Asking for some thoughts Forum

[flo325]

Hi all - Wanted to get some thoughts from y'all on both my chances of admission at a top law school and $$ at that school.

I'm a 27yo asian male. I did my undergrad degrees in Math+Social Science and ended up with a 3.5 GPA with a number of withdrawals in the first 4 semesters (family issues). I ended the last four semesters with a 4.0 with A's in PhD classes in Statistics. I also have a 3.5GPA from a Masters degree in Economics I completed while working. I scored a 180 on the LSAT not too long after. I currently have 3 years (and running) of work experience as a quant at big banks in NYC. I worked for a BB bank (Citi/BAC/Wells) for 2 years. I left and I've been at GS/MS/JPM for about a year now.

1) Any thoughts on my chances for Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, NYU, Penn and Berkeley?
2) Additional question, does my work experience play to my advantage here? I'm obviously a career changer.

Really appreciate it! Thanks.

[cavalier1138]

I'm confused on your timeline. Is your LSAT score still valid?

With a 180, I'd say you're most likely in everywhere with the possible exceptions of Yale and Stanford.

[flo325]

@cavalier1138 Thanks for the quick reply.

Yeah. I took it last year.

Any thoughts on likely financial aid? Working as a banker for 3 years, I don't think I would be eligible for need-based aid. Although income and my tax forms probably don't really tell my complete financial story here (again, family issues).

[BrainsyK]

ended up with a 3.5 GPA with a number of withdrawals in the first 4 semesters (family issues).

Are the Ws punitive? If so, have they been factored into the calculation of GPA?

[flo325]

@BrainsyK They're not punitive.

[Platopus]

Y&S are probably out due to GPA, but stranger things have happened. Harvard is probably 60%, depending on if that GPA is a 3.48 roughly equals a 3.5 or a true 3.5. MyLSN makes it seem like there's a floor at 3.5. Overall, I think you have pretty good chances at pretty much every other T-14 with some big $$ in the mix. Apply broadly and negotiate for that full-ride