BROOKLYN LAW SCHOOL CURVE Forum

[bewarned]

Brooklyn Law changed the 1L grading curve and the administration says that it is so people at the bottom "take their grades seriously." But the new curve dragged down the median to below a 3.0. This place is a disaster. Has anyone else had any experiences like this at their schools?

[cavalier1138]

I don't think anyone will argue that Brooklyn is a top-flight law school, but how does adjusting the median harm anyone? Your class rank matters more than your GPA; everyone understands that different schools set their curve differently.

[QContinuum]

I don't think anyone will argue that Brooklyn is a top-flight law school, but how does adjusting the median harm anyone? Your class rank matters more than your GPA; everyone understands that different schools set their curve differently.

It matters because some/many gigs have a hard-3.0 floor regardless of actual class rank.

Was the curve actually changed midway through 1L, taking effect immediately? If so, that's doubly shitty.

[SesameMochi]

GPA still matters like what the above poster said. However, because the curve is different for most schools, if you're thinking about transferring schools will typically look at rank to get a better picture..

[Nuts2u]

I don't think anyone will argue that Brooklyn is a top-flight law school, but how does adjusting the median harm anyone? Your class rank matters more than your GPA; everyone understands that different schools set their curve differently.

It matters because some/many gigs have a hard-3.0 floor regardless of actual class rank.

Was the curve actually changed midway through 1L, taking effect immediately? If so, that's doubly shitty.

Hello, current 1L at BLS. The curve was changed in the summer of 2018, before we started school and before many of us even knew how the curve worked. It was posted online in our handbook but we weren’t notified of the change in an email or anything like that.

I don’t have a problem with the change to be honest because it seems to me that higher ranked schools seem to have higher curves, so it makes BLS students look better in the long run. Also, BLS renews academic scholarships if you’re in the top %85 of the class or something like that. That policy is a lot more lenient than other schools, and is not based on the curve, just your rank. That was way more important to me than the curve as a 0L looking at schools and scholarship opportunities, because most schools require you to be in the top half to keep a scholarship.

[QContinuum]

I don’t have a problem with the change to be honest because it seems to me that higher ranked schools seem to have higher curves, so it makes BLS students look better in the long run.

A bit confused. How does lowering the median GPA make BLS students "look better"? If anything, I would assume it'd make BLS students look worse. Especially so in the short term, as most employers will still be accustomed to BLS' old/more generous curve.

That was way more important to me than the curve as a 0L looking at schools and scholarship opportunities, because most schools require you to be in the top half to keep a scholarship.

I don't think "most schools require you to be in the top half" - I think most schools give out scholarships with a range of different stipulations, and applicants have sometimes been successful in negotiating for a more lenient stipulation than what was initially offered.

[winnie143]

Prospective Student here.
How does the drop in the curve make BLS students look better in the long run?
Also, is it really competitive to be at the top of your class? Is the atmosphere cut throat?

I don't think anyone will argue that Brooklyn is a top-flight law school, but how does adjusting the median harm anyone? Your class rank matters more than your GPA; everyone understands that different schools set their curve differently.

It matters because some/many gigs have a hard-3.0 floor regardless of actual class rank.

Was the curve actually changed midway through 1L, taking effect immediately? If so, that's doubly shitty.

Hello, current 1L at BLS. The curve was changed in the summer of 2018, before we started school and before many of us even knew how the curve worked. It was posted online in our handbook but we weren’t notified of the change in an email or anything like that.

I don’t have a problem with the change to be honest because it seems to me that higher ranked schools seem to have higher curves, so it makes BLS students look better in the long run. Also, BLS renews academic scholarships if you’re in the top %85 of the class or something like that. That policy is a lot more lenient than other schools, and is not based on the curve, just your rank. That was way more important to me than the curve as a 0L looking at schools and scholarship opportunities, because most schools require you to be in the top half to keep a scholarship.

[QContinuum]

Prospective Student here.
How does the drop in the curve make BLS students look better in the long run?
Also, is it really competitive to be at the top of your class? Is the atmosphere cut throat?

Can't speak to whether it's cutthroat at BLS, but as to your other questions:

• The drop in the curve does not make BLS students look better, short-term or long-term. A higher GPA is always better than a lower GPA, and a lower curve means that you'd be getting a lower GPA instead of a higher GPA for the exact same performance.
• It's always difficult at any law school to be at the top of your class. You'd need to outperform 95% of your classmates to be in the top 5%; 90% to be in the top 10%; 80% to be in the top 20%; etc. You should assume median performance (i.e., that you'll outperform 50% of your classmates, and the other half will do better than you) regardless of whether you're considering NYU or Brooklyn.