<p>I disagree with both marn and horsegirl.</p>
<p>marny is right in that most LSs --not just YHS–have a slight bias in favor of their own grads. Indeed, I would say that Cornell itself is one of the worst “offenders” out there–it is VERY biased in favor of its own grads, particularly ILR types. For the bias to help at all, you have to be “in the zone.” Nobody knows when they start college what GPA and LSAT they will end up with, so that makes it impossible to choose an UG college where you are guaranteed to end up “in the zone.” If you end up with a 3.4 and 160 LSAT, having attended Harvard College is NOT going to help you into Harvard Law. </p>
<p>From what I’ve seen, YHS cut their grads NO slack in terms of LSAT. They don’t have to. The median LSAT at Yale College runs about 164 or 165; Harvard College’s is usually about one point higher. (Last time I looked, Cornell’s was about 160. Since I think Marny’s D has taken the test, she should know for that admissions cycle. It’s on the results report.)</p>
<p>Where they do cut a bit of slack is for kids who are “in the zone” in terms of GPA and have good ECs. So, as I wrote in another thread, I think Harvard Law is going to be more likely to take the kid with a 3.4 GPA and 178 LSAT who was managing editor of the Crimson. They also tend to do this for varsity athletes–no matter where they went to college. Someone who playied quarterback for a big 10 college and has a high LSAT won’t be expected to have the same UGPA as someone whose most important EC was being social chair of his/her dorm/GLO. But the person reading the rec at Harvard Law School is going to know how time-consuming being the managing editor o the Crimson is–and would have very little idea how time consuming a similar position would be at many other colleges. </p>
<p>The other advantage is that quite often faculty KNOW the folks writing your recs. Say Prof X at Stanford is known as a tough, but fair grader and is highly regarded by other faculty at Stanford. Overall, I.Want Tobeatty’s GPA is a little weak–mostly due to low grades frosh year. Prof X writes a letter or rec for Tobeatty that says that Tobeatty is an outstanding student and has contributed a great deal to classroom discussion. That LOR from Prof X is going to help more than an equally glowing one from Prof Y at Cornell ILR whom nobody at Stanford knows personally. That’s just human nature. </p>
<p>But YHS taking folks with a lower LSAT from their own undergraduate colleges in the AGGREGATE? I don’t think that happens. I do think they are more likely to take one or two folks with extremely high GPAs and lower LSATs, but the group as a whole will have LSATs at or above the median.</p>