2.9 GPA, 171 LSAT Forum

Not sure where your numbers will get you? Dying to know where you stand? Come have your palms read by your fellow posters!
Post Reply
Nepster

New
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Apr 24, 2018 7:49 pm

2.9 GPA, 171 LSAT

Post by Nepster » Tue Apr 24, 2018 8:07 pm

Hey guys, just curious of where you all think I should shoot, and what does/doesn’t help me. I also want to apologize for an ignorance ahead of time.

I’m 25 Mexican make, and will be looking to attend law school in 2019, so I will be 26 going on 27. I’m currently an energy trader, looking to make the transition into corporate law or becoming a prosecutor.

My GPA to LSAT ‘ratio’ - I am nervous this paints a picture of laziness, is that something to worry about? I had to leave school for a semester to take care of my sick grandparents and could not afford to pay $5000 cash to withdraw so I ended up just not going and received two D’s and two F’s that semester. I was able to drop one class, hence the four grades, to lessen some of the blow, but it hurt. I had already retaken a class to not have a C in my major course work so I was still left with an F on my transcript.

One of my ‘worries’ is being 30 and getting my first law job. Can anyone shed some light on the subject if they do not mind? Also, health insurance, that worries me a bit as well, as you are no longer to be covered on your parents insurance after the age of 26, and with no income... That leaves a question mark as well.

Last but not least, I have family ties to Pittsburgh so I am definitely considering Pitt, however, I am not sure of the economic make up of Pittsburgh in regards to law. Are there opportunities? Does Pitt place better than say, Penn State in Pittsburgh?

Thanks,
N

User avatar
cannonballer

Bronze
Posts: 254
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2015 4:42 pm

Re: 2.9 GPA, 171 LSAT

Post by cannonballer » Tue Apr 24, 2018 8:48 pm

Hi N,

Regarding your GPA, write an addendum to explain that semester. Keep it short and to the point - you have a good reason for having a bad semester so don't worry about them thinking you are lazy. Have you had LSAC analyze your GPA yet? LSAC has very specific policies around repeated courses and withdrawals, and depending on how your transcript looks its possible that your LSAC GPA might end up a little lower than your transcript GPA. You can look online and try to calculate it but I'd recommend registering and sending your transcript to LSAC if you haven't already just so you know for sure exactly what your GPA will be.

Don't worry at all about entering your first law job at 30, it's a nonissue. Having a few years between you and your undergraduate GPA is actually a good thing in your case. I'm 31 and a 1L, so trust me! :). As for health insurance, school's usually offer plans and they can be paid for by loans/as a part of your general student budget, so don't worry about that either.

Unfortunately I know nothing about the Pittsburgh market so I can't comment on schools that place well there. I do recommend doing your due diligence in researching any school you're applying to to make sure it's employment outcomes match your expectations, especially since you are leaving what I'm assuming is a high-paying job to invest in law school. I

You are a splitter and will likely have unpredictable admissions results. Also this may sound nuts but if you think you can score a few points higher on the LSAT, I'd consider a retake - especially if your LSAC GPA is lower than 2.9. Your LSAT is already great but raising it is the one thing you can do to compensate for a lower GPA.

Lastly, I recommend starting to prep your materials now and applying early in the cycle to maximize your chances of admission and financial aid.

User avatar
yyyuppp

Bronze
Posts: 160
Joined: Sun Jul 24, 2016 8:52 pm

Re: 2.9 GPA, 171 LSAT

Post by yyyuppp » Tue Apr 24, 2018 11:11 pm

Nepster wrote:Hey guys, just curious of where you all think I should shoot, and what does/doesn’t help me. I also want to apologize for an ignorance ahead of time.

I’m 25 Mexican make, and will be looking to attend law school in 2019, so I will be 26 going on 27. I’m currently an energy trader, looking to make the transition into corporate law or becoming a prosecutor.

