How can I get into a great law school? Forum

[o2bnlv]

I've slacked off all through my undergrad. I can probably pull my GPA up to 3.1 next semester. I have a 170 LSAT. How can I get into a great (top 10) law school? I will beg, borrow, or steal my way to paying for it. I've thought of two possible options:

1.) Get work experience. My undergrad is Finance and I could probably get a 45-55k/year desk job easily. In 2 years, I would be student loan debt free and could even save up some cash for law school. The only issue is that everyone says they're going to do this, and most just end up working in the job for 30 years instead of 2. Would work experience even help my chances? So far I just have 2 internships on my resume.

2.) Get an MBA in between. I could take the GRE/GMAT and get into a respectable school for an MBA. If I aced that, would I have a good chance at a top 10 law school? I wouldn't be wasting that much time, because I was planning on pursuing a dual JD/MBA anyway.

Thanks in advance.

[budafied]

I would guess someone in the T14 would bite on a 3.1 and 170. I could be wrong though.

[lawls]

Apply this year, see what happens (maybe ED to Virginia, esp. if resident). If that fails, work for a year, ED to NW.

MBA sounds like a bad plan.

[Knock]

I've slacked off all through my undergrad. I can probably pull my GPA up to 3.1 next semester. I have a 170 LSAT. How can I get into a great (top 10) law school? I will beg, borrow, or steal my way to paying for it. I've thought of two possible options:

1.) Get work experience. My undergrad is Finance and I could probably get a 45-55k/year desk job easily. In 2 years, I would be student loan debt free and could even save up some cash for law school. The only issue is that everyone says they're going to do this, and most just end up working in the job for 30 years instead of 2. Would work experience even help my chances? So far I just have 2 internships on my resume.

2.) Get an MBA in between. I could take the GRE/GMAT and get into a respectable school for an MBA. If I aced that, would I have a good chance at a top 10 law school? I wouldn't be wasting that much time, because I was planning on pursuing a dual JD/MBA anyway.

Thanks in advance.

Work a couple of years to put some distance between your GPA and yourself, and to mature and gain some good experience. Depending on what you were PT'ing at and how hard you were studying, consider the possibility of retaking. With a low GPA you need to get the best LSAT you can. After a couple years of work experience, consider ED'ing at Northwestern, who are known for favoring work experience and LSAT and willing to overlook lower GPA's in some instances.

[Iconoclast]

Work a couple of years to put some distance between your GPA and yourself, and to mature and gain some good experience. Depending on what you were PT'ing at and how hard you were studying, consider the possibility of retaking. With a low GPA you need to get the best LSAT you can. After a couple years of work experience, consider ED'ing at Northwestern, who are known for favoring work experience and LSAT and willing to overlook lower GPA's in some instances.

I wouldn't default to the "work a couple years" answer just yet. I would go ahead and give it a shot first. If you strike out, then you get some work experience and try again in a year or two. Nothing to lose for taking the shot now except for application fees.

[20160810]

Work experience + Northwestern is going to be your best bet. That or GULC PT.

[sumus romani]

If you are serious about t10, and not t14, then Northwestern is out. But in that case I would recommend that you rethink the line you have drawn between, say, the 10th best school and the schools tied for 11th place. Even though Northwestern likes work experience, with an ED you may very well gain an acceptance. Why not ED to NW, and if they waitlist or reject you, ED to Virginia, or if you can take it, Georgetown?

Truth be told, if you are right about your job prospects out of undergrad, you are in a pretty good situation all around, because time and work experience to help with your gpa a bit. But I don't recommend the MBA option if you really do want law as a career.

[vanwinkle]

Work experience for 2-3 years, and then ED to any one of NU, UVA, or GULC.