Ok-ish GPA, Work Experience -- worth applying?

[jf2018]

Hi all,

New user here but would appreciate some advice / thoughts on whether I have a chance at a top law school here (aiming for Harvard, Yale, Columbia...)

-3.5 GPA from top 10(ish) school (there's been some fluctuation year on year but usually within top 12 for sure)
-2.5 years working in management consulting (full time, post-graduation)

Basically I'm trying to figure out if it's worth taking the LSAT at all, or if I should consider other grad school options (e.g. MBA)
Q: Do I have a shot or is the GPA considered too low regardless of LSAT?
Q: With this GPA, what LSAT would I need to make up the difference, given the schools I'm aiming for?
Q: If not these schools listed, which ones can I reasonably aim for?
Q: Can the work experience make up for the lower GPA?

Thanks so much!

[april_ludgate]

With that GPA, Yale and Stanford are likely out, and Harvard is unlikely (but not impossible). But with a great (170+) lsat score you can definitely get into a T14 law school, with $$ if you score high enough. Play around on http://mylsn.info/r/pre-law/admissions/search/

[cavalier1138]

Why do you want a JD?

[dabigchina]

Why do you want a JD?

This. I know management consulting sucks, but biglaw sucks just as much, if not more than, management consulting. Think long and hard about why you want to go to law school.

As for whether it's worth it to take the LSAT, yes, It is worth it if you want to be a lawyer. You can get into some t14's with a 170+. You won't get a lot of money. The real question is whether it worth it to pay 200k+ to go to law school when you already have a promising career.