My GPA to LSAT ‘ratio’ - I am nervous this paints a picture of laziness, is that something to worry about? I had to leave school for a semester to take care of my sick grandparents and could not afford to pay $5000 cash to withdraw so I ended up just not going and received two D’s and two F’s that semester. I was able to drop one class, hence the four grades, to lessen some of the blow, but it hurt. I had already retaken a class to not have a C in my major course work so I was still left with an F on my transcript.

One of my ‘worries’ is being 30 and getting my first law job. Can anyone shed some light on the subject if they do not mind? Also, health insurance, that worries me a bit as well, as you are no longer to be covered on your parents insurance after the age of 26, and with no income... That leaves a question mark as well.

Last but not least, I have family ties to Pittsburgh so I am definitely considering Pitt, however, I am not sure of the economic make up of Pittsburgh in regards to law. Are there opportunities? Does Pitt place better than say, Penn State in Pittsburgh?

Thanks,
N
blanket the T14 (or T20 if you wanna), apply to any other schools you'd be willing to attend (i.e. like tier 1-2 schools that place into the markets you wanna work). you have a marginal shot of getting something in the T14, but is not a great chance (fwiw i had your llsat score and worse GPA and went to T13). Apply to WashU cuz you'll likely get a big scholarship.

regarding grades, i basically was lazy in college and admitted it in a GPA addendum. just address the issue and explain how you are different now or how the circumstances then don't reflect your academic dedication or whatever (sounds like the latter for you). once you do that, it will just come down to sheer numbers for school admissions offices (it always does anyways) and whether they wanna fit you in their class. so, a good explanation might make them marginally more willing to accept you, but, short of something truly extraordinary, a 2.9 is gonna be a 2.9 really no matter what the reason.

Don't worry about starting law at 30 (I'm about that age). plenty of people will be your age. health insurance is figured into your COA when you get loans, so you won't need to front extra money cuz your loans will pay for it.

can't speak to the pittsburgh market

the only other thing i would say is consider why would wanna do this. if you're an energy trader and don't mind it and make good money, why leave? you're talking about going into some significant amount of debt to get an outcome that seems like even you are unsure of (you name corporate and prosecution, two very different practices.). so, throw some apps out, go through the cycle, but figure out if going through law school is worth it. being a lawyer is a grind in almost every outcome you get (I'm a 2L, just what i hear), and the money is not always there to justify it.

User avatar
yyyuppp

Bronze
Posts: 160
Joined: Sun Jul 24, 2016 8:52 pm

Re: 2.9 GPA, 171 LSAT

Post by yyyuppp » Wed Apr 25, 2018 1:05 am

edit. didn't notice you are a URM. i don't know exactly how being mexican increases your chances, but it might substantially.

Nepster

New
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Apr 24, 2018 7:49 pm

Re: 2.9 GPA, 171 LSAT

Post by Nepster » Fri Apr 27, 2018 12:02 pm

You guys are awesome.

I took your advice and did a bit or research, I definitely think I am not considering Pitt anymore. I read they produce about 400 or so lawyers a year, and Duquesne we’ll say 200(guess), that is a lot of JDs for a small metropolitan area.

As far as the money I’m making now, yeah I do okay, but truly it’s not (all) about the dollars and cents to me, granted it helps. I’m going to continue doing research and see where my head is at after this cycle.

I am also considering University of South Carolina, not that it is some big name school, but I am from SC, and it’s kind of an unwritten rule that if you want to practice in SC, that is where you need to go. Anyone know about Biglaw presence in SC?

Yeah those two area of law are very different, but I figured those are the two fields that I would be interested in and are filled like minded people, which I could be wrong about.


I appreciate the advice thus far and would welcome any other.

joefresh

New
Posts: 90
Joined: Thu May 18, 2017 9:05 am

Re: 2.9 GPA, 171 LSAT

Post by joefresh » Thu May 17, 2018 1:55 pm

You're hispanic and have a 171 .... you'll get into the lower end of the T14. Apply there; you'll probably even get scholarship money too.
With an lsat/gpa split like yours, they'll just ignore the gpa in favor of your great lsat.

Enjoy the T14.

Want to continue reading?

Register now to search topics and post comments!

Absolutely FREE!


Post Reply

Return to “What are my chances?”