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Related Discussions
What defines a splitter?
sophie74
Free Trial Member
I don't know if there is a technical definition on the matter, but I'm curious what scores/GPAs make you a splitter. Is it overall, or specific to school?
For ex: a below 3 GPA and an above 170 LSAT is clearly a splitter.
But say you have a 3.5 or 3.6 GPA and an above 170 score. Is that STILL a splitter at the top schools? Or does the 170+ score override your good (but not great) GPA?
I feel like it becomes even more complicated when you parse out the scores above 170. At what point above 170 do the returns on another point stop increasing?
I realize this is a multi-layered question with a lot of hypothetical situations, so it may not be a worthwhile exercise for many. But then again maybe it is, since I know a lot of people probably have similar thoughts.
Comments
My quick answer is that you are a splitter when one of your LSAT/GPA is below the 25th percentile of the school and the other is above the 75th percentile
A splitter can be simply defined as a candidate who has a GPA below a school's median and an LSAT above the schools median or 75 percentile. So yes, it is specific for each school because every school has different class profiles. Although you can say in general terms, a 3.0 GPA, 176 LSAT for example, will be deemed a splitter for pretty much every school in the US.
Example:
Harvard Law:
GPA Median- 3.86
LSAT median: 172
Someone with a 3.7 GPA and 174 LSAT will be considered a splitter.
Compared to UC Davis Law:
GPA median- 3.54
LSAT median- 163
In this school, this student is nowhere near being a splitter and instead is a competitive candidate because both numbers exceed the medians of that school.
On the other side of the coin, there's reverse splitters. This just means their LSAT is below a school's median but their GPA is above the median/75th percentile.
Hope this helps!
Yeah the above 2 posts are correct. You will see people throw out "super splitter" and "reverse splitter" in addition to the regular splitter. The differences are pretty arbitrary between super and regular splitters - typically super splitters are the sub 3.0 range, maybe even including 3.0-3.1ish.. again, it's arbitrary so ymmv.
Reverse splitters are where they have >75% GPA's but <median LSAT scores. This category is obviously preferred as you can remedy a bad lsat score, and your gpa is set in stone.
Exactly. It depends on the school and also to the degree to how high exactly your score. There is no definitive nature as to how much of splitter one can be, though there are certainly indicators.
It’s also worth considering if you school has grade inflation or deflation. If it does, this will most certainly be taken into account, meaning that you may or may not be a splitter based off your GPA. Point being, there are several factors to consider when calculating GPA and determining whether or not one is a splitter.
Great question @sopie74 .... can I add another layer?
Does anyone know which T14 schools that tend to be 'splitter friendly'?
Historially NU is your best option. UVA shows some splitter love. Barring you revealing your gpa (or a range of your GPA) I'd just be speculating the rest of the schools. You can PM if you don't want to post it - I've done far too much research on splitter outcomes (since I'm drowning in that boat)
To answer @tringo335 , a friend of mine got in to Northwestern with 3.0 and 169. Also, he is not an URM. But had solid softs.
So I would say, based on anecdotal evidence that Northwestern is splitter friendly among T14.
Yeah NU is definitely your best T14 option as a splitter, especially if you have above a 170.
@Mellow_Z I would take any splitter advice you have. I am sub 3.0 and working to see what lsat score could put me where. I mean I want a 180 of course, but I would like to know the possibilities of a 165 compared to a 170 etc.
Also, just to add, major matters here too. Being a splitter as a humanities major is not the same as being a splitter with a hard science major. Not all GPAs are created equal!
You can PM me for more details if you'd like. There is a big difference between a 2.99 and a 2.4 for instance. As a splitter the biggest soft you can have is work experience. The more the better. You need to distance yourself from your GPA and market yourself as being more mature.
I'm going to assume a 2.8 GPA and non-URM for the following assumptions - and I want to emphasize, that all these are is projections. They aren't comprehensive or guaranteed, just observations I've made.
Basically HYS are not obtainable. These schools are known for being pretty unpredictable so if you landed a 177+ it might be worth a Yale Mary and start praying. I wouldn't count on any of these though.
Duke, UM, Penn are extreme reaches. If you got a 175+ they might be possible but with no scholarship and at sticker they might not be worth it given your goals after school. Below 175 you are looking at <10% acceptance barring any extremely unique softs.
Berkeley doesn't like splitters unless you land a 175+ so I'd write them off. That leaves us with Gtown, uva, Cornell, Texas and NU. With a 172+ all of these are a possible outcome. NU and UVA are likely your best bets though. And even if you do get accepted to any of these lower schools they will likely come at a hefty price.
Traditional advice is to apply to NU as early decision because their ED acceptance comes with a 150k scholarship. You (splitters) likely won't get it, because it's meant as a way to bring top tier applicants to the school. Either way, it shows you have serious interest in their school as ED are binding. They'll move you to the regular applicant file and hopefully the ed submission will give you a leg up.
