Helvetica

If one were to get accepted to Duke, Brown, Cornell, and Northwestern, which one would yield the best law school placement. Imagine if 4 law school applicants for Columbia Law applied with the same gpa and lsat, and Columbia could only accept one from the aforementioned four. Which school would carry the best name? As the title alludes, this is hypothetically speaking. I know that acceptances must arrive first, and MANY other factors go into deciding which college to attend. I was just interested.


Also, everybody says major in what you are passionate about and can succeed in. I understand that, but do rare majors get a boost in admissions. Would "Joe Political Science" be slightly disadvantaged as compared to the an applicant of similar strength and with a major in something like Russian Literature?

Thanks for any insight! Y'all are a great resource!!

Helvetica

Also, does it reflect poorly on the applicant if they do not take any economics courses?? I would love to just make a 4 or 5 on AP Calc and be exempt from math! haha

nngmm

I don't think there will be any difference. Just go to the school that will best suit your needs and personality, major in something you really like (and be good at it), score high on LSAT, and you're set.

Helvetica

So those schools would all carry about the same weight? I'm thinking about double majoring in comparative literature and slavic studies. Is that weird for law school?

kwu

All four of those schools are top national universities. You would get a little gold star on your application for being enrolled at any of those schools.

Brown, however, is legendary for its grade inflation. Though, I doubt that admissions officers would consider your GPA from Brown worth less.

Ultimately, law schools are inclined to accept students with high numbers. Thus, regardless of reputation/grade inflation, a high GPA will be important.

Major is unimportant as long as one doesn't study Education or Criminal Justice.

Yes, "Joe Political Science" would be disadvantaged relative to "Andrei Russian Literature," "Franck Engineer," and "Martin Physics" if the candidates were equal in every respect.

roneald

I'd say (as long as you do well), if anything majoring in comparative literature and slavic studies would be a plus on your application. Not a huge plus, but it would definitely not be a detriment.

WhoFriend

Isn't Brown all pass/no pass. How does that work with GPA? lol, if law school was my only goal in life I think I'd go to Brown. I mean, it shouldn't be. And I don't think you should worry about law school too much before you've even finished 12th grade but that p/np sounds sweet.

nngmm

You could take all your classes pass/fail at Brown, but it would not be a wise choice if your goal is to go to a top law school

kwu

Indeed, Pass/Fail is an option available to all courses at Brown. However, one would need a wicked LSAT score coupled with outstanding recommendations to be able to pull off great success in LS admissions.

The grade inflation there really is outrageous enough to render P/F obsolete.

JUmpJUmp

In this case, the adcoms would essentially flip a coin.

However, it is highly unlikely that any two candidates will have the EXACT same gpa and lsat (within Columbia's range). It is even more unlikely still that other "soft" factors fail to differentiate them in any way whatsoever.

All other things held constant and equal- if one of the four, from any of the schools, had a slightly higher gpa or lsat score, they would receive the accept- regardless of which of the four undergraduate schools they attended.

bluedevilmike

This is all true. Now add: it is even more unlikely that these two are competing for the same spot. More likely they will both be accepted or both be rejected.

Helvetica

Basically, if I can get accepted into any of them, I will be ecstatic. I plan to work my a** off from the get go to keep a high gpa! Do law schools weigh the difficulty of the major (i.e. ChemE v. Art History, and do they take into consideration the rigor of the undergraduate college? Is the Boalt formula obsolete or do remnants of it still exist in law school admissions? ha

kwu

Regardless of major, a high GPA is most desirable.

There is some breathing room for the exceptionally difficult majors, but HYS will not forgive an applicant from a difficult major with a mediocre or sub-par GPA.

With regards to the difficulty of one's undergrad institution... none of the four you've mentioned stand out as exceptionally demanding or stingy.

JUmpJUmp

Bluedevil- I thought my comment sufficiently addressed the OP question, but since you insist on being germaine (like a good law student):

Now Add: EVEN if the applicant's GPAs were exactly numerically equal, they would have to be put into the context of the grade inflation policies of each school and the relative difficulty of the applicant's course choices. With all these factors in consideration, as they inevitably would be when evaluating GPA, it is virtually impossible that each applicant's GPA would be considered holistically "equal."

bluedevilmike

Also true and a fair point.