Few graduates get into big law and even fewer enjoy the life.
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But the difference between this generation and mine is that they know about biglaw and the lifestyle whereas people from mine Forrest Gump-ed into it or were born into it.
On CC, most will tell you that GPA reigns supreme. But based on my own personal experiences, Iâd say that a kid with naturally high SATâs (not prepped since 8th grade) who has high but not perfect GPAâs will do best. The kids with a perfect GPA, IMO are in programs that are too easy or they are perfectionists who will quickly hit a wall when interacting with other students at their level. A kid who takes on a lot of rigor and the most difficult classes at a school with other kids on the same level will be well prepared.
Nothing worse IMO than a kid with a sky high GPA who finds out that his college professor doesnât curve the grade, or they donât have the background they need and canât learn it in time.
I personally think preparation and strong ability to learn is key. I realize most on CC think the SAT is meaningless or a number of other arguments.
Iâve seen a number of kids gain entry then end up transferring because the college was too difficult for them. A good college fit is key, IMO.
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Same for IB, consulting and many other high paying/high prestige fields. People burn out ( some late 20s, others when they have kids, some just keep going until they reach partnership level or can afford to retire).
Easy, they are at the top of state u and get a prestigious internship. That facilitates their first entry level job. This is particularly true at state Uâs with honor colleges. Recruiters know there are many kids with great skills who are there for cost and local considerations. And some State Uâs ARE as prestigious or more prestigious than privates.
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The SAT isnât that great of a predictor of college success. Maybe for kids in STEM. But certainly not for this in the humanities. I would argue that there are âsoftâ skills and emotional intelligence that donât translate in a quantitative test. I have 2 really smart kids who suck at standardized tests. One is at UCLA and thriving. Stereotypes work only some of the time. 
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But thatâs it - not so easy. The feeling (and I say that bcs not quantified anywhere) is that a ho-hum grad from northwestern has proven ability to Acme inc. by being at northwestern. The world of todayâs applicants does not think a kid near the top but not the tippity top of bigstateu (not a public Ivy) will have the same opportunities.
Lol, I took the LSAT fall of senior year pretty much cold. Had no clue about law other than Perry Mason â both my parents are scientists. Even in law school, had no real sense of professional practice until my first year summer internship in a hometown law firm. It wasnât until job hunting for summer of second year that I even became aware of the different tiers of law firms. So, count me in the Forrest Gump group.
You are the one using âelitistâ. I did not, nor do I.
Baruch College- a branch of City College in NYC. Hardly âprestigiousâ in the way that word is thrown around here. Has a heavy First Gen population (and first Gen American/immigrant population), most of whom live at home and commute by subway. These are not frat kids driving the Jeep or BWM Daddy bought them when they turned 18. It is a recruiting target for virtually every big bank in NY. Their finance program is top-notch. I doubt anyone in Texas or California has ever heard of it.
Macauley- another City College gem. Rigorous, not âprestigiousâ.
Missouri M&T (I know, it sounds like I get money from them to sing their praises). Public U, punches above its weight in recruiting because of its rigor, not because of itâs âprestigeâ.
Georgia Tech- has probably jumped an entire âtierâ in terms of its 'Brand" with employers over the 35 years or so that Iâve been in corporate America.
Rutgers- doesnât get love with HS kids in New Jersey- its programs in history, poli sci, applied math, etc. are considered top notch by grad schools and employers.
U Mass- one of the top linguistics programs in the country (at a State School? OMG you say). For everyone who says that state U grads get âshut outâ of corporate hiring- U Mass. And of course another dozen plus flagship state Uâs. But you canât major in Travel and Tourism or Recreation Management and then claim that your âdopeyâ State U wonât get you where you need to go. But actual academic departments? Youâll be fine.
TU in Oklahoma-- one of the top programs in the country for Cyber and related (so hot right now- industry cannot find enough people for the jobs; universities canât teach these students fast enough). Do you consider that prestigious? I dunno, but itâs sure considered rigorous. Ask recruiters at the NSA and CIA about TU.
Prestigious but not rigorous- Iâll get flamed, so no thank you to answer that.
And again- youâre the one calling them âelitist employersâ, not me.
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Ditto! I took lsat cold, random - decided day of. Senior year.
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Baruch is great. If we werenât already in NYC, Iâd urge DD to consider. Rutgers and Umass have a host of great programs.
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I would put the dynamic differently. If we are talking about the types of jobs where there is probably an easier path from an âIvy+â and SLACs, the number of grads who want them are many multiples of the openings, so it is mostly about resource efficiencies in hiring, especially for campus recruiting. For entry level jobs, the main criteria usually are reasonably bright, hardworking, teachable/trainable and not jerks. The assumption then is the average pool of kids from these schools will have these characteristics. Looking for diamonds in the rough is an inefficient use of hiring resources.
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So we donât disagree. And that is why kids will keep blanketing certain schools with apps.
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I donât want to turn this into an argument about the SAT, but it is a very useful metric. One that has been in significant use since the 1950s. The differences within high schools relative to grading make it really the only pure objective metric. Eliminating or making it optional has to impact this whole process significantly.
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Good. Then we can move on. Iâd also like to move on from debate on test prep, how you took the SAT, defining words, happiness of graduates, as but a few off-topic tangents that need to close.
The quality of academics and rigor at a school is primarily driven by its students. If a school has higher quality of students, it must offer programs that meet their needs: more rigorous courses, faster paced courses, and more advanced courses.
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A bit late to this thread, but I am fairly confident that this application cycle is going to set off a detonation of change within admissions. All of the factors mentioned above (Covid, test optional, etc.) have created this storm of applications for just about every well-regarded school. I highly suspect that they are going to be accepting many of the same applicants- each of whom can only attend one school. Waitlists will be long, kids will be flying off of them, etc.
Yield is going to be miniscule for many. Some schools will over enroll, some schools will try to anticipate this and be left holding the bag with less acceptances. Itâs going to be a blood bath for both students and colleges, and something will need to change.
What? It is a cash cow for schools, and business trumps academics every day and twice on Sunday for just about every single school- certainly every single school we talk about with reverance. Might we see a heavier focus on ED? Some larger schools- like UM- shifting to an ED/EA schedule? Schools asking for decisions prior to 5/1? Whereas weâll accept you, but need to know by 3/31? I could see the latter working, primarily for top schools. Yes, thereâd be complaints from those who want to compare offersâŠbut in the instance where a school meets demonstrated need, they very well could pull that type of a stunt.
Weâll seeâŠbut things will change.
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Not necessarily.
I should have said my area, which was a mid-sized gown in a rural county surrounded by rural counties.
There was no IB and no AP. There was regular, âcollege prepâ and honors designations for a small handful classes.
I agree with this. I also think the market for these schools pretty much demands good teaching and access to research. Itâs not a binary choice.
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