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NYU Law Grade Reform: Another School Changes Horses Mid-Stream

New York University Law School NYU Law School Above the Law.JPGJust to be clear, we now live in a world where grading systems can be changed in the middle of the year just because students are not doing as well as the university would like.

It has been happening all across the country. Earlier this week, it happened at NYU:

As you may know, after lengthy deliberation the faculty recently approved a new grading curve, effective immediately. All fall 2008 classes (including early seven week classes) will be graded using this curve. The new curve includes a number of innovations, including the introduction of an A+ grade. We believe that the new curve will more accurately represent the achievements of our students to the outside world.

At some point, you’d think recent alumni would start to get very, very angry about all of these changes that make their transcripts look worse by comparison. People are losing their jobs and are having to send out their old law school transcripts to new prospective employers. But according to their alma mater, their transcripts do not accurately represent their achievements.

Also, I’ve still yet to hear a coherent educational argument for why these changes have to be made in the middle of the school year. One would expect major changes in the grading system to be carefully contemplated and cautiously implemented at the start of a class year. Instead, NYU Law is giving us another hasty reaction to the declining job market.

Maybe this is a necessary move. But if grades can be readjusted in the middle of the year just because of a faltering economy, why go through the charade of having grades in the first place? They should just change the system to: “Better Than A Columbia Law Student,” “Comparable to a Columbia Law Student,” and “Better Than A Hofstra Law Student.” That’s clearly all they’re going for anyway.

Read the full new system after the jump.

NYU LAW SCHOOL — MEMO — GRADE REFORM

To: All Students

From: Liam Murphy, Vice Dean

Re: New Grading Curve

As you may know, after lengthy deliberation the faculty recently approved a new grading curve, effective immediately. All fall 2008 classes (including early seven week classes) will be graded using this curve. The new curve includes a number of innovations, including the introduction of an A+ grade. We believe that the new curve will more accurately represent the achievements of our students to the outside world.

Here it is:

Mandatory First Year Curve

A+: 0-2% (target = 1%)
A: 7-13% (target = 10%)
A-: 16-24% (target = 20%)
Maximum for A tier = 31%
B+: 22-30% (target = 26%)
Maximum grades above B = 57%
B: remainder
B-: 4-8% (target = 6%)
C/D/F: 0-5%


Advisory Upper Level Curve, for classes with 28 or more students

A+: 0-2% (target = 1%) (mandatory cap*)
A: 7-13% (target = 10%)
A-:16-24% (target = 20%)
Maximum for A tier = 31%
B+: 22-30% (target = 26%)
Maximum grades above B = 57%
B: remainder
B-:4-11% (target 7-8%)
C/D/F: 0-5%

* The cap on the A+ grade is mandatory for all classes, even those with fewer than 28 students. However, at least one A+ can be awarded in every class in the law school.

Earlier: NYU Law Grade Reform: Another Law School Loses Its Fastball
Grade Reform at USC Gould School Of Law: Here’s a Free .1

Comments

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1 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:00 PM

AHHHHHHHHHHH

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2 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:00 PM

2nd to TTT?

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3 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:01 PM

oh yeah, and FIRST

- 1

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4 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:02 PM

Why does anyone on ATL even care what new york law school does anyway? They are not even top 50 schools.

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5 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:03 PM

Thank god they introduced the A+ so that employers will now be able to steer clear of painfully insufferable assclowns.

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6 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:04 PM

They have to make the curve more friendly at all elite law schools for the same reason that they had to make the SAT easier in the mid-90s and elite schools dispensed with grades below C around the same time: folks born after 1975 are entitled crybaby-heads unused to the vagaries of an un-cushioned existence.

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7 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:05 PM

I don't mind NYU, but I'm hungry and the room service is terrible.

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8 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:06 PM

Any 2Ls get law firm holiday gifts yet?

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9 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:06 PM

NYU is SUCH a joke.

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10 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:09 PM

NYLS is TTT!!!!

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11 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:09 PM

LOL at NYU undergoing grade reform that still leaves their curve more brutal than at any other top school.

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12 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:09 PM

festering TTT in decline. HTH.

13 Posted by nervous T10 1L | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:10 PM

*hopes i get a grade bump from a new michigan policy, why are we still at a 3.19 curve?!?!*

-nervous T-10 1L
email job leads to nervoust101l@yahoo.com

1 interview :)
10 dings :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(
168 pending...
1 "wait until january" :/

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14 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:10 PM

No wonder everyone in NYC laughs at NYU grads. They really are a joke. GULC wasn't such a bad decision after all.

