I just got my score back (174) and my UGPA is 4.0, but I'm unsure as to the effect of a couple of externalities.
First, I come from a small (under 1,000 student) school in the Midwest, and I will be the first student to attend law school in my 4 years there. Not only will this mean that admissions will probably have never heard of my school, but that could also cast doubt on the weight of my UGPA when compared to other schools. Will that be a factor in highly competitive application processes?
Second, how important are extracurriculars/internships? I spent a significant amount of my undergraduate time involved in extracurriculars on campus and will have done 3/5 internships by the time I graduate, but I've heard that law schools aren't particularly interested in those, at least not as much as med schools or other grad schools. Is that true?
Third, I've noticed that the majority of law school students aren't coming directly from undergrad. Is that because law schools prefer that or is that a result of the demographic that applies to law school? I have a law contract with the Marine Corps which means I have to attend law school right after I graduate (next year). Will this be a problem in my applications?
Lastly, and as a side note, how do law schools evaluate candidates for admission to their joint degree programs? Is that something that's realistic for my given my score and UGPA, or are those programs reserved for upper 170s scorers?
Any and all input is appreciated, thanks!
174/4.0 with variables? Forum
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Re: 174/4.0 with variables?
The school you went to doesn’t matter. Law schools are concerned with rankings. They report your cumulative gpa from lsac, so where you went to school will matter very little compared to the gpa itself. Because gpa is subjective, you’re high lsat score speaks for itself in regards to your academic capabilities. You’re in a very strong position with your #s. Nothing else is nearly as important.
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Re: 174/4.0 with variables?
I doubt it will matter at all for you. My anecdotal experience is that school can matter at times, but it seems to have weight when you're a border-line candidate.
With your stats, there should be acceptances across the board besides S/Y which are unknowns still very much worth applying to
With your stats, there should be acceptances across the board besides S/Y which are unknowns still very much worth applying to
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Re: 174/4.0 with variables?
1) Law schools don't care where you went. By far the two most important factors are LSAC GPA* and LSAT score. If you're an underrepresented minority that gives you bonus points. Almost nothing else will move the needle in a material way (other than e.g. winning a Nobel Prize or being a convicted felon).Drj336724 wrote:I just got my score back (174) and my UGPA is 4.0, but I'm unsure as to the effect of a couple of externalities.
First, I come from a small (under 1,000 student) school in the Midwest, and I will be the first student to attend law school in my 4 years there. Not only will this mean that admissions will probably have never heard of my school, but that could also cast doubt on the weight of my UGPA when compared to other schools. Will that be a factor in highly competitive application processes?
Second, how important are extracurriculars/internships? I spent a significant amount of my undergraduate time involved in extracurriculars on campus and will have done 3/5 internships by the time I graduate, but I've heard that law schools aren't particularly interested in those, at least not as much as med schools or other grad schools. Is that true?
Third, I've noticed that the majority of law school students aren't coming directly from undergrad. Is that because law schools prefer that or is that a result of the demographic that applies to law school? I have a law contract with the Marine Corps which means I have to attend law school right after I graduate (next year). Will this be a problem in my applications?
Lastly, and as a side note, how do law schools evaluate candidates for admission to their joint degree programs? Is that something that's realistic for my given my score and UGPA, or are those programs reserved for upper 170s scorers?
Any and all input is appreciated, thanks!
2) Not very important at all for admissions (maybe could help a bit if they're reallly impressive or hurt a lot if they're actively bad (like membership in hate groups or something)).
3) Doesn't really matter (although Northwestern supposedly prefers people with work experience). A lot of people go straight from undergrad to law school.
4) This is highly dependent on school/program, but I can't think of a single one that would require HIGH 170s (I also note that depending on the program, they may actually require you to take the GRE or GMAT). You're either a troll or have literally no idea how good your credentials are. If those numbers are real then you can go to pretty much any law school in the country. I wouldn't really recommend a joint degree program unless you have a very good and tangible reason for doing it...don't just do it for the sake of getting an extra degree. It's extra time and money that probably won't end up paying off in the long run.
Assuming you are a real person who actually has a 174/4.0, you should apply to every single T14 school (look at the USNWR rankings) as soon as they open for applications next cycle. E-mail admissions and request fee waivers. Ultimately your most likely outcomes are probably something like: Harvard/Yale/Stanford or a large scholarship at Columbia/Chicago/NYU.
*You should go to the LSAC website and plug in your grades to get your LSAC GPA. It could be higher or lower than 4.0 depending on whether you got more A-'s or A+'s.
- Jordan Catalano
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Re: 174/4.0 with variables?
I think T14s do actually care where you went for undergrad to a larger degree than people think. I came to this opinion after a year at a T14. Seeing what schools people came from and listening to administrators speak about current students and applicants helped me form this opinion.
That said, your GPA and LSAT matter the most. Listen to the advice above: apply early, blanket the T14, and also negotiate your inevitable offers to score larger scholarships. As long as you don’t completely bomb your essay or have any unfortunate past legal issues, you’ll be more than fine.
That said, your GPA and LSAT matter the most. Listen to the advice above: apply early, blanket the T14, and also negotiate your inevitable offers to score larger scholarships. As long as you don’t completely bomb your essay or have any unfortunate past legal issues, you’ll be more than fine.
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Re: 174/4.0 with variables?
Just because people at T14s typically come from elite undergrad schools doesn't mean that admissions is exhibiting a preference for certain schools over others. What's most likely going on is that high LSAT scorers tend to come from certain schools.Jordan Catalano wrote:I think T14s do actually care where you went for undergrad to a larger degree than people think. I came to this opinion after a year at a T14. Seeing what schools people came from and listening to administrators speak about current students and applicants helped me form this opinion.
That said, your GPA and LSAT matter the most. Listen to the advice above: apply early, blanket the T14, and also negotiate your inevitable offers to score larger scholarships. As long as you don’t completely bomb your essay or have any unfortunate past legal issues, you’ll be more than fine.
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