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Very Low GPA from undergraduate in the Philippines

Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 1:15 am
by lasalle
Hi all,

I'm a foreign national who wants to apply for US law school. I have googled and read some posts/articles about law school admission but I couldn't figure out if I can still pursue my plan or not.


Here's my status as of now.

1. Korean national
2. Studied undergraduate program in the Philippines (Business management, 2.7/4.0 GPA, one of the prestigious universities in the Philippines)
3. Work experience (Total of 2 years. Finance/accounting)
4. LSAT (Have not taken yet. Would be great if you can also advise at least what score I need in order for me to pursue my application)


Aside from application, can non-US citizen/green card holders find job in the States after graduating out of T14 schools if passed bar exam?

Can I still apply for lower T14 schools depends on my LSAT score?


I know my questions are so ambiguous and scattered but I'm desperate to go to law school in the US.
Any feedback would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

Re: Very Low GPA from undergraduate in the Philippines

Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 2:12 am
by clshopeful
As to the last question, about getting into T14, I don't see that happening unless you get a near perfect LSAT score (like 170 or higher).

Re: Very Low GPA from undergraduate in the Philippines

Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 1:08 pm
by Baby Gaga
lasalle wrote:Hi all,

I'm a foreign national who wants to apply for US law school. I have googled and read some posts/articles about law school admission but I couldn't figure out if I can still pursue my plan or not.


Here's my status as of now.

1. Korean national
2. Studied undergraduate program in the Philippines (Business management, 2.7/4.0 GPA, one of the prestigious universities in the Philippines)
3. Work experience (Total of 2 years. Finance/accounting)
4. LSAT (Have not taken yet. Would be great if you can also advise at least what score I need in order for me to pursue my application)


Aside from application, can non-US citizen/green card holders find job in the States after graduating out of T14 schools if passed bar exam?

Can I still apply for lower T14 schools depends on my LSAT score?


I know my questions are so ambiguous and scattered but I'm desperate to go to law school in the US.
Any feedback would be very much appreciated. Thanks!
I don't have a green card and I can tell you that internationals definitely can get jobs in the US, but generally it has to be big law cuz they're the only ones who sponsor. The consensus is that internationals pretty much need T14. I talked to the Duke Law dean and he said the only times he's seen his students strike out is when their English sucked. It's hard to say what your chances are since LSAC will assess your transcript and give you a ranking of superior/above average/average/below average. They won't use your filipino gpa. You can probably still apply for lower T14 but if it's rated average or below average you'll have to seriously murder the LSAT. We can give you real odds when your send LSAC your transcript and they evaluate it, and when you have an LSAT score.

Re: Very Low GPA from undergraduate in the Philippines

Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 10:01 pm
by lasalle
clshopeful wrote:As to the last question, about getting into T14, I don't see that happening unless you get a near perfect LSAT score (like 170 or higher).
Should I give up on this plan? I heard that foreign nationals have very limited job market since only big firms sponsor visa.

Re: Very Low GPA from undergraduate in the Philippines

Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 10:09 pm
by lasalle
Baby Gaga wrote:
lasalle wrote:Hi all,

I'm a foreign national who wants to apply for US law school. I have googled and read some posts/articles about law school admission but I couldn't figure out if I can still pursue my plan or not.


Here's my status as of now.

1. Korean national
2. Studied undergraduate program in the Philippines (Business management, 2.7/4.0 GPA, one of the prestigious universities in the Philippines)
3. Work experience (Total of 2 years. Finance/accounting)
4. LSAT (Have not taken yet. Would be great if you can also advise at least what score I need in order for me to pursue my application)


Aside from application, can non-US citizen/green card holders find job in the States after graduating out of T14 schools if passed bar exam?

Can I still apply for lower T14 schools depends on my LSAT score?


I know my questions are so ambiguous and scattered but I'm desperate to go to law school in the US.
Any feedback would be very much appreciated. Thanks!
I don't have a green card and I can tell you that internationals definitely can get jobs in the US, but generally it has to be big law cuz they're the only ones who sponsor. The consensus is that internationals pretty much need T14. I talked to the Duke Law dean and he said the only times he's seen his students strike out is when their English sucked. It's hard to say what your chances are since LSAC will assess your transcript and give you a ranking of superior/above average/average/below average. They won't use your filipino gpa. You can probably still apply for lower T14 but if it's rated average or below average you'll have to seriously murder the LSAT. We can give you real odds when your send LSAC your transcript and they evaluate it, and when you have an LSAT score.
Is it not advisable to go to T20 or T30 school if I don't have a green card?

Re: Very Low GPA from undergraduate in the Philippines

Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 10:18 pm
by grades??
lasalle wrote:
Baby Gaga wrote:
lasalle wrote:Hi all,

I'm a foreign national who wants to apply for US law school. I have googled and read some posts/articles about law school admission but I couldn't figure out if I can still pursue my plan or not.