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15 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:12 PM

So the targets for 1Ls are--

A: 10%
A-: 20%
B+: 26%
B: 33-38%
B-: 6%

In other words,
--more As than B-minuses at the ends of the curve
--more Bs than A-minuses toward the middle of the curve

Interesting.

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16 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:13 PM

folks born after 1975 are entitled crybaby-heads unused to the vagaries of an un-cushioned existence.

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17 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:13 PM

ATL needs to shut the f up and stop saying that any school that changes its grading policy is doing it "rashly!" and "because of the economy!"

It is a FACT that the grading curve at NYU was HARDER than its peers. This result was found by doing cold hard statistical comparisons. There was a STUDY done over the course of a very long period that found this on the basis of evidence. There is nothing whiny about aligning your curve with everyone elses. If ATL was remotely useful it would go and check out the curves at other schools - UVA, Northwestern, Columbia etc and it would see that this is the case. So please, until you are actually informed, shut the f up.

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18 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:14 PM

Now I can slack and my 2l grades will still look like my 1L grades! In any event, who gives? I'm going to guess the market is pretty efficient regarding this kind of info.

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19 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:14 PM

Yet another school saying grades are arbitrary.

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20 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:15 PM

NYU is only ranked higher than Penn and UChicago because it is in New York.

Everyone knows UChicago is superior to NYU and that NYU are wannabee Columbia ass clowns (similar to Northwestern's ass-clown status and envy of UChicago).

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21 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:16 PM

NYU's curve is still harder than it's peers. ATL, do your homework.

22 Posted by HofstraMagna | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:17 PM

Hey Elie - nice anti-Hofstra trolling. Too bad everybody knows that the bottom NYU students aren't as good as Hofstra students, so your new curve is wrong.

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23 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:17 PM

That's right, 20. NYU is better than everyone else b/c we get the same Biglaw jobs, but get to live in a cooler place before life goes down the tubes. Enjoy Chicago.

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24 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:19 PM

I love how everyone rips on USC for pushing up their curve...but when NYU does it they get a muted "well, that's just a reaction to the job market." Where's the wonderful metaphors Elie??? Where's your journalistic integrity???

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25 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:20 PM

ATL, or rather Ellie, normally I defend you / refrain from bashing you, but this is just ridiculous. NYU's curve is no more lenient than its peers, and, further, it is in fact harder than some of its peers.

NOT TO MENTION THE JOKE THAT IS THE HIGH PASS / PASS / FAIL system that HYS have adopted.

Seriously, stop trying to rake muck. You are a joke.

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26 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:21 PM

8 - I got some chocolate covered pretzels from Jones Day. Not much, but better than nothing I guess. They are making me thirsty . . .

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27 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:24 PM

ATTTL

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28 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:24 PM

Why do grades matter at all? Isn't your class rank the real metric that everyone cares about? My firm doesn't care if you have a 3.0 or a 4.0 or a 9.0, we read he next line that says "rank: X/Y, top Z%"

Who cares what the number is?

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29 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:24 PM

I love seeing the NYU losers commenting that they still have a harder curve than every other T10.

It may be true, but no one is listening to you. No one listens to fools from non-T4 schools.

- CLS 2L Stud

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30 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:25 PM

I love seeing the NYU losers commenting that they still have a harder curve than every other T10.

It may be true, but no one is listening to you. No one listens to fools from non-T4 schools.

- CLS 2L Stud

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31 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:26 PM

14 Nailed it. Nailed IT good!

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32 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:27 PM

23 - you mean, WE get the same Biglaw jobs (i would hope you get them since they are in your city) and then move to new york when we can actually afford it. i'm sure living in new york as a student is really glamorous.

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33 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:27 PM

29 & 30 You mean like CLS was last year, asshat?

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34 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:28 PM

Harvard's academic calendar was just released for next year with an early interview week. No grades + early interview week = sweet deal for the class of 2011.

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35 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:29 PM

28- NYU doesnt rank students.

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36 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:29 PM

CLS 2L - you're still not HYS either buddy

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37 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:29 PM

Question: Why is this a better solution to the 'problem' than simply releasing class ranks or percentile cutoffs?

Answer: Because doing the above would NOT solve the real problem... this isn't about the job market but rather about hurt feelings.

