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Could average HYS law alum have gotten a top 10 math PhD?
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Date: September 14th, 2026 12:41 PM Author: Nazca Redlines Assume a guy who got into HYS for law school. 3.95 GPA in English or Poli Sci. 176 LSAT with only a little studying.
He gets put in a time machine back to his first day of UG and studies math instead of humanities. What are the odds he can do well enough to get into a top 10 math PhD program? To graduate from it? To get a tenured math professor job?
Or, what portion of HYS students could have copped a top 10 math PhD if they had tried for that instead of law school? I assume the vast majority could have copped a top 10 humanities or social sciences PhD. |
Date: September 14th, 2026 12:48 PM Author: The Penis I think most people scoring 176 on the old lsat could have done a math undergrad degree. Probably 75-90% of them. But only a small percent of those could get into a top math phd. Maybe 5-10%. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5903790&forum_id=2Vannesa#50135153) |
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Date: September 14th, 2026 12:57 PM Author: Nazca Redlines I agree that nearly all 176 scorers could get a math UG degree. That doesn't seem particularly challenging for someone who has the brainpower to score 176 (assuming no superstriver studying and extra time or anything), plus the ability to work hard enough to get a 3.95 GPA (in the humanaties, at least). You probably don't need to get into particular advanced and difficult-to-understand (for a 176-mo) classes and concepts just to meet UG requirements.
So why could only 5-10% get a top math PhD? What is separating them? Would they struggle to understand and "do" the higher level math? Assume they're willing to put in the time. |
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Date: September 14th, 2026 1:41 PM Author: The Penis Phd programs are selecting based on whether you are likely someone who is going to be able to produce novel academic research which is different than just being able to complete coursework. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5903790&forum_id=2Vannesa#50135212) |
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Date: September 14th, 2026 12:52 PM Author: snake coke i think it totally depends on the given student. for the median wordcel-brain-pwned hys student, no. for someone with innate mathematical ability, it seems reasonable. although, as a wordcel-brain-pwned idiot i suspect, but do not know, that beginning as a day one undergrad would be a late start for most t10 math phd aspirants. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5903790&forum_id=2Vannesa#50135157) |
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Date: September 14th, 2026 12:59 PM Author: The Penis Most wordcels are not scoring a 176 on the old lsat though. Someone who gets 176 is generally capable of doing a UG degree in math provided they start freshman year. Of course some people who get 176 become irreversible wordcels from taking all humanities in undergrad and forgetting how to do anything else, but we are assuming they are starting out day one in undergrad again. Someone who scores 176 is smart enough to learn calculus, linear algebra, differential equations and real analysis. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5903790&forum_id=2Vannesa#50135170) |
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Date: September 14th, 2026 12:59 PM Author: Nazca Redlines How far off are the wordcel brainmos from having the mental firepower for a math PhD? 176 is pretty intelligent, though it shows verbal and logical intelligence more so than spatial and math. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5903790&forum_id=2Vannesa#50135171) |
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Date: September 14th, 2026 1:07 PM Author: snake coke i don’t want to give too much heed to shitlib notions of “different intelligences,” but i still think there is a very real difference between verbal intelligence and mathematical intelligence. much of this divide can be glossed over in a standard iq test (depending on the format) and nearly all of it can be buried in the lsat. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5903790&forum_id=2Vannesa#50135175) |
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Date: September 14th, 2026 1:07 PM Author: ...,,..;...,,..,..,...,,,;.., ran here to say this. t10 math phds have been doing math competitions since middle school, and dealing with complex math problem solving that is on a total different level than math as is taught in school. being smart enough to get an A in ap calc in high school and then beginning to strive in math starting in college would put you way way way behind. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5903790&forum_id=2Vannesa#50135174) |
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Date: September 14th, 2026 1:35 PM Author: The Penis That's why I said I think someone who gets a 176 can do a math UG if they started over freshman year, but thats not the same as being able to catch people who have already accumulated 5–10 years of unusually intense mathematical training. So probably unlikely they can become top phd level. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5903790&forum_id=2Vannesa#50135208) |
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Date: September 14th, 2026 2:08 PM Author: ...,,..;...,,..,..,...,,,;.., agreed. the avg 176 who was a straight-A student in high school and got 5's on all his APs and got into a top ug could certainly get thru a math UG with enough superstudying and ivy grade inflation. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5903790&forum_id=2Vannesa#50135243) |
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Date: September 14th, 2026 1:53 PM Author: Nazca Redlines How much of the difference is (a) he would be behind because he wasn't doing math olympiad in HS or whatever vs. (b) the average 176 scorer with a 3.95 in English Lit just doesn't have the mental capacity to do top math PhD-level work? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5903790&forum_id=2Vannesa#50135225) |
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Date: September 14th, 2026 2:09 PM Author: ...,,..;...,,..,..,...,,,;.., cq, and i dunno (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5903790&forum_id=2Vannesa#50135247) |
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Date: September 14th, 2026 2:04 PM Author: ""'"''"" I actually did this, lol. (PhD first then law degree). The answer is certainly yes, but I'm sure almost no one except for me would want to and motivation is the real barrier. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5903790&forum_id=2Vannesa#50135236) |
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Date: September 14th, 2026 2:10 PM Author: Le Penis (✅🍑) I’m sure LOL is preferable on many levels to a decade or more of postdoc/adjunct hell
What area of law do you practice now? |
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Date: September 14th, 2026 2:17 PM Author: ""'"''"" It really is. I don't practice law now -- business (like many/maybe even most of my law classmates seem to eventually as far as I can tell). In many ways, HYS is perfectly suited for a someone who is very academic and has a lot of varied intellectual interests. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5903790&forum_id=2Vannesa#50135259) |
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Date: September 14th, 2026 2:23 PM Author: Nazca Redlines What's the type of business role? I'm beyond ready to leave law, but at this point, (1) it's reasonably lucratative, (2) it gives decent work life balance, and (3) there isn't an obvious place to jump onto the business side without taking a big hit to 1, 2, or both. Most likely both. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5903790&forum_id=2Vannesa#50135269) |
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Date: September 14th, 2026 2:40 PM Author: ""'"''"" Trading and portfolio management--same job I could have had without the law school, but I still think law school is great. Work life balance is not good for me though. I would think hard before you take a hit to that. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5903790&forum_id=2Vannesa#50135301) |
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Date: September 14th, 2026 2:21 PM Author: Nazca Redlines 180. What's your PhD in? Do you think there is a difference in the intellectual capacity/specific type of intellectual capacity between a 176 HYS lawmo and a top 10 math PhD candidate? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5903790&forum_id=2Vannesa#50135265) |
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Date: September 14th, 2026 2:46 PM Author: ""'"''"" I should be careful about answering the first question because I would certainly dox myself in combination with my other posts. I will be back in a few hours, when I will give you a answer to your second question. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5903790&forum_id=2Vannesa#50135310) |
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Date: September 14th, 2026 2:08 PM Author: Wilbur in the Godhead (Safari) What would be the point? Have you ever met someone who introduced himself as a "mathematician"? (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5903790&forum_id=2Vannesa#50135244) |