<p>I think it’s Cornell’s <em>hope</em> that publishing median grades shows how high quality its students are and that someone with a 3.0 in Physics is at least on par with someone with a 4.0 in History at XYZ Average University. I don’t know if there’s data, but also I don’t think this is really a secret though. The LSAT already data shows university/major and they know that as well as anyone so I doubt admissions are learning anything they don’t already know by having median grades published (LSAT scores matter a lot too). I think law schools really do value GPAs. Because who is really to say that a 4.0 History student wouldn’t have achieved a 4.0 in Physics? Not all majors are created equal, but just because your major is less challenging, doesn’t mean it’s any less valuable. I think there are enough people with high LSAT scores and high GPAs, that any other aspect of an application be ignored.</p>
<p>I also don’t see there really being any way to take away from the bias that an A is good no matter what and shows a superior student. Everyone know from elementary school that A’s are what indicates high performance. Even if the median grade in a class is an A, where getting an A doesn’t really show a “superior” student, but just that the student is sufficiently competent in the course.</p>