WILL A MEDIOCRE UNDERGRAD HINDER CHANCES AT A T14 LAW SCHOOL? Forum

[CorporateLaw]

I am really hoping someone can offer me some insight! I am a current high school senior and I have to commit to a school in about a month. I am interested in law, more specifically corporate law and I want to attend a T14 Law School like Harvard, etc. I have been accepted into pretty great schools- Notre Dame, UC Berk, NYU, UC Davis, etc. However, the price tag of these schools are way too much for me. I would end up in about 100k of debt after my four years. I am hesitant to attend these schools because I will most likely have to take out loans for law school as well and I don't want to end up with 300k of debt. I got into a less prestigious school, St. Mary's College of California and I would have to pay very little to attend because of all the merit awards I received. The school is a well-known school in the bay area and it is respected, but it is not really seen as a prestigious school. It is mainly recognized for being a great catholic school, having a linkage program for nursing with John Hopkins, and getting in 98% of their pre-med students into med school. My major would be Economics and English. I plan to get really amazing grades there, have unique extra-curriculars, get a competitive LSAT score, and hopefully score an amazing internship- which I heard is not too difficult to do because of the alumni connection and the location of the school. MY QUESTION IS: If I attend this "not so prestigious" undergrad and thrive there (get a near perfect GPA, great LSAT, etc) will I have a good chance of getting into a T14 law school? I don't want to have amazing stats and internships but have my mediocre undergrad hinder me from getting into a great law school.

Also, the admission reps and professors at the school claim that many of their students have been accepted to UC Berk, UC Davis, NYU, Harvard, Colombia, and Yale law. But I don't know how accurate/truthful that claim really is. Also, most of the professors there have degrees from UC Berk, Princeton, etc.

[GOODWORKSTE]

My understanding is that Yale is the only T13 that would care about the undergraduate institution when deciding between applicants with similar numbers. In any case the two most important things you'll need for LS are a high LSAT and high GPA. Focus on getting those two things and we'll see you back here in 3-4 years time.

Good luck.

[TripleM]

If I attend this "not so prestigious" undergrad and thrive there (get a near perfect GPA, great LSAT, etc) will I have a good chance of getting into a T14 law school?

yes

[Thomas Hagan, ESQ.]

Sometimes I wish that I had gone to a community college for my first 2 years and had taken that 4.0 GPA to a state school (and major in communications or gender studies)...law schools give zero shits where you went and what you majored in, they just look at numbers, unfortunately

However, you should be mindful that if you choose to go to the "mediocre" school, you're kind of placing all of your eggs into the "i'm going to law school basket." You don't want to end up in a situation where in your junior year, you want to do consulting and are in a severe disadvantage by being enrolled in Cal State Fullerton instead of Berkeley, NYU, ND, etc.

[BigBear]

I was in a very similar situation. Knew I wanted to go to law school, got into a few great undergrads, and made the decision to attend my flagship state school and graduate debt free. Whether I made the right decision I'm not entirely sure. My job prospects were definitely hindered by my major choice and lack of UG prestige, but like most people said I don't think it affected my law school admissions outcomes at all. My biggest advice to you for no matter where you go is to get the best GPA you can and if you're not 100% committed to attending law school, then major in something that will offer you job prospects when you graduate. For example, a business or engineering degree from ND, NYU, or Berkeley will leave you with the option to attend law school, but also a reasonable way to pay down your $100k in UG debt if you want to work for a few years before attending law school. Good luck with your decision!

[poptart123]

No, but even if it did there is no way to change it.

tl;dr: no

[BigZuck]

St.Mary's is fine, all that matters for getting into law school is GPA/LSAT.

Whatever you do don't go 100K in debt to get an UG degree.

Having goals/plans is great but enjoy college, don't think about law school for another 6 year at least. If you want to put yourself in a good position just try to get the best grades possible. I'd also consider dropping one of those majors for something practical that can get you a solid job with just your BA.

[Nebby]

If I attend this "not so prestigious" undergrad and thrive there (get a near perfect GPA, great LSAT, etc) will I have a good chance of getting into a T14 law school?

yes

[mtf612]

Went to a school ranked 11-20 in the "Regional universities West" category. Not exactly itt tech but definitely a school that adcomms had to Google. In at 4 T13 so far, a few waitlists, 2 T13 rejections.

YMMV, but I think that you can overcome a mediocre undergrad by (1) performing well there with a high GPA (2) having a lot of softs (3) killing the LSAT relative to your peers from your institution

[dietcoke1]

yes. if your stats are there you'll get in

[ad34964n]

I am really hoping someone can offer me some insight! I am a current high school senior and I have to commit to a school in about a month. I am interested in law, more specifically corporate law and I want to attend a T14 Law School like Harvard, etc. I have been accepted into pretty great schools- Notre Dame, UC Berk, NYU, UC Davis, etc. However, the price tag of these schools are way too much for me. I would end up in about 100k of debt after my four years. I am hesitant to attend these schools because I will most likely have to take out loans for law school as well and I don't want to end up with 300k of debt. I got into a less prestigious school, St. Mary's College of California and I would have to pay very little to attend because of all the merit awards I received. The school is a well-known school in the bay area and it is respected, but it is not really seen as a prestigious school. It is mainly recognized for being a great catholic school, having a linkage program for nursing with John Hopkins, and getting in 98% of their pre-med students into med school. My major would be Economics and English. I plan to get really amazing grades there, have unique extra-curriculars, get a competitive LSAT score, and hopefully score an amazing internship- which I heard is not too difficult to do because of the alumni connection and the location of the school. MY QUESTION IS: If I attend this "not so prestigious" undergrad and thrive there (get a near perfect GPA, great LSAT, etc) will I have a good chance of getting into a T14 law school? I don't want to have amazing stats and internships but have my mediocre undergrad hinder me from getting into a great law school.

