Why do law schools prefer low rigor 4.0 over high rigor 3.5 GPA?

[Anonymous]

Why do law schools prefer low rigor 4.0 over high rigor 3.5 GPA?

Assume same LSAT and whatever else.

Is it because gaming USNWR metrics is more important than academic rigor?

[Anonymous]

USNWR metrics.

[Anonymous]

It inflates their numbers.

[Anonymous]

USNWR formula

[Anonymous]

I find this narrative confusing as well. I also don't know if it's true. I think the best way to make yourself a competitive candidate is to take a selection of interesting classes that you do relatively well in, get some real-life experience, look for legal internships to see if you actually want a legal career, and prep well for the LSAT. I can't imagine the admissions committees look at a Math major with a 3.5 versus a <insert easier major here> major with a 4.0 with the same LSAT and think, they are the same caliber student.

But what do I know? I'm not a law school admissions officer.

[Anonymous]

You don’t understand what law school is about.

- biglaw partner

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find this narrative confusing as well. I also don't know if it's true. I think the best way to make yourself a competitive candidate is to take a selection of interesting classes that you do relatively well in, get some real-life experience, look for legal internships to see if you actually want a legal career, and prep well for the LSAT. I can't imagine the admissions committees look at a Math major with a 3.5 versus a <insert easier major here> major with a 4.0 with the same LSAT and think, they are the same caliber student.

But what do I know? I'm not a law school admissions officer.

The problem is that USNWR does not distinguish GPA by major or undergrad school. It’s just a formula and higher is better.

[Anonymous]

how can a university objectively verify to a law school that it offers a "high rigor 3.5?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don’t understand what law school is about.

- biglaw partner

What a well thought out, helpful response. Thanks so much for taking the time to articulate that and help out. You must be an incredible attorney and asset to your clients.

[Anonymous]

Law schools actually do take into account rigor of a particular college, as well as major, when considering an applicants GPA. My uncle worked in admissions at a top law school, and he said that engineering majors and students from colleges like Cal Tech would be accepted with lower GPAs. (Although they tended to do well on the LSATs, so there's that.) Also, students applying from Swarthmore received an automatic bump in GPA because, apparently, "anywhere else it would have been an A" has a kernel of truth to it.

[Anonymous]

-I have a 4.0 average!
-Yeah, in fashion merchandising!

[Anonymous]

I find it hard to believe that a top law school doesn’t recognize the difficulty of getting a higher than 3.5 GPA at Cal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find it hard to believe that a top law school doesn’t recognize the difficulty of getting a higher than 3.5 GPA at Cal.

It’s more like why does an engineering major from Cal want to go to law school. Sounds like an identity crisis.

And while I agree some leeway is given for known tough schools/majors, the school still has to report that 3.5 to USNWR. They can only take so many of those before it drags the percentile down.

[Anonymous]

It's a sad state of affairs that it's recommended to major in something "easy" just to go to law school. The prize is not the prize that some think it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don’t understand what law school is about.

- biglaw partner

+1 It's all about the creds. Give me the summa cum laude poli sci major rather than the cum laude physics major, because who wants to have a super pricey lawyer who wasn't at the top of their class.