Should I wait a year after UG or go straight to law school? Forum

[jaytaw]

Here's my situation: I'm probably going to be a splitter. My GPA is 2.6 right now (in mechanical engineering, not sure how much that will affect things). I haven't taken the LSAT yet but if I decide to go straight to law school I will take it in October. First practice LSAT I scored 165 with no preparation. With some very light preparation I've been getting 168-170. I think 172-175 is attainable, if I work harder. I've always done well on standardized tests and logic puzzle type things.

If I apply for law school this winter I will not be able to use my 2nd semester grades to bump my GPA up. Depending on how early I apply, I might not even be able to use my first semester grades. My GPA will definitely go up at least .2 this year, because I'm taking more electives and my engineering courses won't be any harder than they have been previously.

Also, I've been involved in pretty much nothing throughout UG. I have no job experience except for a high school job that i went back to during the summer after freshman and sophomore year, no activities or clubs. I don't really even have any professors that I know well enough to use for letters of recommendations. However, this year I will be doing a senior design project/club (designing and building a race car to take to competitions) which will be a decent activity to put on my resume, and also puts me in close contact with the associate dean of engineering school because he oversees the project. I could also try to find a research job underneath a professor this year, and an internship next summer to add to my resume.

TLDR version:
So basically I think by waiting a year I will have a slightly better GPA (but still be a splitter), better sources for letters of rec, more activities/groups for resume, and possibly more work experience. Do you guys think this is the right thing to do, or are there disadvantages I'm not seeing?

[jaytaw]

Also if it matters, the schools I'm shooting for are:

Illinois
WUSTL
Iowa
Alabama
Indiana-Bloomington
Wake Forest

[09042014]

Here's my situation: I'm probably going to be a splitter. My GPA is 2.6 right now (in mechanical engineering, not sure how much that will affect things). I haven't taken the LSAT yet but if I decide to go straight to law school I will take it in October. First practice LSAT I scored 165 with no preparation. With some very light preparation I've been getting 168-170. I think 172-175 is attainable, if I work harder. I've always done well on standardized tests and logic puzzle type things.

If I apply for law school this winter I will not be able to use my 2nd semester grades to bump my GPA up. Depending on how early I apply, I might not even be able to use my first semester grades. My GPA will definitely go up at least .2 this year, because I'm taking more electives and my engineering courses won't be any harder than they have been previously.

Also, I've been involved in pretty much nothing throughout UG. I have no job experience except for a high school job that i went back to during the summer after freshman and sophomore year, no activities or clubs. I don't really even have any professors that I know well enough to use for letters of recommendations. However, this year I will be doing a senior design project/club (designing and building a race car to take to competitions) which will be a decent activity to put on my resume, and also puts me in close contact with the associate dean of engineering school because he oversees the project. I could also try to find a research job underneath a professor this year, and an internship next summer to add to my resume.

TLDR version:
So basically I think by waiting a year I will have a slightly better GPA (but still be a splitter), better sources for letters of rec, more activities/groups for resume, and possibly more work experience. Do you guys think this is the right thing to do, or are there disadvantages I'm not seeing?

You need to raise your GPA as much as you can. Take bullshit community college courses concurrently if need be.

If I were you I'd take a year or two off, and reassess if you want law, and if you do, with 172, you can get into Northwestern if you apply ED. If you get your GPA above 3.0, you could easily get UVA with ED, or have a good shot at Michigan or Penn with ED.

If you are looking at patent law, you might even consider passing the patent bar and getting some work experience as a patent agent.

[jaytaw]

Would bullshit classes help my LSAC GPA if they weren't required for my major?

[09042014]

Would bullshit classes help my LSAC GPA if they weren't required for my major?

Yes. Anything counts before you get your first bachelors degree.

[thebookcollector]

I think the obvious answer is to study hard for the LSAT, apply, and see what you get. If you don't like it, just apply again the next year with a (hopefully) improved GPA, some work experience, and maybe a new perspective on life after being out of school for a year.

[094320]

..

[calbears619]

Law schools say that they look at the relative difficulty of programs (alot of people who have 2.6 gpa's in mech e could have probably gotten straight a's in humanities).
But on the other hand they're very numbers oriented, especially since it affects their rankings, so whether or not they really consider it is another story.
In any case, I would wait and try to get your GPA up as much as possible this next year. And a year off from school after undergrad is a nice break to save up for law school or just relax.

[Perch]

Law schools say that they look at the relative difficulty of programs (alot of people who have 2.6 gpa's in mech e could have probably gotten straight a's in humanities).
But on the other hand they're very numbers oriented, especially since it affects their rankings, so whether or not they really consider it is another story.
In any case, I would wait and try to get your GPA up as much as possible this next year. And a year off from school after undergrad is a nice break to save up for law school or just relax.

engineers give themselves a lot of credit...course load might be harder, but the difference between 2.6 and 4.0 at any reputable institution can't possibly just be explained by a major. some people are good at math; others are good at writing. so be it. from what I gather, schools do give you a little edge if you're an engineer (maybe) but to explain it all because of major...ehh

[xyzzzzzzzz]

.

