2 UGPA, 168 LSAT, seven years at an i-bank Forum

[deegan87]

No story behind the GPA. I was an idiot and there’s nothing I can do now. I graduated seven years ago and through some perserverence and a little bit of luck, am now a VP in a back office function at a major I-bank. I make good money but I always wanted to be a lawyer — waited this long to separate myself from my GPA, build a strong resume, and tack on a solid LSAT score.

I know my GPA makes me a non-starter at most places but there is basically no data at all on applicants with my stats so I turn to TLS for guidance.

My ideal scenario is Fordham PT and keeping my salary. I’m above their LSAT 75 but abysmally below their GPA 25. Do I have any chance?

Are there any T14’s worth applying to with my profile? Again I know my GPA will be a major hindrance but maybe my work experience and professional LOR’s can assuage at least some of my poor grades from nearly a decade ago?

[Barack O'Drama]

No story behind the GPA. I was an idiot and there’s nothing I can do now. I graduated seven years ago and through some perserverence and a little bit of luck, am now a VP in a back office function at a major I-bank. I make good money but I always wanted to be a lawyer — waited this long to separate myself from my GPA, build a strong resume, and tack on a solid LSAT score.

I know my GPA makes me a non-starter at most places but there is basically no data at all on applicants with my stats so I turn to TLS for guidance.

My ideal scenario is Fordham PT and keeping my salary. I’m above their LSAT 75 but abysmally below their GPA 25. Do I have any chance?

Are there any T14’s worth applying to with my profile? Again I know my GPA will be a major hindrance but maybe my work experience and professional LOR’s can assuage at least some of my poor grades from nearly a decade ago?

2 years in as an ibank analyst. And If you're a VP, I wouldn't leave for law school with the options you'll have. You have about a 20% at Fordham with your current stats. And for the time and money you'll spend if you get in, I don't think it will be worth it.


Aim for a 170+ and try for Northwestern. They're a great school and put high value on work experience.

[pancakes3]

find a hobby. don't go to law school.

[Yugihoe]

find a hobby. don't go to law school.

Law school sucks, and doing big law is no cake either. Find a hobby. Unless you really want a paycut to do something you're passionate about like being a defense attorney or something. But definitely, under no circumstances, should you do this if you want to be a corporate lawyer.

[deegan87]

Not asking for whether I should go to law school, asking what my chances of admission are. Thanks for the input.

[Yugihoe]

Not asking for whether I should go to law school, asking what my chances of admission are. Thanks for the input.

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/

[deegan87]

Not asking for whether I should go to law school, asking what my chances of admission are. Thanks for the input.

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/

You’re witty!

Why even have this forum if you’re just going to point to LSN?

There’s not a single data point on MyLSN at my #’s. That’s why I posted here. Again, thanks for your input. Go spend some time with your family this holiday weekend; or find a hobby more fulfilling than being a snarky guy on the internet.

[pancakes3]

you're asking us whether the club up the street will let you in wearing jeans or not and we're telling you the club's on literal fire.

[Yugihoe]

There’s not a single data point on MyLSN at my #’s. That’s why I posted here. Again, thanks for your input. Go spend some time with your family this holiday weekend; or find a hobby more fulfilling than being a snarky guy on the internet.

Dude you didn't even post your exact GPA. Whatever, just trying to help you. You're just mad because the advice you got from people who made it through law school, left careers behind with $$$, and are doing big law isn't what you wanted to hear.

Yea you might get into fordham or some lower t14s (for lower 14s you'll need a higher lsat if your gpa is really bad). But you're not going to get any $$$ if you don't see your numbers on lsn.

[deegan87]

you're asking us whether the club up the street will let you in wearing jeans or not and we're telling you the club's on literal fire.

I’ve gotten into plenty of clubs wearing jeans. Not sure why the club is on fire. I’m aware of the time and money sink that law school is. I’m lucky that money is not an issue.

So again my question - and the purpose of this thread - is to ask what my chances are. I’m not interested in debating the merits or ROI of law school. If all that mattered was the money, I would just keep doing what I’m doing now.

[deegan87]

There’s not a single data point on MyLSN at my #’s. That’s why I posted here. Again, thanks for your input. Go spend some time with your family this holiday weekend; or find a hobby more fulfilling than being a snarky guy on the internet.

Dude you didn't even post your exact GPA. Whatever, just trying to help you. You're just mad because the advice you got from people who made it through law school, left careers behind with $$$, and are doing big law isn't what you wanted to hear.

Yea you might get into fordham or some lower t14s. But you're not going to get any $$$ if you don't see your numbers on lsn.

My exact GPA is in the header. It is 2.0. PM me if you need help locating it.

I’m not mad at all. I don’t want to do big Law either. Stop making presumptions and getting cagey with strangers over the internet, it’s not that serious.

I already mentioned $$$ is not a factor. I’m not asking about scholarships or Big Law or if Law school is for me.

I’m asking what my chances are at Fordham and if it’s worthwhile to try any T14’s.

Thanks again bro. Take a lap, you’re getting flustered because a person on the internet asked a question.

[pancakes3]

chance-me threads are kind of pointless if you only want to have ppl tell you your chances. the information's out there for you to gauge your odds as well as anyone else here, and even if you do get advice from TLS, it's anecdotal.

the value in these threads come in posters telling ppl whether the premise of going to school X is a good decision or not.

i highly doubt someone telling you "no chance, bro" is going to stop you from sending in an application anyway, especially since the application fee is negligible and you've got a full-time job.

resisting the advice and insisting on ppl keeping their answers to yes/no is being willfully ignorant.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I don't think anyone is going to be able to chance you in any definitive way, since there are so few people with your stats. I think you've put yourself in as good a position as possible with regard to distancing yourself from the GPA and getting good work experience. Unfortunately your LSAT is a little low for super-splitter status; there are fewer schools willing to go for a GPA that below median to get the high LSAT.