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38 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:30 PM

b/c NYU doesn't have class rank

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39 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:32 PM

29/30: let's see, for a "stud" at Columbia you must be about 30 pounds overweight and still wear clothes your mama buys ya ...

meanwhile they NYU bros n bitches be fly, giddiup heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaa

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40 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:33 PM

it's not exactly in the middle of the year seeing as exams haven't occurred yet, so the curve for the year will be consistent. Now, had they changed it only for spring semester, that would be the middle of the year. I don't think that had they changed it in the end of summer (which I guess wouldn't be middle of the year), knowing they were changing the curve would have changed my study habits.

Besides, they've been talking about this for a while. this isn't like "OMG the economy sucks let's change our scale!" This is "wow, our scale was lower than other peer schools" (read: CLS)

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41 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:33 PM

The previous curve was relatively merciless (particularly when compared with HLS and CLS):

A = 4-8%
A- = 10-16%
B+ = 24-33%
B = Remainder
B- = 4-11%
C = 0-5% for 1L J.D. students; 2-5% for all other students
D/F = 0-5%

I still think that the best policy would be to release class rank and/or median GPA.

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42 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:33 PM

As a fellow CLS student, CLS 2L is EVERYTHING that's wrong with CLS. With your arrogance, good luck in the real world buddy.

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43 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:33 PM

CLS 2L - you're still not HYS either buddy

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44 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:34 PM

"They should just change the system to: "Better Than A Columbia Law Student," "Comparable to a Columbia Law Student," and "Better Than A Hofstra Law Student." That's clearly all they're going for anyway."

I have to give it to you Elie, that was funniest thing you said yet.

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45 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:35 PM

#17 and other whiners. Quit your complaining.

Schools such as William & Mary and American skew their grades in the opposite direction as they aim to give 40% of the students less than a 'B.'

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46 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:35 PM

Dammit - this is why my 3.2 at GULC from 2003 looks horrendous, even though it placed me in the top half because the median was based on a 3.0.

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47 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:37 PM

14, GULC is ALWAYS a bad decision.

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48 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:38 PM

For all the CLS haters out there who think that CLS's curve is too loose:

http://www.autoadmit.com/resources/0304.pdf

The grades are from 03/04, but I highly doubt they've changed their curves since then.

CLS = known for ivy-league academics and serious students who get their ish done and land top jobs

NYU = known for rich white kids partying it up in Greenwich Village, then having mommy and daddy call up administration when their grades wouldn't get them a call-back at Yeshiva

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49 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:40 PM

Say what you will about NYU, but its much better than getting GULC'd.

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50 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:40 PM

what the hell is a callback at Yeshiva?

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51 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:40 PM

46 - there are winners and losers in the game of life. you are a loser.

maybe if you were smarter or worked harder, you wouldn't be affected by this.

i'm sure this is the reason your 3.2 from a dump school looks horrendous - not that you have a 3.2 from GULC.

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52 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:41 PM

no one cares what you think, elie.

all that we ask of ATL is that it report legal news and make witty remarks here and there.

instead, you:
1) report only on things that interest you, which might not even have a legal bent
2) give your self-righteous opinions
3) can barely spell or write in a grammatically-correct manner, and
4) are fat.

As if the comments on this blog weren't clear enough, WE ALL HATE YOU. And yet, you persist in doing the very things that annoy most people.

When is David Lat coming back? Someone, please?

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53 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:42 PM

As a fellow CLS student, CLS 2L is EVERYTHING that's wrong with CLS. With your arrogance, good luck in the real world buddy.

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54 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:42 PM

32: $2.25 will get me a better slice of pizza than a king's ransom would buy in whatever shithole you call home.

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55 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:42 PM

Just to be clear, we now live in a world where monetary systems can be changed in the middle of the year just because companies are not doing as well as some ignorant, pandering slimeball would like.

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56 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:42 PM

Adding A+ wont wipe the smell of TTT from the NYU transcript. If they want to help their students get jobs then they should follow Haverford's playbook and change their name to Colombia. Fordham can be Kolumbia.

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57 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:42 PM

can someone give a sense of the class ranks under the old NYU system (like what GPA is top quarter, half etc.?)

