Do Graduate Degrees help in Law School Apps? Forum

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philonomos

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Do Graduate Degrees help in Law School Apps?

Post by philonomos » Tue Feb 13, 2018 4:10 pm

Can anyone comment on or point me to discussions about to what extent, if any, graduate degrees affect law school apps? Does having an MA or a PhD in a related field significantly improve an application (assuming degrees are from reputable, private, research unis)? Or could it be a primary factor that nudges one toward or away from otherwise statistically equal (gpa, LSAT) applicants?

Muchas gracias.

sparkytrainer

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Re: Do Graduate Degrees help in Law School Apps?

Post by sparkytrainer » Tue Feb 13, 2018 7:07 pm

No. Especially at t13 schools, 30% or more of the class has a masters or PhD. It literally does nothing. The numbers matter way more.

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Platopus

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Re: Do Graduate Degrees help in Law School Apps?

Post by Platopus » Wed Feb 14, 2018 12:21 am

It depends. If the advanced degree helps paint a solid picture of why law school makes sense, then yes, an advanced degree will help on the margins. If you have an advance degree in Classics or English Lit or something, it might cast a little doubt about your commitment to the profession (Why is this person thinking about law after spending 4+ years studying 18th Century literature? Is law a back up?).

12changk2

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Re: Do Graduate Degrees help in Law School Apps?

Post by 12changk2 » Wed Feb 21, 2018 9:02 pm

What about an unrelated MA from HYS's graduate school of arts and sciences/humanities and social sciences? Would the opportunity to say take classes at YLS during grad school help with admission to YLS (assuming you have the numbers)?

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