Anither piece of advice is to apply to WUSTL. They THROW full rides at 173+ lsat scores. This will be crucial in negotiating scholarships at the lower T13. Apply everywhere and hope for the best. Splitter cycles aren't predictable. Make sure your application is top notch and apply early. The earlier the better (aim for sept or oct to get things finalized). Professional services like 7sage or spiveyconsulting are huge helps to splitters depending on how lofty your goals are. I'm running out the door right now for a volleyball game but maybe I'll make a cleaner post later this evening. Let me know if you have any questions!
@Mellow_Z I've gathered most of this from a series of posts. I did not know it made a difference how low your gpa was from that range. I have a gpa closer to the 2.4. I will have a two year gap so I know that will help with NU. I am aiming for a 171 for NU or WUSTL. If lower (~166) I am considering Emory, UGA, Boulder, and a couple of others. There are a lot of posts regarding splitters and t14s, but not many for t30 schools.
I think 171 might even be low for NU. At least for a probable outcome. It COULD get you in, but I would want a 173 I think to be comfortable with my chances.
I think there definitely would be a difference between a 2.9 and a 2.4 though. Yes I agree that both are going to be sub 25%, but the way that they bring down their averages is obviously more drastic with the lower gpas. And as was mentioned earlier, your major matters in splitter territory. A 2.4 STEM gpa would be way more favorable to adcoms than say, a 2.4 polisci or education major.
For t30s, you really just have to kill the lsat. WUSTL will throw full rides to 172+ (or in that range) and with a full ride to a school so close to T13, I would think using their scholarship would be easy leverage for the rest of the schools you have mentioned. I have also noticed that some schools will just outright deny splitters/super splitters for whatever reason. They might have a harder time bringing up their gpa average so maybe it's in their best interest to keep things close to median? I dont know though. I agree there isn't nearly as much data.
http://mylsn.info/r/pre-law/admissions/search/
I also recommend all of you guys in the splitter category to check out this website. It lets you search wide ranges of data from lawschoolnumbers and should let you see where your numbers will land you and at what % of likelihood.
@Mellow_Z Same here. I want to be a 170s splitter.
Thanks @Mellow_Z for the tips. Sorry should have left my gpa. I'm a 3.5 with 8 years out of undergrad. Any thoughts on what's favorable to splitters with those stats?
Like others have commented, the degree you took matters to some extent if the college is looking at your grades holistically. I would also throw in 'where you went to school' and 'do you have a graduate degree?' in there as possible mitigating factors. A low GPA at a world leading institution might not look so bad to an admissions board compared to a low GPA at a community program. A strong performance at Graduate school despite a lackluster UGPA puts more distance between you and that UGPA score too, just like work-experience.
A 3.5 won't really hold you back anywhere. HYS are complete crapshoots to begin with, even at median, but you could theoretically get in there if you had an amazing application.
I sent Sophie some links to people who had 3.6's.. basically with a 170-174 you can find yourself pretty good scholarships within the T13, and a full ride wouldn't even be off the table (Duke, Mich, Penn, UVA, NU, Berk, Cornell would all be quite obtainable).
http://mylsn.info/9dsoue/
If you were able to crack 175+ on the other hand, you're looking at almost 100k average in scholarship to anywhere besides HYS.
http://mylsn.info/6cjjqg/
Yeah I agree. An upward trend in GPA is also something that will work in your favor (particularly for K-JD's).
@tringo335, with 10 years of work experience, you're in the non-traditional applicant bucket anyway, so you shouldn't have any issues overcoming a 3.5. It will be easy to sell yourself as a much more mature and desirable applicant with all of that work experience. Places like NU REALLY like work experience (they like it so much that it might be fair to say that not having WE is a strike against you), which is why splitters (in the sub 3.0 gpa range) need to have work experience to have a good shot at cracking the T13. Distance that GPA my friends, and make up for that bad GPA with an amazing LSAT and killer application. Include all optional essays, write every school a "Why X" (But it needs to be sincere, or don't waste your time). Campus visits, sitting in on classes, and interviewing with alumnus will all greatly increase your likelihood of acceptance.
GREAT INFO thanks friend; also great incentive to reach for a 175 lol. #moneytalks
What is a "URM"?
@tringo335
URM = Under represented minority.
Which groups are considered URMs?
American Indians/Alaskan Natives, African Americans/Blacks, Mexican Americans, and Puerto Ricans are typically considered URM’s. (from TLS)
URM typically carries a +5 to +8 boost on LSAT scores for T14 schools. So it's a pretty sizeable "advantage" in the application process.
Check out this blog for specific details : http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/do-underrepresented-minority-urm-applicants-have-a-law-school-admissions-advantage
http://i.imgur.com/9F8ZIxK.png
Thanks! Very helpful