O'Drama is right that Northwestern is the school most likely to take a splitter with good work experience, though I suspect you will need a higher LSAT to be a viable candidate. But it can't hurt to apply.

Personally I think you'd be a decent candidate for Fordham PT, but again, that's speculation. Unfortunately you are going to have to just apply where you'd like to go and give it your best shot.

(and pancakes I get your point, and this forum serves much less of a purpose with LSN around, but sometimes people do want anecdotes, and to hear from other people who've applied in a similar situation. There may not be any here, but it's fair to ask.)

[deegan87]

chance-me threads are kind of pointless if you only want to have ppl tell you your chances. the information's out there for you to gauge your odds as well as anyone else here, and even if you do get advice from TLS, it's anecdotal.

the value in these threads come in posters telling ppl whether the premise of going to school X is a good decision or not.

i highly doubt someone telling you "no chance, bro" is going to stop you from sending in an application anyway, especially since the application fee is negligible and you've got a full-time job.

resisting the advice and insisting on ppl keeping their answers to yes/no is being willfully ignorant.

The name of the forum is not “is going to school X a good decision or not”, it’s “what are my chances”. If you disagree with having this forum, don’t visit it.

I’m not resisting advice. Advice taken. Law school is expensive and time consuming. Noted! Thanks!

I posted this thread because there isn’t anyone with my stats on MyLSN. I had hoped to find people who had been in a similar boat who can shed light on their application experience, instead I got a couple knuckleheads disillusioned by law school and Big Law and wanting to spend their weekend ironically telling people to find hobbies.

[mcmand]

Part time will just make it harder to get the ideal lawyer job you want. There are other threads you should look at on this.

The answer as to your chances is that it's a toss-up and that a higher LSAT is always better.

[landshoes]

Look, you're obviously an outlier. Given that, anecdotes/other people with vaguely similar experiences are not really useful.

Just apply really broadly, because you have the cash to do so, and stop asking semi-dumb questions.

[Barack O'Drama]

you're asking us whether the club up the street will let you in wearing jeans or not and we're telling you the club's on literal fire.

Haha! I love this metaphor!

So again my question - and the purpose of this thread - is to ask what my chances are. I’m not interested in debating the merits or ROI of law school. If all that mattered was the money, I would just keep doing what I’m doing now.

Hey, OP. I know it's frustrating when people don't just answer the questions you ask, but it's not always a simple answer, and when that's the case, it's not uncommon for people to give you what they consider more helpful or insightful advice.

You make a good point: If money is all that mattered, you would just keep doing what you're doing now. I can respect that.

That said, a 2.0 GPA -- as I'm sure you already know -- is quite low for the T13 and other T20 schools. Fordham isn't a bad option if money isn't an problem for you. However, for whatever reason, they don't seem too friendly to splitters according to LSN.

Like I said above, I believe with a 170+ you have a shot at Northwestern due to your strong work experience. It's a great school and if you don't mind moving to Chi for a few years, I think it would be a great outcome for you!

Someone was accepted a few cycles ago with a 2.0/170 to Northwestern with a hefty 150k scholarship. http://lawschoolnumbers.com/rossybee

As far as Fordham, unfortunately, I don't think you have a great shot with your numbers as they are now. I'd put the figure at <20%

Good luck on your LS journey!

[180doublecork]

OP, I don't have anywhere near the expertise to give you a remotely accurate percentage chance at any school or t14. However something to keep in mind is that school rankings are based on median GPA. Nowhere is mean listed or measured in any significant way. So for practical purposes with regard to the numbers game, you are not much different than a 168 with a 3.2 GPA, as long as you're below the 25th percentile, how far below you are isn't of utmost importance. This isn't to say it's meaningless, I would say take a shot at Northwestern and Fordham and a few other "reach" schools, and have a backup plan if they are willing to gamble on you.

[cavalier1138]

OP, I don't have anywhere near the expertise to give you a remotely accurate percentage chance at any school or t14. However something to keep in mind is that school rankings are based on median GPA. Nowhere is mean listed or measured in any significant way. So for practical purposes with regard to the numbers game, you are not much different than a 168 with a 3.2 GPA, as long as you're below the 25th percentile, how far below you are isn't of utmost importance. This isn't to say it's meaningless, I would say take a shot at Northwestern and Fordham and a few other "reach" schools, and have a backup plan if they are willing to gamble on you.

This is somewhat true, but most schools have a GPA floor. 2.0 is really fucking low, so while it's possible a school like Northwestern will ignore that, it's absolutely different than a 3.X, even if both GPAs are below the 25th.

[MercW07]

If you can get into the 170s and write a kick ass personal statement about distancing yourself from your GPA your chances of getting into a good school will go up, but I think what everyone here is trying to say here is that 2.0 makes your cycle nearly impossible to predict.

Most people will apply to a few "reach" schools, a few schools they should get in to, and a few schools that are pretty much auto admits, but your 2.0 puts you in a situation where there is literally not one school out there (that is worth going to) that could be considered a guarantee. With that being said, raising your LSAT a few points and applying to every school in the top 25 is your best bet IMO. It still wouldn't be a guarantee, but I would be willing to bet at least a couple T25 schoosl would accept you if you bumped up your LSAT even just a bit.