curves? i dont get it.

[RootBrewskies]

So ive been reviewing these threads and seeing people posting gpa's and talking about their schools curve.  the question i have is, does it matter what the curve at your school is for reasons other than keeping your gpa above a certain point for scholarships or other reason?  really i only ask this because since ever school seems to use a differnt curve does gpa really matter?  obviously students at schools that grade with a 3.2-3.3 curve have a distinct advantage of having a better GPA than students at schools with a 2.7-2.8 curve.  so essentially someone with a 2.7 and a 3.3 could have performed equally well but have significantly different grades.  Judging from this you would think class rank would be the only thing that really mattered but it seems like GPA plays an important role in getting jobs.  it doesnt make much sense to me.  maybe im wrong in my reasoning and understanding.  if you could clear it up i'd appreciate it. 

[lincolnsgrandson]

class rank is more important than the numerical GPA.  Does that answer your question?

[tacojohn]

Almost all scholarships are based on class rank or percentiles.  So you need to stay in, say, the top 25% for a scholarship, or the top half of the class.  Same with grading onto law review, which is typically something like the top 10% or 5%.

[RootBrewskies]

i was just saying, why do they even curve at all?  and why do they give out gpa's?  essentially with curves in place it makes gpa's pointless.  shouldnt schools grade simply by giving out class rank for your overall ranking and then they could rank you for each individual class or something like that. 

but it doesnt make much sense that at alot of schools you must recieve a 3.0 or 3.2 in order to maintain a scholarship. 

[paran0id]

Some schools don't rank below the top 10 or 25%

[lincolnsgrandson]

True - many schools don't give actually class ranks, but approximate bench marks.  For instance, Fordham Law provides the benchmark for the "approximate" 5,10,15,25,33 and 50 percent.  And that's it.
So the GPA itself important.
The resume must be written like this:
GPA = 3.43 (approximate 25% = 3.44)

[majorporcupine]

Yeah, this is one of those cases where the more info you give, the better you can estimate your chances.  GPA/class rank is more useful than either alone, just like with LSAT/UGPA for law school admissions.

[RootBrewskies]

it still doesnt sound like anyone really agrees with me when saying that gpa's are pointless when schools have a curve and rank their students. 

[paran0id]

by your logic GPAs were pointless in undergrad too. every school has a curve, whether its intentional or not. some school's grades are inflated. some are very tough.

that fact that this is a new revelation leads me to believe ignorantly blissful in your ugpa. maybe now you can look back on it and realize how worthless it was. i bet you were a hi gpa / low lsat splitter who bitched and moaned about not getting recongiiton for your 'effort'. welcome to life.

[tacojohn]

GPAs aren't pointless.  Let's say you have a 3.6, good for top 15% at your school with the 3.0 curve.  You're competiting for a job with someone from an equally ranked school in the same city, who's 3.3 is top 10% at their school with a 2.7 curve.  You think that your 3.6 isn't going to make an impression despite the fact that the other person actually did better?  This is a far-fetched example, but I'm just trying to make a point.  At some level, the raw GPA will make an impact.