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E-PrinceIn 2008, Princeton’s applicants were less successful than Yale’s in gaining acceptance to the nation’s top law schools, according to data provided by both universities.
Roughly 32 percent of Princeton applications to the top 12 law schools ...
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Just 17 days ago, the Prince published a story saying that, according to the administration, Princeton's 2008 admission rates at Stanford Law School was 28 percent (http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2009/11/17/24452/). Now this article says it was really just 21 percent. What gives? The Yale number also appears to have changed from 14 percent to 15 percent, although perhaps that was just a rounding error. Is a correction forthcoming?
Implications for grade deflation?
Interestingly enough, our average GPAs are lower that those at MIT. Do they complain about grade deflation?
"In 2008, 74 Princeton seniors and 299 alumni applied to law schools nationwide, with an average LSAT score of 164 and an average GPA of 3.45. At Yale, the average LSAT score among law school applicants was 166, and the mean GPA was 3.58, compared to MIT applicants’ average 164 LSAT score and 3.32 GPA. The average GPA at Princeton was 3.28 in 2008, versus 3.51 at Yale. Recent data for MIT was not available."
Something tells me 2008 should not appear twice.
If Yale's average LSAT among law school applicants is actually 2 points higher than ours, that is highly significant for law school admissions. This really makes an anti-grade-deflation centered argument quite difficult to make. Our GPA's are deflated, but schools probably look at LSAT before GPA when faced with applicants from top undergrad programs anyways. If the LSAT looks like they can make the cut, it's much more likely that a slightly sub-standard GPA will still get admission.
This article is comparing apples and oranges. The average applicant to law school from Yale has a .13 GPA advantage and a 2-point LSAT score advantage. Translated into pure LSAT score advantage on your law school admissions index formula, that's equivalent to 5 LSAT points. So of course they're going to get in more at the top schools, where any LSAT and GPA on the margins will count. What we really need to perform statistical analysis here with are the median, 25th, and 75th percentile applicant data to each top school from both Yale and Princeton. Otherwise you cannot really draw any significant conclusions with this data.
Although I didn't get into Princeton, I always knew Yale was better.
This result is because the students are better, not because the University is better. Compared to Yale, Princeton makes students improve more than when they came in, but Yale students were better to start with.
"Interestingly enough, our average GPAs are lower that those at MIT. Do they complain about grade deflation?"
No, they don't. Also, the top student's at MIT don't typically apply to law school. I don't see why MIT was included for comparison since it is so much different than Yale or Princeton. Maybe the data was just easily available?
"Interestingly enough, our average GPAs are lower that those at MIT. Do they complain about grade deflation?"
Oh yeah, and by lower, you mean the average Princeton GPA is higher than those at MIT for law school applicants. The article doesn't give MIT's overall GPA.
Hi, I'm Grade Deflation, and I'm going to go ahead and not use any lube on this rake handle.