ABA Applicant Pool Data,
Including Median GPA & LSAT Score

First, look at those nice, reassuring words in the top left corner: "Official ABA Data." That tell you that this isn't something that someone on law.discussion.org said they read on Princeton review.com about USNews. This is actual data.

Then, look at all the valuable data you have: apps, offers, matrics (enrolled), full time, part time, and most important of all, medians! But what does it all mean?

This school had over 7,000 applicants, so it's definitely in one of the big coastal cities. It has both full and part-time programs, so it's in New York or DC, or it might be Loyola Marymount, in L.A. BC and BU get that many applicants, but they don't have part time programs. Now look at how high the median LSAT is! I don't think Loyola's is that high, and I know Georgetown's is higher. I would guess it's either Fordham or George Washington.

Can I really tell that just from looking at a set of numbers? Yes, at least for schools with this distinctive a pattern. Do I expect you to? No, silly, the name of the schools was right on whatever page I copied it from!

I do expect you to see two very important things:

1. Even though the reported 25-75 range for LSAT scores is 163, the median is 166. To consider a school reasonably safe you need to have an LSAT score above median -- in this case, a 167.
2. The range for the part-time program is entirely below the range for the full-time program; the 75th %ile for part-time is 163, which is the 25th %ile for full-time. So when you tell me the numerical grid shows they took a lot of people with a 162, I'll answer, "Yes, but probably for the part-time program."

This pattern -- where the part time program falls directly below the full-time in terms of LSAT score -- is the latest chapter in law schools' accusations of "gaming the system."

This school is a top midwestern one -- Iowa, Minnesota, or Illinois. How do I know? The medians are right for New York or DC, but those schools have part-time programs, and this one doesn't. They're also right for several west coast schools, but app volume is too low. High medians, low app volume, is a classic midwestern pattern. Illinois takes fewer people, so I'd cross it off the list. My first guess would be Minnesota, second guess Iowa.

Don't I know where I copied this data from? Well I did when I copied it, but that was a long time before I wrote this page, so no, I don't. I could look, but it's not important. What IS important is that with the same 167 to 163 range (the one that USNews will report), the median is 165, and your chances are high with a 166 instead of a 167.

Does one point make that much difference? Yes. As I mentioned in the "World Series" model of admissions, if you don't help their stats, they don't need you on their team.

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This grid is for a small school, probably in the Great Plains; look at the low number of apps. The class size (174) is too big for the four "empty" states (North and South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana). I would guess Kansas or Nebraska. Note the small part -time program, so it's not in a large urban setting. Large evening programs are for people who work during the day; programs with 7 people are for people who need to be home to care for someone, and are often part-time day programs.

There are two reasons why I placed this grid here:

• Note that the medians, etc. for the full-time and part-time programs are NOT stacked one above the other; this school is NOT "gaming" the part-time program.
• Note also that the school offered a part-time seat to 7 people, and somehow wound up with 11! How can that happen?

A mistake in published data? It happens all the time, folks, You've heard the phrase "only human"? It applies everywhere, even in law school admissions offices. I could tell you stories... but then I'd be out of a job.