Re: How to be a Successful Splitter
Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2011 11:40 am
Sorry guys, this may be a stupid question, but what is a "gpa floor"??
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The lowest GPA a school will consider if you aren't an URM. But some will dip a little below if you have a great LSAT or other good qualities, but some have really hard GPA floors.Schang1 wrote:Sorry guys, this may be a stupid question, but what is a "gpa floor"??
I see, thanks!! I'm shocked to learn that UVA has a pretty low gpa floor! YaySisterRayVU wrote:The lowest GPA a school will consider if you aren't an URM. But some will dip a little below if you have a great LSAT or other good qualities, but some have really hard GPA floors.Schang1 wrote:Sorry guys, this may be a stupid question, but what is a "gpa floor"??
It's really mostly due to their ED option. If you do RD with a low GPA, prepare to be wait listed.Schang1 wrote:I see, thanks!! I'm shocked to learn that UVA has a pretty low gpa floor! YaySisterRayVU wrote:The lowest GPA a school will consider if you aren't an URM. But some will dip a little below if you have a great LSAT or other good qualities, but some have really hard GPA floors.Schang1 wrote:Sorry guys, this may be a stupid question, but what is a "gpa floor"??
aww I see how it works now.. Are you aware if UVA requires a "why UVA" essay for ED? I don't think I can apply ED since I'm retaking the December lsat but just curiousthelawyler wrote:It's really mostly due to their ED option. If you do RD with a low GPA, prepare to be wait listed.Schang1 wrote:I see, thanks!! I'm shocked to learn that UVA has a pretty low gpa floor! YaySisterRayVU wrote:The lowest GPA a school will consider if you aren't an URM. But some will dip a little below if you have a great LSAT or other good qualities, but some have really hard GPA floors.Schang1 wrote:Sorry guys, this may be a stupid question, but what is a "gpa floor"??
They don't require a Why UVa per se, but it's VERY heavily suggested, for both RD and ED.Schang1 wrote:aww I see how it works now.. Are you aware if UVA requires a "why UVA" essay for ED? I don't think I can apply ED since I'm retaking the December lsat but just curious
I would check out the URM forums for a better answer than I can give you, but GPA floors don't really apply to URMs. I've seen some URMs get in with pretty low GPAs.Cookies wrote:How much of a difference do you think being a URM would make for say Columbia in terms of their GPA floor? about -3?
Because I have tons of leadership experience and volunteer work... etc etc And I am working my butt off to try getting my GPA to a 3.5 since I'm on a quarter system and currently around 3.1...but I don't want to be overly optimistic...
Sweet thanks, because I just got offered a chance to go to an international speaking competition which if I place would be a HUGE boost for me. And I have an interview for a couple great jobs so I'm excited to see how this will boost my applications.Samara wrote:I would check out the URM forums for a better answer than I can give you, but GPA floors don't really apply to URMs. I've seen some URMs get in with pretty low GPAs.Cookies wrote:How much of a difference do you think being a URM would make for say Columbia in terms of their GPA floor? about -3?
Because I have tons of leadership experience and volunteer work... etc etc And I am working my butt off to try getting my GPA to a 3.5 since I'm on a quarter system and currently around 3.1...but I don't want to be overly optimistic...
Cornell's is more a "floor with exceptions" than an actual floor, a la Michigansplitmuch wrote:If Cornell's GPA florr is 3.3 then its definitely a soft floor
1) You're an extreme splitter who should be looking at much higher-ranked schools than W&M and Iowa. The ratings are more useful to people who are more in the range of those schools.chill wrote:Iowa also took me, as of this morning. So for any future splitters reading through this, both W&M and Iowa took a sub-3.0 student who had a 179. Overall, neither should be red, I think.
Glad you liked it! There are a few of us extreme splitters out there, but it is kind of lonely looking at LSN and seeing three people anywhere close to you. I'm not quite as extreme as you, but have similar numbers. I'm hoping to end up at Northwestern, but I'm just glad that there are top schools that are willing to give people like you and me a second chance.chill wrote:I have applied at higher-ranked schools, but have only heard back from those two so far (I'm hoping to get more replies soon, because my cycle is probably going to be wildly unpredictable and I am going a little crazy from the uncertainty). I think you're right about leaving 'em red-- most splitters are much less extreme than me. I read TLS for the past year, though, and hadn't come across many people with my stats. I foresee your post being popular for splitters in the future, and I'm hoping some other extreme splitter will find my stats and result helpful while reading this thread. I'm a full GPA point below both schools' medians, so my LSAT score carried me. Anyway, thank you for this post. I think it's really informative and will probably help people like me in the future. There's a certain amount of neuroticism that comes along with being a supersplitter, ha.Samara wrote:1) You're an extreme splitter who should be looking at much higher-ranked schools than W&M and Iowa. The ratings are more useful to people who are more in the range of those schools.chill wrote:Iowa also took me, as of this morning. So for any future splitters reading through this, both W&M and Iowa took a sub-3.0 student who had a 179. Overall, neither should be red, I think.
2) A red rating doesn't mean that no splitter ever gets in. It means that it is less splitter-friendly. If you had a 168, you'd have a lot better luck at WUSTL or IU-B than W&M, which is the range of applicant that the rating is more useful for.
Are you on LSN, by any chance? I'm whimsical, I think we may have been messaging each other!chill wrote:I have applied at higher-ranked schools, but have only heard back from those two so far (I'm hoping to get more replies soon, because my cycle is probably going to be wildly unpredictable and I am going a little crazy from the uncertainty). I think you're right about leaving 'em red-- most splitters are much less extreme than me. I read TLS for the past year, though, and hadn't come across many people with my stats. I foresee your post being popular for splitters in the future, and I'm hoping some other extreme splitter will find my stats and result helpful while reading this thread. I'm a full GPA point below both schools' medians, so my LSAT score carried me. Anyway, thank you for this post. I think it's really informative and will probably help people like me in the future. There's a certain amount of neuroticism that comes along with being a supersplitter, ha.
so....a soft floor?JamMasterJ wrote:Cornell's is more a "floor with exceptions" than an actual floor, a la Michigansplitmuch wrote:If Cornell's GPA florr is 3.3 then its definitely a soft floor
Sure, I'd agree with that. Will add that when I update for the new numbers. (Coming soon!)splitmuch wrote:so....a soft floor?JamMasterJ wrote:Cornell's is more a "floor with exceptions" than an actual floor, a la Michigansplitmuch wrote:If Cornell's GPA florr is 3.3 then its definitely a soft floor
Depends on the school. Generally GPA floors will be firmer than LSAT floors for URM's. Columbia's 10-11 cycle looked like a 3.5 floor for non-URM and a 3.3 floor for URM.Cookies wrote:How much of a difference do you think being a URM would make for say Columbia in terms of their GPA floor? about -3?
Because I have tons of leadership experience and volunteer work... etc etc And I am working my butt off to try getting my GPA to a 3.5 since I'm on a quarter system and currently around 3.1...but I don't want to be overly optimistic...