Also, the admission reps and professors at the school claim that many of their students have been accepted to UC Berk, UC Davis, NYU, Harvard, Colombia, and Yale law. But I don't know how accurate/truthful that claim really is. Also, most of the professors there have degrees from UC Berk, Princeton, etc.

I went to a very low ranked undergrad, did extremely well and have gotten into T14 schools. Just get the GPA. PM if you want to chat more.

[roi]

Just to chime in, I went to a state school, came out with a decent LSAT/GPA, and am in at a few T14. Not giving a recommendation either way, but figured I'd give you another point of data to work with.

[Nonconsecutive]

Started at a very meh community college, went to a meh state school, got all of the T14 except Y. You'll be fine.

[CorporateLaw]

Started at a very meh community college, went to a meh state school, got all of the T14 except Y. You'll be fine.

Your account says your GPA was a 1.1....why do I have a feeling that I am being trolled?

[CorporateLaw]

Thanks to everyone for the insight! I really appreciate it. I'm waiting for my decisions from the Ivy's that I applied to. However, I am glad to know that there is still hope if I go to a mediocre undergrad.

[gwillygecko]

Yes. I think it has for me. Even with a good masters.

[Milksteak]

I went to a good but not great flagship state school got full ride to t-14. Doesnt matter.

That being said, if you are interested in Econ or English you might want to consider what other jobs you can get with those degrees out of those schools. Econ majors and English majors land big consulting firm jobs from Harvard because the firms recruit there. Econ majors or English majors at state schools are going to have to hustle harder to get jobs.

[somedeadman]

I went to a good but not great flagship state school got full ride to t-14. Doesnt matter.

That being said, if you are interested in Econ or English you might want to consider what other jobs you can get with those degrees out of those schools. Econ majors and English majors land big consulting firm jobs from Harvard because the firms recruit there. Econ majors or English majors at state schools are going to have to hustle harder to get jobs.

English majors get recruited for consulting jobs? Wow, I really fucked up

[NUDad]

The biggest problem with going to St. Mary's is explaining to everyone what the heck a "Gael" is.

[UVA2B]

I went to a good but not great flagship state school got full ride to t-14. Doesnt matter.

That being said, if you are interested in Econ or English you might want to consider what other jobs you can get with those degrees out of those schools. Econ majors and English majors land big consulting firm jobs from Harvard because the firms recruit there. Econ majors or English majors at state schools are going to have to hustle harder to get jobs.

English majors get recruited for consulting jobs? Wow, I really fucked up

Oxford commas deciding cases these days, it's not insane.

[The_Pluviophile]

Lots of people have answered this question already, but since its pretty relevant to my situation I figured I would still chime in. I was in a very similar position to the one you're currently in: I was accepted to lots of universities (I also had a strong urge to go out of state for personal reasons) but I ended up going to a newer and therefore less prestigious school in state because they offered me a full ride. I have absolutely zero regrets. Not having to worry about undergraduate debt has been a huge relief, especially since I know I'll end up with law school debt (in fact it has allowed me to save money for law school while working in undergrad).

Also, prestige doesn't always speak to the opportunities that will be available to you, nor does it give an accurate indication of how impactful your experience will be. Keep in mind that your undergraduate career isn't just a stepping stone to law school - its about growing up and and learning about life/yourself. That sounds hella cheesy, but its true. When you're looking at schools, think about what opportunities its going to offer you for personal and professional growth, not just how its going to look on your application.

That said, having performed well in my irrelevant state school (4.0 and the highest LSAT score at my school, I'm fairly certain) I've gotten into Harvard, CCN, and on down the list (still waiting on Y and S). In interviews they asked me about experiences - study abroad, my thesis, etc. because that's what they care about. Maybe you'll get a small boost to some schools because of your undergrad, but if you work the school doesn't really matter.

I'll finish by adding the caveat that the same is not necessarily true for law schools - there are cases it might be in your interest to go to a significantly better school over one that's going to give you lots of money because job prospects do differ from school to school. Also keep this in mind with undergrads if you aren't sure about law school or you think you'd like to work some first.

[gwillygecko]

It wont matter if you have a 178 and 4.0.

If you have a low 170 and a 3.8, then it will definitely matter.

Heres a fact:schools that have "black box" admissions(yale, stanford, columbia, chicago, upenn), that otherwise arent fully explainable by lsat/gpa, are targeting grads of elite schools.

[Nebby]

It wont matter if you have a 178 and 4.0.

If you have a low 170 and a 3.8, then it will definitely matter.

(is a 0L)

[gwillygecko]

It wont matter if you have a 178 and 4.0.

If you have a low 170 and a 3.8, then it will definitely matter.

(is a 0L)

why the edit? i liked your original post better when you called me a dumbass.

[Nebby]

It wont matter if you have a 178 and 4.0.

If you have a low 170 and a 3.8, then it will definitely matter.

(is a 0L)

why the edit? i liked your original post better when you called me a dumbass.

I was trying to be nice.

But you are a dumbass and your opinion is dumb too (and contrary to all evidence on the subject)