Anyone else surprised by the admitted stats for regular applicants in 2021? (3.9/165)

[Federale]

https://www.ualberta.ca/law/programs/jd/index.html

I was feeling really confident with a 3.74L2 and a 165 LSAT, but based on these stats from last year, I'm not above either of the medians. Last year could've been a one-off with how competitive it was, but with UAlberta now taking your highest LSAT it definitely changes the admission thresholds (for regular applicants).

I'm also aware these stats don't reflect total offers sent out, but it's still pretty surprising to see how competitive the stats are for those who got admitted under the regular category. 

[BirdsArentReal]

Yes but you have to remember that those are medians. That means that about half of the class has lower stats than those numbers. 

On a separate note: Does anyone know if the GPA on the student profile is final two years or cumulative? Found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-u9luOkViBOYVM2bWFMcmJNcUpOZVBZY0lsTVpyOGRIaGFR/view?resourcekey=0-HmKCZRYcwwdh8Mm1BUgAew

Edited December 17, 2021 by BirdsArentReal

[Ital]

 

 

22 minutes ago, Federale said:

https://www.ualberta.ca/law/programs/jd/index.html

I was feeling really confident with a 3.74L2 and a 165 LSAT, but based on these stats from last year, I'm not above either of the medians. Last year could've been a one-off with how competitive it was, but with UAlberta now taking your highest LSAT it definitely changes the admission thresholds (for regular applicants).

I'm also aware these stats don't reflect total offers sent out, but it's still pretty surprising to see how competitive the stats are for those who got admitted under the regular category. 

I would not worry too much. Your L2 and LSAT score fall within the chart. 5 people were admitted with a 3.7/163-164 and 4 people were admitted with a 3.7/165-166 combo for the 2021/2022 year. 

6 minutes ago, BirdsArentReal said:

Yes but you have to remember that those are medians. That means that about half of the class has lower stats than those numbers. 

On a separate note: Does anyone know if the GPA on the student profile is final two years or cumulative? Found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-u9luOkViBOYVM2bWFMcmJNcUpOZVBZY0lsTVpyOGRIaGFR/view?resourcekey=0-HmKCZRYcwwdh8Mm1BUgAew

The GPA on the student profile is the L2 - that's what UofA considers for admission.

[Federale]

Just realized under their FAQ page they stated that "Our statistics from the last six years show that admission for the majority of applicants by use of the prediction indicator have remained relatively constant, with an average GPA of 3.8 - 3.9 and average LSAT score of 165. These numbers do not include admitted applicants from the holistic review."

My bad for the confusion, but I'm still surprised how competitive the stats are for regular applicants lol

Edited December 17, 2021 by Federale

[Thrive92]

5 minutes ago, Federale said:

Just realized under their FAQ page they stated that "Our statistics from the last six years show that admission for the majority of applicants by use of the prediction indicator have remained relatively constant, with an average GPA of 3.8 - 3.9 and average LSAT score of 165. These numbers do not include admitted applicants from the holistic review."

I would not consider this too seriously. There is little chance that info is accurate.

This is because for a long time, that info on the FAQ page remained at around 3.7-3.8 with 161-162. Suddenly changing it within a single year to a 3.8-3.9 and 165 is the giveaway that they are lazy and just retyped the statistics instead of rewording the section altogether.

25 minutes ago, BirdsArentReal said:

Yes but you have to remember that those are medians. That means that about half of the class has lower stats than those numbers. 

On a separate note: Does anyone know if the GPA on the student profile is final two years or cumulative? Found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-u9luOkViBOYVM2bWFMcmJNcUpOZVBZY0lsTVpyOGRIaGFR/view?resourcekey=0-HmKCZRYcwwdh8Mm1BUgAew

Its the L2, and rounded up (ex: 3.55 -> 3.6)

[brokenegg]

58 minutes ago, Federale said:

https://www.ualberta.ca/law/programs/jd/index.html

I was feeling really confident with a 3.74L2 and a 165 LSAT, but based on these stats from last year, I'm not above either of the medians. Last year could've been a one-off with how competitive it was, but with UAlberta now taking your highest LSAT it definitely changes the admission thresholds (for regular applicants).

I'm also aware these stats don't reflect total offers sent out, but it's still pretty surprising to see how competitive the stats are for those who got admitted under the regular category. 

It’s also worth mentioning that UofA omitted 80 students from the class profile which is close to half of the admitted class. They said those students were admitted via holistic consideration, but it’s still a very high number of students. 

 

In my opinion, take the class profile with a grain of salt. It seems like a clear guise to inflate their stats. 

[Federale]

39 minutes ago, Thrive92 said:

I would not consider this too seriously. There is little chance that info is accurate.

This is because for a long time, that info on the FAQ page remained at around 3.7-3.8 with 161-162. Suddenly changing it within a single year to a 3.8-3.9 and 165 is the giveaway that they are lazy and just retyped the statistics instead of rewording the section altogether.

Its the L2, and rounded up (ex: 3.55 -> 3.6)

Do you think they just adjusted the numbers based on what their profile would've look like had they accepted the highest LSAT opposed to the avg LSAT score over the past six years? The part about the GPA though, if true, is definitely sus. Could be they were accounting for those accepted under holistic considerations? 

25 minutes ago, brokenegg said:

It’s also worth mentioning that UofA omitted 80 students from the class profile which is close to half of the admitted class. They said those students were admitted via holistic consideration, but it’s still a very high number of students. 

