Need Advice, college senior but new to pre-law Forum

[RdnXP]

Hey guys. I'd like to thank you all for taking the time to read this and for any advice you offer.

I'm a college senior about to graduate in May. I'm a History major and Biology minor. I began university as a pre-medical student but found that my interests lay more in law and associated fields. This realization occurred recently during my senior year, even though I've taken nearly all the pre-med prereqs, and I'm still learning more about the law school application process. I'm not planning on going straight into graduate school. I was going to take a gap year when I wanted to do medicine and I still intend to take a gap year, so I am planning on taking the LSAT this summer and applying to law school this fall for entrance next fall (as far as I understand the timeline). I enjoy both science and non-science fields and feel like law could open the door to diverse career opportunities.

I would appreciate any advice. I currently have a 3.98 GPA but I think it will go down after this semester to a 3.94-3.95. I attend a decent but by no means elite public university. How much does college prestige matter? I'm anticipating my semester GPA this spring to be a 3.5 or so, but my overall GPA will be around a 3.94 - how bad will that look? I worked a bit more this semester and had to put time into taking care of my mother. I don't want the trend to look as though I got lazy when they look at the transcript, but I'd appreciate brutal honesty here.

I also plan to study for the LSAT this summer and take it in August or early September. I have found many online self-study guides and hope to be able to do it without the need for courses. I have also applied to teach English in Latin America during my gap year, but will I be able to include this on my application or in an update if I begin after my application has been sent in?

Lastly, my activities are okay but nothing overly impressive. I have some honors (Phi Beta Kappa, etc) and a few leadership roles as well as volunteering at a hospital. I was an officer in a medical club - should I include this on my app or will it look out of place?

I appreciate all the advice. That's all I can think of right now, but I'm glad I found this forum and hope to learn more here. Thanks!

[MKC]

Your college doesn't matter, only your near-perfect GPA.

Where you get in and how much scholarship money you're offered will depend almost completely on your LSAT score.

Law school will not "open the door to diverse career opportunities." Law school opens the door to being a lawyer. If you don't want to practice law until you retire, do not go to law school.

[RdnXP]

Your college doesn't matter, only your near-perfect GPA.

Where you get in and how much scholarship money you're offered will depend almost completely on your LSAT score.

Law school will not "open the door to diverse career opportunities." Law school opens the door to being a lawyer. If you don't want to practice law until you retire, do not go to law school.

Thank you! Just to clarify, I meant the diversity of fields within the practice of law. I am also interested in an academic career in law and history, and I have read that many law programs can help with that.

[QuentonCassidy]

Hey guys. I'd like to thank you all for taking the time to read this and for any advice you offer.

I'm a college senior about to graduate in May. I'm a History major and Biology minor. I began university as a pre-medical student but found that my interests lay more in law and associated fields. This realization occurred recently during my senior year, even though I've taken nearly all the pre-med prereqs, and I'm still learning more about the law school application process. I'm not planning on going straight into graduate school. I was going to take a gap year when I wanted to do medicine and I still intend to take a gap year, so I am planning on taking the LSAT this summer and applying to law school this fall for entrance next fall (as far as I understand the timeline). I enjoy both science and non-science fields and feel like law could open the door to diverse career opportunities.

I would appreciate any advice. I currently have a 3.98 GPA but I think it will go down after this semester to a 3.94-3.95. I attend a decent but by no means elite public university. How much does college prestige matter? I'm anticipating my semester GPA this spring to be a 3.5 or so, but my overall GPA will be around a 3.94 - how bad will that look? I worked a bit more this semester and had to put time into taking care of my mother. I don't want the trend to look as though I got lazy when they look at the transcript, but I'd appreciate brutal honesty here.

I also plan to study for the LSAT this summer and take it in August or early September. I have found many online self-study guides and hope to be able to do it without the need for courses. I have also applied to teach English in Latin America during my gap year, but will I be able to include this on my application or in an update if I begin after my application has been sent in?

Lastly, my activities are okay but nothing overly impressive. I have some honors (Phi Beta Kappa, etc) and a few leadership roles as well as volunteering at a hospital. I was an officer in a medical club - should I include this on my app or will it look out of place?

I appreciate all the advice. That's all I can think of right now, but I'm glad I found this forum and hope to learn more here. Thanks!

The "trend" in your GPA won't matter. Your 3.9+ GPA is going to stand out very positively and the prestige of your college isn't going to matter at all.
Your soft factors (Phi Beta Kappa etc.) are solid but won't affect your chances as softs only help/hurt at the extreme outliers.
I want to echo the previous poster and say to definitely work hard to maximize your LSAT, as your GPA/LSAT are far and away the main factors in law school admissions. Study hard and make sure you max it out before pulling the trigger on law school. You're in a very good position with your GPA. Best of luck.

[curry1]

Your college doesn't matter, only your near-perfect GPA.

Where you get in and how much scholarship money you're offered will depend almost completely on your LSAT score.

Law school will not "open the door to diverse career opportunities." Law school opens the door to being a lawyer. If you don't want to practice law until you retire, do not go to law school.

Thank you! Just to clarify, I meant the diversity of fields within the practice of law. I am also interested in an academic career in law and history, and I have read that many law programs can help with that.

If you mean an academic career in a university setting, very very few programs even give you a shot at pursuing that.