Int'l Applicant with 2+ Years of Job Experience Forum

[serpant654]

Hello,

I am an international applicant (Korean university) with permanent residency, so I am aware that GPA does not really matter and that admissions will weigh more on my LSAT score.

I received a 149 on my first LSAT and I am confident that my October LSAT will be at least 153. I am a STEM major with more than two years of work experience in a manufacturing environment as a process engineer.

My question is does work experience as an engineer, though not in a law related field, matter to admissions when comparing to another applicant with similar stats who would have majored in Psychology, Criminal Justice, etc.?

I am currently waiting for my applications to schools with a 25th percentile LSAT score of 151~153 and medians of 155~157 to be complete after the Oct LSAT is released. I know it is safe to apply to schools where my LSAT is above their medians, but I wanted to know what you guys think.

I will be retaking in January 2024, but I honestly doubt I can reach 160+ given my currently circumstances working full time.

Thank you

[nixy]

Work experience is somewhat helpful but it's not going to outweigh your LSAT score. GPA (though not relevant for you) and LSAT are the metrics that matter for law school rankings, and schools don't get to submit those statistics with caveats based on an applicant's major.

That said, more schools are backing out of the USNWR rankings, which in theory means that they don't have to give as much weight to the raw numbers. But I'm not sure how much that change is showing up in admissions decisions yet.

[BEng,MBA,FRM,JD(?)]

I applied as an engineer (but had very different softs from you) and I did get a bump but not certain what that was attributable to. It may help if you indicate in your PS that you want to work in patent law but it’s likely going to be a small bump, if any.

[CanadianWolf]

You probably will receive an admissions boost due to your engineering degree and related work experience.

To which law schools have you applied ?

Also, with respect to employment, foreign language fluency can be a valued ability.

[serpant654]

You probably will receive an admissions boost due to your engineering degree and related work experience.

To which law schools have you applied ?

Also, with respect to employment, foreign language fluency can be a valued ability.

I do have a certificate in a third language which I have specified in a diversity statement as well. I also took almost 160 credits worth of courses in college.
As to applications, I applied to schools in Seattle, Georgia, and New Jersey...

[CanadianWolf]

You probably will receive an admissions boost due to your engineering degree and related work experience.

To which law schools have you applied ?

Also, with respect to employment, foreign language fluency can be a valued ability.

I do have a certificate in a third language which I have specified in a diversity statement as well. I also took almost 160 credits worth of courses in college.
As to applications, I applied to schools in Seattle, Georgia, and New Jersey...

Your response to my question is a bit odd in that you fail to name the law schools to which you applied, but did name the states in which they were located. Also odd that you share that you have a certificate in a third language, but do not name the third language. Partial, evasive answers make it too difficult to offer meaningful advice. I wish you well.

[serpant654]

You probably will receive an admissions boost due to your engineering degree and related work experience.

To which law schools have you applied ?

Also, with respect to employment, foreign language fluency can be a valued ability.

I do have a certificate in a third language which I have specified in a diversity statement as well. I also took almost 160 credits worth of courses in college.
As to applications, I applied to schools in Seattle, Georgia, and New Jersey...

Your response to my question is a bit odd in that you fail to name the law schools to which you applied, but did name the states in which they were located. Also odd that you share that you have a certificate in a third language, but do not name the third language. Partial, evasive answers make it too difficult to offer meaningful advice. I wish you well.

I do apologize.
I just did not want too much information being posted here. Thank you!

[CanadianWolf]

Thank you for your quick response. (My best guess is that the law schools to which you applied were Seattle University (not Gonzaga), Mercer University (not John Marshall), and Rutgers (not Seton Hall).

Doubtful that sharing any such information would affect anything other than helping you know which law schools you should avoid.

Why be shy about proficiency in a third language ?

Regardless, I respect your desire to not disclose any more information & I do wish you well.