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58 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:43 PM

The whole system is f-ed. You have this gap between HYS and CLS, NYU and Chicago. Amongst each group - there are really no differences between the student body, on a strictly numbers-only basis.
So, any changes that effect any one of the groups have to be expected to be adopted by the other two. As such, an unequal curve will be matched eventually. A release or non-release of class rank won't happen unless all three collude to do it. The chances of that happening (even though it is the most useful way to distinguish): 0%.

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59 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:43 PM

You change COURSE midstream, not change HORSE midstream.

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60 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:43 PM

Will everyone stop responding to the NYU student posting as CLS 2L Stud? Or if you're not a troll, stop making the normal CLS'ers look like douchebags.

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61 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:45 PM

48, please don't confuse NYU undergrad with NYU Law. thanks.

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62 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:45 PM

48 - Yeah... except we don't care about a call-back at Yeshiva. We've sold our souls for cash. A lot of cash. A ridiculous amount of cash.

When it comes to whoring to BigLaw, Vault says we do it better than you.

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63 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:46 PM

This is just a blog but if the ostensible object of this website is to give its readers semi-reliable information, the writers who post here (Mr. Mystal) really need to do a better job of gathering information before posting. When the curve is adjusted at NYU (as it has been at least once before over the past decade, so count me among the ancients), the grade sheet discloses the curve spread. Moreover, I find it hard to believe that any interviewer is going to get a grade sheet and, say, whip out someone else's and think, "Aha, this earlier person got an 'A' but this later person got an 'A+'." Seriously? Give me a break. Every post lately is some repetitive attempt at (feigned) outrage, and it is Now. Officially. Getting. Very. Old. Enough already--the commentary is unnecessary when (a) it is misinformed or misguided, (b) it continues to harp on the same note over and over and over, and (c) consistently fails to be even remotely clever.

- Wishing It Were Still Just Lat

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64 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:46 PM

Yeah, GULCing doesn't help anyone.

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65 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:46 PM

29/30 is exactly why ppl choose to go to nyu instead of columbia

as for 48 and the "rich white kids" statement: i'd think that ivy league = rich white kids more than nyu = rich white kids

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66 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:47 PM

58 - not so subtle NYU trolling

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67 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:47 PM

Call-back = being contacted by a firm after OCI to do another interview. A/k/a a flyback when you're, ostensibly, flown out to the firm for the interview.

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68 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:48 PM

Call-back = being contacted by a firm after OCI to do another interview. A/k/a a flyback when you're, ostensibly, flown out to the firm for the interview.

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69 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:49 PM

55 nailed it!

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70 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:49 PM

66 - I wasn't trying to hide it. 58

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71 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:51 PM

This is just a blog but if the ostensible object of this website is to give its readers semi-reliable information, the writers who post here (Mr. Mystal) really need to do a better job of gathering information before posting. When the curve is adjusted at NYU (as it has been at least once before over the past decade, so count me among the ancients), the grade sheet discloses the curve spread. Moreover, I find it hard to believe that any interviewer is going to get a grade sheet and, say, whip out someone else's and think, "Aha, this earlier person got an 'A' but this later person got an 'A+'." Seriously? Give me a break. Every post lately is some repetitive attempt at (feigned) outrage, and it is Now. Officially. Getting. Very. Old. Enough already--the commentary is unnecessary when (a) it is misinformed or misguided, (b) it continues to harp on the same note over and over and over, and (c) consistently fails to be even remotely clever.

- Wishing It Were Still Just Lat

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72 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:52 PM

If I was a current V100 recruiter i wouldnt hire any michigan 1Ls so nervous 1L will be defending Crackheads at the PD's office in detroit

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73 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:52 PM

65 = 29/30

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74 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:52 PM

Yeah, GULCing doesn't help anyone.

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75 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:53 PM

you guys are a bunch of tools for squabbling about grade curves... that's why everybody hated you in college.

by the way: cls = known for hemorrhaging top faculty to nyu and other better schools.

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76 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:53 PM

U of C Curve requires that the number of A's equal the number of C's for classes over 50, including all required 1L courses. Ouch!

"Grades are recorded as numerical grades in the Law School and as letter grades in the
Office of the Registrar of the University. There is a mandatory curve for classes of more
than 50 students where the number of A's should approximately equal the number of
C's. The median grade for these classes is 177."

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77 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:53 PM

ATL has officially become the frumpy girl who really liked me in law school, made it apparent that she was always available, and would spring herself on me when I was too drunk to make a better decision. Every time it happened I would wake up the next morning pissed at myself for having let it happen, just as every time I return to read ATL I am ashamed for having likewise lowered my standards...and yet, sadly, eventually I always get drunk or bored enough to return once again.