 

In my opinion, take the class profile with a grain of salt. It seems like a clear guise to inflate their stats. 

That's a really valid point, though I'm also 100% sure I won't be under holistic consideration because I didn't submit any documentation or give any reason why I should be, so I don't think that's something that would benefit me tbh

[Radio_Edit]

1 hour ago, Federale said:

https://www.ualberta.ca/law/programs/jd/index.html

I was feeling really confident with a 3.74L2 and a 165 LSAT, but based on these stats from last year, I'm not above either of the medians. Last year could've been a one-off with how competitive it was, but with UAlberta now taking your highest LSAT it definitely changes the admission thresholds (for regular applicants).

I'm also aware these stats don't reflect total offers sent out, but it's still pretty surprising to see how competitive the stats are for those who got admitted under the regular category. 

I was surprised too. Thrive92 and brokenegg are undoubtedly right, but it still looks like there has been a big jump in competitiveness.

It got me digging for information about whether or not the Winter 2020 semester is counted as part of the last 60 credits for AGPA calculation for UAlberta applicants. From what I've seen on the official admissions page, they haven't actually clarified their intentions with that, and I can only assume that's because they're deciding on a case-by-case basis. If I were an adcomm I'd leave myself as much wiggle room as possible.

Some random anonymous Internet people seem confident that Winter 2020 counts as part of the "60" for UAlberta L60 AGPA calculations, and other random anonymous Internet people seem confident that it doesn't and they just skip over it and go further back to reach the full 60 credits.

I'd email them and ask, but for me the difference is pretty negligible and it seems like a silly thing to bother them about when I'm sure they've got enough on their plates. Here's the information they offer:

[Whist]

The 2021 cycle is definitely an outlier. As others have mentioned, keep in mind that a larger number of students than usual were admitted "holistically." Also keep in mind that they no longer average LSAT scores, so their median would naturally go up some amount. I think the 2022 cycle will have to play out before anyone can determine how far that's actually moved. Anecdotally, anyone I know with an LSAT below 160 had an excellent GPA (3.9+), but finding people who got in with 158-162 is not rare overall. 

It's basically trying to read tea leaves at this point though. 

[Thrive92]

6 minutes ago, Federale said:

Do you think they just adjusted the numbers based on what their profile would've look like had they accepted the highest LSAT opposed to the avg LSAT score over the past six years? The part about the GPA though, if true, is definitely sus. Could be they were accounting for those accepted under holistic considerations? 

I cannot answer that definitively, but there is no way that the average L2 gpa and LSAT remained "constant" for the past 6 years as the last cycle we have seen over - the - average admissions stats for many law schools across the country, including Alberta.

6 minutes ago, Federale said:

That's a really valid point, though I'm also 100% sure I won't be under holistic consideration because I didn't submit any documentation or give any reason why I should be, so I don't think that's something that would benefit me tbh

IIRC, anyone who has not been admitted based solely on their stats and anyone who has not applied under the Indigenous applicant category undergoes the holistic process at U of A. There is no documentation nor reason needed for you to be assessed holistically.

With 3.74L2 and a 165 LSAT, I wouldn't sweat it. Enjoy the holidays without worrying about it as you are very likely to be admitted

Edited December 17, 2021 by Thrive92

[Federale]

@Thrive92 appreciate the vote of confidence. I gotta wait to send in my fall marks though so hopefully that doesn't impact me too much

[LordBONSAI]

Well, I think these are means rather than medians (50 percentile). Last cycles saw an unusual number of high scorers on LSAT hence the higher average. It doesn't necessary equate a 4-5 points' leap in median. Remember UofT's median jumped only 2 points last year and they're the most competitive school in the country.

[Federale]

11 hours ago, LordBONSAI said:

Well, I think these are means rather than medians (50 percentile). Last cycles saw an unusual number of high scorers on LSAT hence the higher average. It doesn't necessary equate a 4-5 points' leap in median. Remember UofT's median jumped only 2 points last year and they're the most competitive school in the country.

We already know it's the mean because they state that it's the average, and the increase in scores is also attributed to the change in their LSAT policy. This year may not be as competitive as last, but it'll definitely be more competitive than just about every other year 

[PsychologicalBug]

On 12/17/2021 at 12:26 PM, Radio_Edit said:

I was surprised too. Thrive92 and brokenegg are undoubtedly right, but it still looks like there has been a big jump in competitiveness.

It got me digging for information about whether or not the Winter 2020 semester is counted as part of the last 60 credits for AGPA calculation for UAlberta applicants. From what I've seen on the official admissions page, they haven't actually clarified their intentions with that, and I can only assume that's because they're deciding on a case-by-case basis. If I were an adcomm I'd leave myself as much wiggle room as possible.

Some random anonymous Internet people seem confident that Winter 2020 counts as part of the "60" for UAlberta L60 AGPA calculations, and other random anonymous Internet people seem confident that it doesn't and they just skip over it and go further back to reach the full 60 credits.

I'd email them and ask, but for me the difference is pretty negligible and it seems like a silly thing to bother them about when I'm sure they've got enough on their plates. Here's the information they offer:

I have been on the fence about what this means for months now, and just have not gotten around to asking them directly lol. My understanding of “University of Alberta grade of CR from Winter 2020 will contribute to the credit requirements for admission and will be accepted as satisfying program prerequisites,” though, is that they will be counting them. But seriously, what do I know

 

ETA: counting them towards the L60 credit count, but obviously not impacting GPA

Edited January 17, 2022 by PsychologicalBug
Addition/clarification