Advice for Princeton undergrad (lowish GPA)? Forum

[proviso]

I'm a sophomore struggling to get above a 3.6 GPA, and I've heard that undergrad name and the fact that one's school grade deflates like crazy doesn't really matter, so that blows. If I want to go to law school right after college, what should I do (besides killing the LSAT) that will raise my chances at a T14 and offset my GPA?

[mephistopheles]

I'm a sophomore struggling to get above a 3.6 GPA, and I've heard that undergrad name and the fact that one's school grade deflates like crazy doesn't really matter, so that blows. If I want to go to law school right after college, what should I do (besides killing the LSAT) that will raise my chances at a T14 and offset my GPA?

becoming a rhodes scholar helps (though marginally).

[Dmini7]

Unless you are an Olympian, Rhodes scholar or Fulbright, just focus on the LSAT. Also, a 3.6 is not that bad. Maybe you are a HYS or bust( since you seem to think the GPA will be an issue), but score well on the LSAT and you will have a great cycle and probably lots of money from T14's. It also seems to be agreed that HYP students get a small boost in admissions(or at least it is suggested from the stats on LSN).

[gnomgnomuch]

Im in the same boat, 3.5 GPA (not an ivy though), as you. Admissions is really based on a couple of things. Lsat and Gpa (softs and the rest may help a marginal applicant breakthrough, but unless you have something like rhodes scholar it wont matter too much. (Funnily enough, a rhodes scholar with a poor gpa is something i cant see happening). Now for GPA if you are 120% set on Law, i would pick a major that you know that you could excel at,even if itsnt marketable, since the point is to get it as high as possible. Otherwise pick something marketable, and obviously try to excel regardless. A 3.6 gpa from HYP may get a slight boost, though at school like HYS, unless you ROCKED the Lsat, you would prob be out of the running. For LSATS if you want a t-14 than a 168 might get you in the lower spectrum like GULC and Cornell, you would be pretty safe for the lower t-14's with a 170, and if you want CCN and HYS you'd prob need 174+ (and its still not a guarantee). Dont forget though, you have 3 full semesters (counting this one) to get your grades up. Instead of 15, take 12 credits and make up the credit in the intersession. This way youd be more likely to ensure that your GPA goes up... keep in mind adcoms do look at grade trends. For example a 3.3 your freshman year followed by 3.7+ for the next couple years would be looked upon well, since while your classes got harder you showed that you were able to do well, and possible the reason for your poor first year was the shock of going to college or whatever.

A final thought : A 3.5 GPA for a lower t-14 with a 170+ is acceptable. The only schools that really have super hard GPA floors are HYS and CCN (to an extent).

[TripTrip]

Princeton Law accepts their undergrads all the time. Just go there.

[Doorkeeper]

Princeton Law accepts their undergrads all the time. Just go there.

180.

But seriously a 3.60 is fine for most of the T14 with a 170+ LSAT. You're not getting HYS, but CCN is definitely on the table

[banjo]

Get very strong, academic LORs from seminar professors. Acquire strong summer WE in something you can talk about passionately in interviews. Join clubs that help build a coherent, memorable narrative about your goals and interests. Try to publish something. Write a fantastic personal statement and ask your fellow princes to proofread. Finally, be prepared to explain to JS why you want to go straight to law school.

But yeah, crush the LSAT also.

[TTH]

Get very strong, academic LORs from seminar professors. Acquire strong summer WE in something you can talk about passionately in interviews. Join clubs that help build a coherent, memorable narrative about your goals and interests. Try to publish something. Write a fantastic personal statement and ask your fellow princes to proofread. Finally, be prepared to explain to JS why you want to go straight to law school.

But yeah, crush the LSAT also.

The average 0L TLSer's life would be so much less stressful if they accepted that LSAT and UGPA are all that matters. I get it—I was there as a 0L, hoping that whatever made me a special snowflake would give me that much more of a chance, but it just doesn't guys.

[dextermorgan]

Don't go to law school right after undergrad.

[Nova]

Take some easy community college classes before you graduate. Yoga, walking, psych/soc/poli sci/phil 101

[banjo]

Get very strong, academic LORs from seminar professors. Acquire strong summer WE in something you can talk about passionately in interviews. Join clubs that help build a coherent, memorable narrative about your goals and interests. Try to publish something. Write a fantastic personal statement and ask your fellow princes to proofread. Finally, be prepared to explain to JS why you want to go straight to law school.

But yeah, crush the LSAT also.