Rturning to work after briefly visiting this site is truly a walk of shame...

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78 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:54 PM

If I was a current V100 recruiter i wouldnt hire any michigan 1Ls so nervous 1L will be defending Crackheads at the PD's office in detroit

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79 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:54 PM

MysTTTal for lyfe!

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80 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:54 PM

ATL has officially become the frumpy girl who really liked me in law school, made it apparent that she was always available, and would spring herself on me when I was too drunk to make a better decision. Every time it happened I would wake up the next morning pissed at myself for having let it happen, just as every time I return to read ATL I am ashamed for having likewise lowered my standards...and yet, sadly, eventually I always get drunk or bored enough to return once again.

Returning to work after briefly visiting this site is truly a walk of shame...

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81 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:55 PM

1) CLS 2L Stud is NYU trolling flame.

2) "NYU's curve is still harder than it's peers."

What are you smoking? CLS's 1L curve limits A-range grades to no more than 20-25% of the class. That's less than the 31% at NYU with the new curve. Grades above B+ should make up no more than 45-55% of the class. NYU sets its B+ and above range at 57%.

Basically NYU is trying to shift more B+s into A-s relative to CLS.

Enjoy the dilution of the value of your grades.

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82 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:59 PM

no, it's definitely change HORSE midstream

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83 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:01 PM

1-81--You guys nailed it. Spot on. Exactly right.

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84 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:04 PM

8====>

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85 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:07 PM

Why hasn't there been a post on the constitutional crisis in Canada?

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86 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:08 PM

NYU Law IS NOT NY Law, we are ranked #5

If you are going to comment at least actually read the post

32 - Trust me living in NYC, even as a law student, is pretty awesome

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87 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:09 PM

Horseshit.

I demand that my 3.013 at U of AZ be upgraded to a 4.013 - stat.

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88 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:09 PM

8===========D

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89 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:10 PM

Why hasn't there been a post on the constitutional crisis in Canada?

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90 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:11 PM

86 is a moron. took the bait hook, line and sinker

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91 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:11 PM

So here's the rationale for adding A+, as we heard it in a NYU meeting a couple of months ago. A dean here happened to be talking to a SCOTUS member this summer (about an article), who at the time was looking at clerk applications. The justice told the dean that he liked this one candidate from NYU but didn't think his/her grades were strong enough--for instance, he/she didn't have a single A+. The dean told the justice that NYU doesn't give out A+ grades, and the justice's response was effectively "that's pretty stupid".

And that's how an A+ is made. So this whole thing isn't about jobs, it's much more about clerkships. The school's not too worried about job placements. Biglaw knows the average GPA at NYU, and they hand out around the same number of job offers to NYU kids every year. Clerkship searches involve conditions with much higher asymmetries of information, which leads to the incentive to fluff the grades. So don't blame the schools, blame the judges.

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92 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:12 PM

89 - CCC? Because as the 51st state, our constitution is their constitution and we don't have a parliament.

Seriously Elie, we Michiganders demand Candian coverage.

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93 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:13 PM

has anyone heard anything about Morgan Lewis in Philly cancelling their summer program for this year?

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94 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:17 PM

91- so U get the rationale for A+s. But that's not the only change, or the big one, unless you're saying that NYU has always given out A-s and above to nearly 1/3 of the class? What a joke.

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95 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:18 PM

Damnit, why is the U key next to the I key?

-94

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96 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:19 PM

(.) (.)

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97 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:20 PM

94 - No, they decided to inflate the A's while they were at it. It used to be about 20% percent A-range, 5% straight A's.

Hell, if you're going to take an inch, take an ell.

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98 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:22 PM

97- Then let me expand my analysis. If you're saying that NYU needs A+s in order to correct informational asymmetry in clerkship applications, isn't pushing the A range grades to 31% a deliberate attempt to game that same asymmetry? Rule #1: Never put anything past Dean Ricky.

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99 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:25 PM

I agree that we need more Canadian coverage. It's the most interesting political thing happening in North America right now.

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100 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:47 PM

8===========================D

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101 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:52 PM

.....................crickets................crickets................

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102 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 5:06 PM

if you change horses midstream you end up all wet.

Canadian law rules. Canadian conservatives only do so until Parliament reconvenes.