[lebroniousjames]

Law schools say that they look at the relative difficulty of programs (alot of people who have 2.6 gpa's in mech e could have probably gotten straight a's in humanities).
But on the other hand they're very numbers oriented, especially since it affects their rankings, so whether or not they really consider it is another story.
In any case, I would wait and try to get your GPA up as much as possible this next year. And a year off from school after undergrad is a nice break to save up for law school or just relax.

"alot of people who have 2.6 gpa's in mech e could have probably gotten straight a's in humanities"

----

alot of of hungry monkeys in the zoo probably could have found more bananas in the jungle

[ResolutePear]

Law schools say that they look at the relative difficulty of programs (alot of people who have 2.6 gpa's in mech e could have probably gotten straight a's in humanities).
But on the other hand they're very numbers oriented, especially since it affects their rankings, so whether or not they really consider it is another story.
In any case, I would wait and try to get your GPA up as much as possible this next year. And a year off from school after undergrad is a nice break to save up for law school or just relax.

"alot of people who have 2.6 gpa's in mech e could have probably gotten straight a's in humanities"

----

alot of of hungry monkeys in the zoo probably could have found more bananas in the jungle

"alot of of hungry monkeys in the zoo probably could have found more bananas in the jungle"

-----

alot of people who have straight a's in humanities could have probably gotten 2.6 gpa's in mech e

[09042014]

Law schools say that they look at the relative difficulty of programs (alot of people who have 2.6 gpa's in mech e could have probably gotten straight a's in humanities).
But on the other hand they're very numbers oriented, especially since it affects their rankings, so whether or not they really consider it is another story.
In any case, I would wait and try to get your GPA up as much as possible this next year. And a year off from school after undergrad is a nice break to save up for law school or just relax.

engineers give themselves a lot of credit...course load might be harder, but the difference between 2.6 and 4.0 at any reputable institution can't possibly just be explained by a major. some people are good at math; others are good at writing. so be it. from what I gather, schools do give you a little edge if you're an engineer (maybe) but to explain it all because of major...ehh

There are some 2.6 engineers who worked hard enough to get a 4.0 in an easier major, because they just weren't smart enough. They had to studying their way to C's. But the vast majority were just lazy.

But anyone with a 170+ probably could get a 4.0 with enough work.

GPA in undergrad is mostly a judgment of effort.

[Knock]

Law schools say that they look at the relative difficulty of programs (alot of people who have 2.6 gpa's in mech e could have probably gotten straight a's in humanities).
But on the other hand they're very numbers oriented, especially since it affects their rankings, so whether or not they really consider it is another story.
In any case, I would wait and try to get your GPA up as much as possible this next year. And a year off from school after undergrad is a nice break to save up for law school or just relax.

engineers give themselves a lot of credit...course load might be harder, but the difference between 2.6 and 4.0 at any reputable institution can't possibly just be explained by a major. some people are good at math; others are good at writing. so be it. from what I gather, schools do give you a little edge if you're an engineer (maybe) but to explain it all because of major...ehh

There are some 2.6 engineers who worked hard enough to get a 4.0 in an easier major, because they just weren't smart enough. They had to studying their way to C's. But the vast majority were just lazy.

But anyone with a 170+ probably could get a 4.0 with enough work.

GPA in undergrad is mostly a judgment of effort.

There's also a decent degree of luck involved in getting the right professors and courses. My only flat B in UG came from a professor who just blanketed the entire class with B's unless you were lucky for some reason and got one of the few A's.

[09042014]

Law schools say that they look at the relative difficulty of programs (alot of people who have 2.6 gpa's in mech e could have probably gotten straight a's in humanities).
But on the other hand they're very numbers oriented, especially since it affects their rankings, so whether or not they really consider it is another story.
In any case, I would wait and try to get your GPA up as much as possible this next year. And a year off from school after undergrad is a nice break to save up for law school or just relax.

engineers give themselves a lot of credit...course load might be harder, but the difference between 2.6 and 4.0 at any reputable institution can't possibly just be explained by a major. some people are good at math; others are good at writing. so be it. from what I gather, schools do give you a little edge if you're an engineer (maybe) but to explain it all because of major...ehh

There are some 2.6 engineers who worked hard enough to get a 4.0 in an easier major, because they just weren't smart enough. They had to studying their way to C's. But the vast majority were just lazy.

But anyone with a 170+ probably could get a 4.0 with enough work.

GPA in undergrad is mostly a judgment of effort.

There's also a decent degree of luck involved in getting the right professors and courses. My only flat B in UG came from a professor who just blanketed the entire class with B's unless you were lucky for some reason and got one of the few A's.

True, and sometimes you get a professor who just hates your work. I should say 3.85+

Most of my engineering courses only gave out a few A's.

[bilbobaggins]

Law schools say that they look at the relative difficulty of programs (alot of people who have 2.6 gpa's in mech e could have probably gotten straight a's in humanities).
But on the other hand they're very numbers oriented, especially since it affects their rankings, so whether or not they really consider it is another story.
In any case, I would wait and try to get your GPA up as much as possible this next year. And a year off from school after undergrad is a nice break to save up for law school or just relax.

I love this nonsense.