The average 0L TLSer's life would be so much less stressful if they accepted that LSAT and UGPA are all that matters. I get it—I was there as a 0L, hoping that whatever made me a special snowflake would give me that much more of a chance, but it just doesn't guys.

I know that's the TLS CW, but it's not entirely accurate. Two people with the exact same numbers can have vastly different outcomes at the same school, especially when it comes to scholarships. Right now, people with my exact numbers (176/3.76) have gotten full-tuition scholarships to CLS; I haven't even gotten in. Several other people on LSN could say the same thing right now. I can also think of one non-URM K-JD at HLS's 25ths who got an acceptance this cycle just by being really passionate about one of her college activities. I agree that LSAT/GPA are by far the most important criteria, but the tiny amount of extra time it takes to craft a good application can pay off.

eta: Obviously this doesn't apply to schools like NYU, where they probably spend 30 seconds reading your application. More for HYSCC.

[TripTrip]

Right now, people with my exact numbers (176/3.76) have gotten full-tuition scholarships to CLS; I haven't even gotten in. Several other people on LSN could say the same thing right now.

+1

[Justin Genious]

Get very strong, academic LORs from seminar professors. Acquire strong summer WE in something you can talk about passionately in interviews. Join clubs that help build a coherent, memorable narrative about your goals and interests. Try to publish something. Write a fantastic personal statement and ask your fellow princes to proofread. Finally, be prepared to explain to JS why you want to go straight to law school.

But yeah, crush the LSAT also.

The average 0L TLSer's life would be so much less stressful if they accepted that LSAT and UGPA are all that matters. I get it—I was there as a 0L, hoping that whatever made me a special snowflake would give me that much more of a chance, but it just doesn't guys.

I know that's the TLS CW, but it's not entirely accurate. Two people with the exact same numbers can have vastly different outcomes at the same school, especially when it comes to scholarships. Right now, people with my exact numbers (176/3.76) have gotten full-tuition scholarships to CLS; I haven't even gotten in. Several other people on LSN could say the same thing right now. I can also think of one non-URM K-JD at HLS's 25ths who got an acceptance this cycle just by being really passionate about one of her college activities. I agree that LSAT/GPA are by far the most important criteria, but the tiny amount of extra time it takes to craft a good application can pay off.

eta: Obviously this doesn't apply to schools like NYU, where they probably spend 30 seconds reading your application. More for HYSCC.

lol?

[09042014]

Take some easy community college classes before you graduate. Yoga, walking, psych/soc/poli sci/phil 101

I'm sure he can find them at Princeton that are just as easy.

[Tom Joad]

I'm a sophomore struggling to get above a 3.6 GPA, and I've heard that undergrad name and the fact that one's school grade deflates like crazy doesn't really matter, so that blows.

[09042014]

Princeton has a median GPA of 3.4. That's not grade deflation brah.

[banjo]

Get very strong, academic LORs from seminar professors. Acquire strong summer WE in something you can talk about passionately in interviews. Join clubs that help build a coherent, memorable narrative about your goals and interests. Try to publish something. Write a fantastic personal statement and ask your fellow princes to proofread. Finally, be prepared to explain to JS why you want to go straight to law school.

But yeah, crush the LSAT also.

The average 0L TLSer's life would be so much less stressful if they accepted that LSAT and UGPA are all that matters. I get it—I was there as a 0L, hoping that whatever made me a special snowflake would give me that much more of a chance, but it just doesn't guys.

I know that's the TLS CW, but it's not entirely accurate. Two people with the exact same numbers can have vastly different outcomes at the same school, especially when it comes to scholarships. Right now, people with my exact numbers (176/3.76) have gotten full-tuition scholarships to CLS; I haven't even gotten in. Several other people on LSN could say the same thing right now. I can also think of one non-URM K-JD at HLS's 25ths who got an acceptance this cycle just by being really passionate about one of her college activities. I agree that LSAT/GPA are by far the most important criteria, but the tiny amount of extra time it takes to craft a good application can pay off.

eta: Obviously this doesn't apply to schools like NYU, where they probably spend 30 seconds reading your application. More for HYSCC.

lol?

It's not exactly a secret (or even a slight) that severely underperforming applicants often still get into NYU. The school has a huge class to fill, and is extremely numbers-focused. iirc, they only require one letter of recommendation. Like Duke, they also have an extremely fast turnaround time.

[PhoenixWright]

I got into Georgetown with a 3.1 from Princeton (COS concentration). If your goal is T14, a 3.6 sounds like a fine start. Just kill the LSAT, as has been suggested, and make sure that your app essay and resume tell a coherent story of what you can bring to the law school and why you want to be there.