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103 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 5:13 PM

Honestly, ATL is so out of touch it is laughable. Listen up, kids. Once you begin working after law school, issues like grade reform at your alma mater have zero impact on your life and career. What bubble do you live in that you actually think recent NYU alum would care about this? The reality is, once you get that first job, all that matters after that point is the fact that you went to NYU, and how well you are performing in your job as an attorney. Do you really think employers are evaluating me by comparing my transcript grades to incoming first years? Get a clue, your ignorance is showing.

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104 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 5:23 PM

Here is the first-year grade curve for Columbia
A+ discretionary, usually not given out. No more than 1 per class, usually none.
A- 5-10%
A- 12-18%
Total A: 20-25%
B+ 25-35%
Total B+ and above: 45-55%
B 30-40%
Total B and Above: 85-93%
B- and below: 7-15%


As is obvious, the old NYU curve almost precisely mirrored the CLS curve (maybe 1% harder across the board). The new one is 5-8% more generous across the board.

So now you know

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105 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 5:30 PM

Under the previous NYU system only 4-6% of the class graduated with an average of A- or better.

A = 4-8%
A- = 10-16%
B+ = 24-33%
B = remainder
B- = 4-11%
C = 0-5%

Also keep in mind there are professors who stick to the low end of the distribution, and that it is discretionary for 2Ls & 3Ls.

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106 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 5:30 PM

CLS to 190!!!!!

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107 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 5:53 PM

AAAHHH!!!!!!!!!!
I go to NYU--its better than HYS and much better than ColumbTTTa.

No!.. I go to Columbia--I'm better than you!!!!

I go to Cornell....Me and Andy Bernard are the shit!

I go to HYS....mwaahaahaa

Who gives a shit what you think? Gee, my law school is harder than your law school. I must be smarter than you and I'm going to get a job at a firm that pays a higher salary than your firm.....oh, wait--they all pay the same. Ok, at least my bonus will be higher...if I choose SkaTTTen (damn you CravaTTTh)....

Actually--I checked with the Hiring Partners at all the firms that layed people off and they all agree that the first attorneys to be fired are ones with inflated GPAs....wait--maybe they said it was just failing practice areas...my head hurts.

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108 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 6:17 PM

Columbia didn't start admitting women until the 1970s right?

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109 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 6:24 PM

108 - Wrong. CLS started admitting women in the 1920's. But how is this at all relevant?

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110 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 6:27 PM

Who cares what TTT New York Law School does?

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111 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 6:31 PM

91 has it right. The contours of the curve may be relevant for clerkships, but they in no way affect hiring by the big firms.

Any hiring partner or recruiting director can easily figure out how a given transcript from a given school/curve roughly translates into class rank, which is the only thing people want or need to know.

When I was at UVA, there was a 3.0 mean curve. Later it got switched to 3.3, supposedly to bring UVA more in line with the curves used by the other schools. Since that info is right on the transacript and in the school's OCI info packet, it doesn't change anything. You still just want to know if the grades translate into top 20%, top half, whatever.

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112 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 6:52 PM

When I chose NYU over Columbia I did so based principally on the following reasoning:

The schools are as academically comparable as law schools are likely to be. Both draw from largely the same pool of admitted students. But Columbia is more likely to have students who choose on the basis of name recognition. Choosing on the basis of name recognition to me seemed a good personality proxy for the type of person I would rather not be around. Conversely, I reasoned that a person who wasn't sure he was enough of a balls-up dickhead to go to law school in the first place (me) would find good company at NYU. This holds true even if I concede (which I do not) that Columbia kids are "smarter", however poorly defined that term is.

In other words, I figured I'd rather hang out in the Village, smoke weed, piddle around used record shops, and fuck NYU girls than go to Columbia, which besides the name seemed about as fun as a getting stabbed in the eye with a piss icicle.

I have never regretted this decision.

(NYU 2L going to V10)

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113 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 7:01 PM

pls do a story you faTTT TTTard, on honors at harvard law school

explain how class of 97 had over 70% graduating with cum laude....

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114 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 7:06 PM

113, you seem to be confusing harvard law school and harvard college.

Cum laude at harvard law has always been top 40%, minus the top 10% magna cum laude.

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115 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 7:17 PM

109 - feminist?

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116 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 7:32 PM

Wasn't CLS fervent about not admitting gays into their law program? The rationale was something along the lines of: "it distorts the culture of its law program." That's something else.

