Grading curve at a particular law school

[nj7]

This is the grading curve at a school I am currently considering (Syracuse). It is listed under academic rules on their website. Can someone let me know if this is a reasonable curve for a first year student. Here it is:



 - 5% of the grades must be “A”;
 - 10% of the grades must be “A-”;
 - Remainders can be rounded up to the nearest whole number. For example, in a
 class of 24 students, the professor may give two “A”s and three “A-‘s. If
 percentages for “A” and “A-“ cannot be met due to tie(s) in raw scores,
 percentages for “A” and “A-“ can be reduced, but not enlarged;
 - No less than 5% and no more than 10% of the grades must be a combination of
 “C-“, “D” and “F”;
 - The average of the grades must be in the “B” range (between a 2.90 and a 3.10)
   calculated without including grades of “C-” or “D” or “F.”

   My thoughts:

  It seems really hard to get an A but looks like they dont give too many grades below
  a C. What do you all think? Do you schools or schools you have heard of have similar
  curves or is this a bad deal.

[texas1]

This is the grading curve at a school I am currently considering (Syracuse). It is listed under academic rules on their website. Can someone let me know if this is a reasonable curve for a first year student. Here it is:



 - 5% of the grades must be “A”;
 - 10% of the grades must be “A-”;
 - Remainders can be rounded up to the nearest whole number. For example, in a
 class of 24 students, the professor may give two “A”s and three “A-‘s. If
 percentages for “A” and “A-“ cannot be met due to tie(s) in raw scores,
 percentages for “A” and “A-“ can be reduced, but not enlarged;
 - No less than 5% and no more than 10% of the grades must be a combination of
 “C-“, “D” and “F”;
 - The average of the grades must be in the “B” range (between a 2.90 and a 3.10)
   calculated without including grades of “C-” or “D” or “F.”

   My thoughts:

  It seems really hard to get an A but looks like they dont give too many grades below
  a C. What do you all think? Do you schools or schools you have heard of have similar
  curves or is this a bad deal.

That's not too bad...our median is supposed to be a C...3.2 is dean's list...

[challandler]

That's pretty solid.  Basically 75% of the students in every class get B+, B, B-, or C (not sure if they do C+ or C- there, some schools don't).  And since the mean needs to be around a 3.0, C's should be about as rare as As (5%).  That makes it hard to do terrible, while allowing the truly excellent achievers an opportunity to differentiate themselves from the pack.

[nj7]

I also left out that good standing is a 2.2 at the school. Don't know if that changes anyones opinion or not.

[tacojohn]

That's a pretty standard top 100 curve.  At my school, the "required curve" in each class is a 2.9-3.1, although the medians are normally above 3.0.  Some profs go above a 3.1 though.  To prove how tight it is, top 25th precentile is normally around a 3.35.

[plumbert]

I wish the curve at my school were that favorable--about 13% at my school are supposed to get a C- or lower first year.