Here's my status as of now.

1. Korean national
2. Studied undergraduate program in the Philippines (Business management, 2.7/4.0 GPA, one of the prestigious universities in the Philippines)
3. Work experience (Total of 2 years. Finance/accounting)
4. LSAT (Have not taken yet. Would be great if you can also advise at least what score I need in order for me to pursue my application)


Aside from application, can non-US citizen/green card holders find job in the States after graduating out of T14 schools if passed bar exam?

Can I still apply for lower T14 schools depends on my LSAT score?


I know my questions are so ambiguous and scattered but I'm desperate to go to law school in the US.
Any feedback would be very much appreciated. Thanks!
I don't have a green card and I can tell you that internationals definitely can get jobs in the US, but generally it has to be big law cuz they're the only ones who sponsor. The consensus is that internationals pretty much need T14. I talked to the Duke Law dean and he said the only times he's seen his students strike out is when their English sucked. It's hard to say what your chances are since LSAC will assess your transcript and give you a ranking of superior/above average/average/below average. They won't use your filipino gpa. You can probably still apply for lower T14 but if it's rated average or below average you'll have to seriously murder the LSAT. We can give you real odds when your send LSAC your transcript and they evaluate it, and when you have an LSAT score.
Is it not advisable to go to T20 or T30 school if I don't have a green card?
Usually not, because you will have an extremely hard time finding someone to sponsor you.

Re: Very Low GPA from undergraduate in the Philippines

Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 10:25 pm
by Baby Gaga
lasalle wrote:
Baby Gaga wrote:
lasalle wrote:Hi all,

I'm a foreign national who wants to apply for US law school. I have googled and read some posts/articles about law school admission but I couldn't figure out if I can still pursue my plan or not.


Here's my status as of now.

1. Korean national
2. Studied undergraduate program in the Philippines (Business management, 2.7/4.0 GPA, one of the prestigious universities in the Philippines)
3. Work experience (Total of 2 years. Finance/accounting)
4. LSAT (Have not taken yet. Would be great if you can also advise at least what score I need in order for me to pursue my application)


Aside from application, can non-US citizen/green card holders find job in the States after graduating out of T14 schools if passed bar exam?

Can I still apply for lower T14 schools depends on my LSAT score?


I know my questions are so ambiguous and scattered but I'm desperate to go to law school in the US.
Any feedback would be very much appreciated. Thanks!
I don't have a green card and I can tell you that internationals definitely can get jobs in the US, but generally it has to be big law cuz they're the only ones who sponsor. The consensus is that internationals pretty much need T14. I talked to the Duke Law dean and he said the only times he's seen his students strike out is when their English sucked. It's hard to say what your chances are since LSAC will assess your transcript and give you a ranking of superior/above average/average/below average. They won't use your filipino gpa. You can probably still apply for lower T14 but if it's rated average or below average you'll have to seriously murder the LSAT. We can give you real odds when your send LSAC your transcript and they evaluate it, and when you have an LSAT score.
Is it not advisable to go to T20 or T30 school if I don't have a green card?
Generally not because you need sponsorship and the law firms that offer sponsorship are all very large law firms. Judging by the employment statistics it is much easier to get a job from one of those firms when you're from a T14 school, than a T30. It's not necessary to go to a T14 school, it's just much more difficult. It's more of a gamble the further down you go in the rankings.

Re: Very Low GPA from undergraduate in the Philippines

Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2017 1:31 am
by lasalle
Generally not because you need sponsorship and the law firms that offer sponsorship are all very large law firms. Judging by the employment statistics it is much easier to get a job from one of those firms when you're from a T14 school, than a T30. It's not necessary to go to a T14 school, it's just much more difficult. It's more of a gamble the further down you go in the rankings.
Usually not, because you will have an extremely hard time finding someone to sponsor you.

Thank you for both of your advice. I think what I need now is to get my undergrad transcript evaluated from LSAC and take LSAT to get as highest score as I can get and apply for low T14 schools. :)

Re: Very Low GPA from undergraduate in the Philippines

Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 1:25 am
by DolnaRay
Here's my take :

Get a killer LSAT 178-180.

And dude or girl - if your LSAC evaluation is either average or below average - according to the CAS, 2.0 and above results in average results, you should apply to T30 and 40.

If you get a 178 or something, apply to NW but don't expect anything. Or expect a miracle :P

T 30-50 schools are not bad you know. If you get into them and do well, you will get into some good firms.

Don't apply to HLS, Chicago or T10. Not worth the heartbreak.

And do you actually have 2.7/4 GPA as awarded by your alma mater or are you converting your grades using WES and getting depressed?

One more thing - if you have get a good LSAT - never apply to T3 schools or schools outside top 100. Not worth your money, not worth your time and you will regret it big later on.