-Man with the subtle plan

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117 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 7:32 PM

NYU students, get over yourselves! You're not that much cooler than law students from Columbia, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Berkeley, Michigan, Virginia, Northwestern, etc.

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118 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 7:51 PM

91 - if that's true, that must've been one disappointingly stupid SCOTUS member. Let's see, you have your pick of clerks from the best of the best - presumably no-one below UChicago even gets a chance - and you can't take the five minutes to look at the grading curve of all of 6 law schools you're selecting from?

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119 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 7:59 PM

112

I too picked b/w CLS and NYU. And I figured Columbia would have normal people who wanted to go to the best school they good and get a good education, and NYU would be filled with deuchebags who wanted to fuck NYU girls, smoke weed, and hang out in the village.

And by god, i was right.

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120 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 8:02 PM

Agree with 117. It's hilarious to hear top 5 law students talk about how fucking cool they and the rest of their awesome, non-balls up dickhead classmates are. Legitimately cool people don't advertise it or even really talk about it. What a bunch of douchebags.

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121 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 8:08 PM

A-plusses are great. I have a bunch of 'em.

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122 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 8:11 PM

It is bizarre that they made this announcement just before exams, as if to heighten the poor 1L's already unbearable anxiety about grades, though presumably the announcement is intended to help those 1L's in next year's job market.

The more law schools move to inflate their grades, the less grades will matter. Look at ivy undergrads. What's the result? The diminished importance of undergrad GPAs means heightened focus on LSATs, because ultimately something is needed to create differentiation. If law school grades become less meaningful, what will replace them as the differentiating characteristic? Will it be better?

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123 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 8:14 PM

119- I am very happy you got the best school you good.

-Happy I'm at NYU and not with you

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124 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 8:19 PM

LOLZ @ 119 going to Columbia cause it was "the best school [he/she] good."

Should have gone to a school that teaches you how to proofread comments made on a legal blog instead.

-T7 1L

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125 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 8:34 PM

112 is the reason I picked Chicago over NYU.

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126 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 8:51 PM

lulz at 112 despising those who choose a school with name recognition and proceeding to brag about his acceptance at a V10. good luck at skadden with ur shit reasoning skills and TTT personality.

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127 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 8:53 PM

I picked NYU/CLS/CHI based on personal preference because I didnt get into Harvard, but I know it is way better than CLS/CHI/NYU because everyone at your schools is a motherfucker and your school is easy. My school is the best I am am going to SCOTUS/V5 and you are going to the soup kitchen because you are a motherfucker and I HATE YOUR FACE SO MCUH my decision is the best my life is better than yours I prove it with this blog post which proves I am secure in my decision.

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128 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 8:59 PM

I foresee the A+ dramatically increasing the level of sucking up to professors, 1 per class? those gunners are going to go crazy

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129 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 9:06 PM

127: best comment.

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130 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 9:19 PM

Ghandi graduated from NYU Law. I think Idi Amin took a few courses in human rights law at CLS. go figure.

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131 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 9:36 PM

I chose Chicago over NYU because of Chicago's history of racial understanding and acceptance.

I chose Chicago over Columbia because I didn't lose my virginity to the 14 year old stable boy at my parents' equestrian club. Last year.

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132 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 9:43 PM

119 & 125

112 here. Sounds like all three of us made the right choice.

I threw in the “V10” to forestall comments about happy potheads like me not being able to find gainful employment. But I will admit there’s some prestige whore in me—I’d have gone to Harvard or Yale, but they rejected my ass. The prospect of “Columbia” on the resume just didn’t do it for me, however.

2nd concession: It’s not like NYU doesn’t have its share of horrid, bitter little people that infest the rest of the T5. But it is marginally more laid-back, much more international, and in a cool neighborhood. And our undergraduates are prettier.

I swear I end up commenting on ATL once a semester, invariably during finals procrastination, invariably on the NYU-Columbia thing, and invariably feel dirty afterwards…

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133 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 9:52 PM

All this in fighting is unnecessary. We're in law school, we work a ton and, until about a year ago, some of us were probably going to get paid way more than our relative worth.

We should just smoke weed and be happy. Life's too short.

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134 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 10:12 PM

Do you really think it matters to people who have been out of school for five years that they had an A- and that was considered pretty damn good back then and now people are easily getting better grades? If they have not done enough with their degrees over the last five years to make them more attractive to potential employers than a soon-to-be JD, they have bigger issues than curve changes.

