PBA – I said that a LEGIT udergrad NECESSARILY has built work ethic and writing skills. BTLs may have the above skills and may not. A 3.8 gpa from princeton definitely does. Therefore a 3.8 gpa from princeton proves far more than a btl. As you go lower in terms of undergrad quality you’ll prove less and less.
Your statement “You can get an A+ without a single proper sentence on a law school exam” may be true to your experiences, but mine are 1) there’s no A+ in law school, and 2) writing ability is the primary factor in a grade. It’s not merely what you say, but how you say it. I’ve never seen an A exam answer with clearly improper sentences (with the exception of one professor I had who had strict severe word limits).
YacMo – Work ethic is what goes into preparing the “crystallized intelligence” which informs the “fluid intelligence.” Only crystallized intelligence will get you somewhere. Only fluid intelligence won’t. Both are required to excel. In my personal experience. The lsat measures “fluid intelligence” quite well. In a GPA measurement law schools are or should be looking for evidence of crystallized intelligence.