Columbia Law School Forum

[MikeRoss2568]

I have a question,

Columbia's 75th percentile is much lower than any school in the T-14, and for a school consistently ranked in the top 5 alongside HYS who boast a near 4.0 GPA 75th percentile, this is a little strange to me.

Can anyone explain what is going on here? Columbia is my dream school, and my GPA beats their 75th percentile and my LSAT does as well... Is there something I'm not seeing, or can I expect a potential a full ride when I apply next year? Surely there is more than meets the eye here.

Thank you.

[BigZuck]

Check out www.mylsn.info for chances

[MikeRoss2568]

Check out http://www.mylsn.info for chances

Hey,

thanks for the quick response. I have checked the website out, but I'm asking if there is anything beyond the numbers to Columbia. Are they one of the schools that weighs softs more than the average school?

[Biglaw1990]

.

[Clemenceau]

Cls loves their lsat scores, no doubt.

If you're above both 75ths, then you certainly have a great chance of being admitted. They tend to be fairly stingy/unpredictable with $ though, so I wouldn't bank on a full ride.

[tflan19]

I have a question,

Columbia's 75th percentile is much lower than any school in the T-14, and for a school consistently ranked in the top 5 alongside HYS who boast a near 4.0 GPA 75th percentile, this is a little strange to me.

Can anyone explain what is going on here? Columbia is my dream school, and my GPA beats their 75th percentile and my LSAT does as well... Is there something I'm not seeing, or can I expect a potential a full ride when I apply next year? Surely there is more than meets the eye here.

Thank you.

USNWR rankings include far more factors than just GPA/LSAT. Selectivity accounts for only 25% of the ranking, with gpa accounting for 10% (full methodology here http://www.usnews.com/education/best-gr ... int=9d0608). Things like job placement and reputation in legal education/the legal market also play heavily into the rankings, meaning that Columbia's other features are balancing its gpa and keeping it at the top of the ranks.

This does mean that statistically, you would be higher up in the GPA spread of the entering class than you would be at some other T14s. However this doesn't necessarily mean that Columbia would see you as more desirable than another school would, as Columbia may place more/less weight on GPA than its peers.

That being said, please never "expect a potential a full ride" (sic). Scholarship selection is a very strange thing that sometimes seems more baffling than the "black box" of admissions. You'd just be setting yourself up for upset.

[sodomojo]

I was curious about this as well. Take a look...

http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 2#p7555162