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135 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 11:17 PM

if 100% of the grade is the final, then why does it matter if the change happens now? it would be the same if they had changed it over summer.

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136 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 11:32 PM

114

you seem to be full of shiTTT

it was big news when HLS FINALLY moved to make cum laude available for the only slightly above average

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137 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 11:36 PM

114

Harvard Mag, Jan-Feb 2000 confirms the 70% figure for cum laude and up. Kindly go fuck self.

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138 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 11:41 PM

the legal world is collapsing and faTTTass is posting about grades

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139 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 11:44 PM

As someone who recently graduated from NYU with a nice GPA, I'm a little annoyed that it'll be watered down. Completely petty, I know, but the A-range expansion is really substantial.

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140 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 11:44 PM

FWIW, I think this could affect hiring decisions on the margins if there is confusion between the two curves. Grades matter less and less over time, but some firms pay attention to grades of junior laterals. Summer recruiting standards will be based on the updated curve, and this could leak into lateral decisions without proper information.

- recent NYU Law grad

PS - NYU still rules and that school in Harlem is nowhere near as cool.

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141 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, December 4, 2008 11:53 PM

I go to a T50 (go ahead, mock) and our median is 2.85. It really sucks. Supposedly, the firms in our city are aware of our harsh curve, but I don't think that helps.
Grade curves suck. Exams Suck. Thank god for the internet to distract

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142 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, December 5, 2008 12:26 AM

I was at the meeting when the Dean explored this issue. This is not a hasty decision as has been pointed out earlier in the thread. NYU has been considering it for the whole semester but had to get it cleared by the board, faculty, student government etc. Its mainly because of clerkships and judges who arent as privy to up to date information the Ellie provides through his hysterical rants against a curve bump that everyone else , especially BigLaw hiring partners knows about anyways. Everyone chill the f out. Ellie if I were grading your reaction on the Harvard curve, sadly I coudn't give you honors. (That is an A, but its Harvard, so its honors) (You know, because its Harvard.)

Also where is this Columbia Law School? I've been all the way up to 110th street but still can't find it. I've seen the students for brief moments but they always run towards the #1 train whenever I try to approach them in a social setting, so I know it must exist...somewhere.

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143 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, December 5, 2008 12:50 AM

I always get a good kick out of people who confuse NYU School of Law with NYLS. It reminds me of the days when I was getting all the fliers from NYLS in the mail, getting excited.. until I realized NYLS is very different from NYU.

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144 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, December 5, 2008 1:12 AM

Sucks for NYUers who just missed the grade bump. This means in a couple of years when they realize big law sucks and apply to say a gov't job, they might lose out to a person the year below them who has a higher GPA just because of the curve shift.

Also, funny how NYUers are posting on ATL after midnight on a Thursday night talking about how "cool" NYU students are. Yes, I'm on here at the same time, but you wont hear me bragging about how cool I am. I was a bigger nerd in high school than Liz Lemon.

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145 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, December 5, 2008 7:54 AM

all schools should just go to ranking instead of grades for the first year - who cares if you have an A - average from HLS if that puts you in the "top" 80 percent of your class or whatever.

i hope faTTTass does a story on Harvard grades soon...

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146 Posted by guest | Permalink Sunday, December 7, 2008 6:11 PM

I'm just a 0L, so I might be wrong, but NYU students seem to have a legitimate complex about Columbia--always going out of their way to take shots at CLS. I haven't noticed Columbia students attacking NYU with the nearly the same consistency. Given that, why do NYU students always accuse CLS'ers of being douchebags when their behavior, at least in the context of this interaction, is much more douchey?

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147 Posted by guest | Permalink Sunday, December 7, 2008 6:24 PM

146 - you're a 0L, your opinion and life are meaningless, and most CLSers are douchebags, the rest are twatwaffles.

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148 Posted by guest | Permalink Sunday, December 7, 2008 10:07 PM

Thanks for your contribution, 147. That confirms my suspicions.

- 146

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149 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, March 26, 2009 3:12 PM

i hate NYU law, to anyone contemplating coming here, take the advice of a once idealistic law student..DON'T, Save your money, save your time, and do something else or go somewhere else

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150 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, March 26, 2009 3:13 PM

i hate NYU law, to anyone contemplating coming here, take the advice of a once idealistic law student..DON'T, Save your money, save your time, and do something else or go somewhere else

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