply!

rebexness wrote:Applying early would TCR based on this cycle.

Sorry, kinda new here; what does TCR mean?

TCR = The Credited Response in LSAT talk.

rebexness wrote:TCR = The Credited Response in LSAT talk.

Ah gotcha

UsualBumblebee wrote:

deputydog wrote:Don't write a GPA addendum, it won't help in your situation. Your softs are good but won't change anything. You're in Columbia and down. Money is in play. You have an okay shot at Harvard, still less than 50% though.

Eta- with apps coming down younger have a better than 50% shot at H. I'm not sure

Sweet. Thanks for the reply!

rebexness wrote:Applying early would TCR based on this cycle.

Sorry, kinda new here; what does TCR mean?

First of all, no one is going to be able to tell you for definite what school you can get into....apply and wait for a response.....

NanaP wrote:
First of all, no one is going to be able to tell you for definite what school you can get into....apply and wait for a response.....

Yeah clearly no one on this forum has any experience with this. Its not even moderately predictable. THERE ARE NO PATTERNS.

rebexness wrote:

NanaP wrote:
First of all, no one is going to be able to tell you for definite what school you can get into....apply and wait for a response.....

Yeah clearly no one on this forum has any experience with this. Its not even moderately predictable. THERE ARE NO PATTERNS.

For definite?...you misunderstood the point...

NanaP wrote:First of all, no one is going to be able to tell you for definite what school you can get into....apply and wait for a response.....

It's a chance thread; I'm not asking in definite terms.

NanaP wrote:

rebexness wrote:

NanaP wrote:
First of all, no one is going to be able to tell you for definite what school you can get into....apply and wait for a response.....

Yeah clearly no one on this forum has any experience with this. Its not even moderately predictable. THERE ARE NO PATTERNS.

For definite?...you misunderstood the point...

Even if she misunderstood it, it was still a stupid point. No shit no one can tell OP 'for definite' where he will get in. But I can tell OP what his chances are (crazy, isn't that the name of the forum?) at getting into places based upon previous applicants.

You need to reapply early next cycle.

Apps are falling, but you're still a splitter. You should snag at least 1 of CCN with the possibility of $. And you should also get into multiple T-14's with large schollies (half-tuition at least). Harvard is still a longshot IMO but worth an app.

ChampagnePapi wrote:Apps are falling, but you're still a splitter. You should snag at least 1 of CCN with the possibility of $. And you should also get into multiple T-14's with large schollies (half-tuition at least). Harvard is still a longshot IMO but worth an app.

I thought so too but then I looked at the numbers on LSN. All of the 175s with sub 25th percentile GPAs (according to the graph) were accepted, the one that was rejected has different numbers than being shown. I'm just thinking, with top scores falling again next year. Harvard might be willing reach a bit deeper for a 175, especially since it won't really affect the 25th percentile that much.

deputydog wrote:

ChampagnePapi wrote:Apps are falling, but you're still a splitter. You should snag at least 1 of CCN with the possibility of $. And you should also get into multiple T-14's with large schollies (half-tuition at least). Harvard is still a longshot IMO but worth an app.

I thought so too but then I looked at the numbers on LSN. All of the 175s with sub 25th percentile GPAs (according to the graph) were accepted, the one that was rejected has different numbers than being shown. I'm just thinking, with top scores falling again next year. Harvard might be willing reach a bit deeper for a 175, especially since it won't really affect the 25th percentile that much.

That's the thing about medians, it does effect it that much. Exactly as much as a 2.0, a head below the 25th shifts the data as much as any other. That's not to say schools don't maintain standards or floors, but data wise, either you shift the median up or down.

Clearlynotstefan wrote:

deputydog wrote:

ChampagnePapi wrote:Apps are falling, but you're still a splitter. You should snag at least 1 of CCN with the possibility of $. And you should also get into multiple T-14's with large schollies (half-tuition at least). Harvard is still a longshot IMO but worth an app.

I thought so too but then I looked at the numbers on LSN. All of the 175s with sub 25th percentile GPAs (according to the graph) were accepted, the one that was rejected has different numbers than being shown. I'm just thinking, with top scores falling again next year. Harvard might be willing reach a bit deeper for a 175, especially since it won't really affect the 25th percentile that much.

That's the thing about medians, it does effect it that much. Exactly as much as a 2.0, a head below the 25th shifts the data as much as any other. That's not to say schools don't maintain standards or floors, but data wise, either you shift the median up or down.

I know how medians work, I guess my explanation was kinda convoluted. Here is my rationale: Harvard has let in every 3.6x 175 splitter this cycle. A 3.5 175 splitter affects their 25th and median in the exact same way as a 3.6x. With the drop in top scorers, I think that 175 becomes just as valuable even with a 3.5. So I think OP will have a better chance than normal next cycle.

deputydog wrote:

Clearlynotstefan wrote:

deputydog wrote:

ChampagnePapi wrote:Apps are falling, but you're still a splitter. You should snag at least 1 of CCN with the possibility of $. And you should also get into multiple T-14's with large schollies (half-tuition at least). Harvard is still a longshot IMO but worth an app.

I thought so too but then I looked at the numbers on LSN. All of the 175s with sub 25th percentile GPAs (according to the graph) were accepted, the one that was rejected has different numbers than being shown. I'm just thinking, with top scores falling again next year. Harvard might be willing reach a bit deeper for a 175, especially since it won't really affect the 25th percentile that much.

That's the thing about medians, it does effect it that much. Exactly as much as a 2.0, a head below the 25th shifts the data as much as any other. That's not to say schools don't maintain standards or floors, but data wise, either you shift the median up or down.

I know how medians work, I guess my explanation was kinda convoluted. Here is my rationale: Harvard has let in every 3.6x 175 splitter this cycle. A 3.5 175 splitter affects their 25th and median in the exact same way as a 3.6x. With the drop in top scorers, I think that 175 becomes just as valuable even with a 3.5. So I think OP will have a better chance than normal next cycle.

I think you may be reading LSN wrong. I know for a fact that a 3.55/179 just got waitlisted at H, and splitters are getting pretty much the same result across the board.

3.5 is H's hard floor, but for practical reasons, 3.7 is the more realistic floor. Also, realize that there are a TON of people that were in the hold pile that didn't get their dings/WLs until the past two days from H, and many, considering how late it is in the cycle, may have not chosen to update their LSN yet.

To the OP, you'll probably snag one of CCN and have some decent offers from 7-14, with some WLs from GPA-whores and YP whores.

deputydog wrote:Don't write a GPA addendum, it won't help in your situation. Your softs are good but won't change anything. You're in Columbia and down. Money is in play. You have an okay shot at Harvard, still less than 50% though.

Eta- with apps coming down younger have a better than 50% shot at H. I'm not sure

I just want to second this post. Don't write an addendum. General biology is probably the easiest and least substantive of the STEM majors you can pick (if that offends anyone, sorry), and saying something in the tone of your post above is going to make it look like you're just saying "ah it was too hard so I didn't like it." You could potentially mention it somewhere in a PS or something (switching majors to find something you liked more), but even then, you may not want to write anything at all.

All the school will care about is your 3.5, not how you earned it. Drawing attention to negatives and making excuses is not the best way to market yourself.