how bad will 3.35 gpa hurt my chances? Forum

[puff0ffluff]

175 on diagnostic test (LASC 1995 old test) sorry, i didn't know posting unofficial test grades was frowned upon
3.35 current undergrad gpa (UCLA; econ major; poor GPA due to minor in neuroscience)
** hoping to get 3.4 by next fall


Will Apply to: Boston U, Boston C, Emory, UCLA, USC, Vanderbilt

Really want: Cornell (any chance?)

If heaven is feeling generous: Columbia, Stanford

*** oh, and i just got a paid internship at a law firm. it's only for three months, but it pays 20/hr? does this count as work experience?

[paulinaporizkova]

uh, flame?

[kwais]

people no likey unofficial LSATs around here. You are unlikely to get any straight answers

[paulinaporizkova]

people no likey unofficial LSATs around here. You are unlikely to get any straight answers

also, 3.4/175 "diagnostic" shooting for Cornell?

[puff0ffluff]

sorry i didn't know unofficials are bad. i'll take it down.

but, my point was, how bad will bad GPA hurt?

@ paulina: "also, 3.4/175 "diagnostic" shooting for Cornell?"

is Cornell too much? =(

[paulinaporizkova]

sorry i didn't know unofficials are bad. i'll take it down.

but, my point was, how bad will bad GPA hurt?

@ paulina: "also, 3.4/175 "diagnostic" shooting for Cornell?"

is Cornell too much? =(

HAHA, no

if you get that or higher on the real LSAT, you are looking at top 10 for sure, maybe with money, and possibly in at HS if you get in the really high 170s. of course this is a huge maybe. plus, Cornell is more partial to higher GPAs anyway, so it's wrong for you for that reason.

your GPA MIGHT keep you from a t6, but you'll be in everywhere else if your LSAT is really high

[kwais]

I got in to a few schools at their 25% GPA because of a good LSAT and good softs/non-trad. Plug your GPA into Law School Predictor, move the LSAT up and down, and see what happens. I could be wrong but a lower GPA for science reasons is not quite as bad as a lower GPA for, say, polisci reasons. Good luck

[puff0ffluff]

thanks so much paulina. i just started looking into law schools (especially ones in new york) and cornell seemed like the only one in reach. NYU i heard is really competitive and Columbia is out of the question for people with really low GPAs.

@ kwais: that's actually one of the other things i was worried about. of the people i asked, no one could agree on whether a "B" in ochem count the same as a a "B" in english... some say yes, some say no... is there any way to explain why low gpas are low when applying for law schools? my 3.35 is past 25% low for cornell, i think...

[paulinaporizkova]

thanks so much paulina. i just started looking into law schools (especially ones in new york) and cornell seemed like the only one in reach. NYU i heard is really competitive and Columbia is out of the question for people with really low GPAs.

@ kwais: that's actually one of the other things i was worried about. of the people i asked, no one could agree on whether a "B" in ochem count the same as a a "B" in english... some say yes, some say no... is there any way to explain why low gpas are low when applying for law schools? my 3.35 is past 25% low for cornell, i think...

You might not get NYU or Columbia, but you would certainly get one of Michigan, Penn, Virginia, Duke, or Northwestern, all of which offer better job prospects than Cornell and might even throw $$ your way

[kwais]

thanks so much paulina. i just started looking into law schools (especially ones in new york) and cornell seemed like the only one in reach. NYU i heard is really competitive and Columbia is out of the question for people with really low GPAs.

@ kwais: that's actually one of the other things i was worried about. of the people i asked, no one could agree on whether a "B" in ochem count the same as a a "B" in english... some say yes, some say no... is there any way to explain why low gpas are low when applying for law schools? my 3.35 is past 25% low for cornell, i think...

An explanation in an addendum might be helpful, maybe something about challenging yourself or something. I believe it only helps in cases of borderline admit. It will not get you into schools whose numbers are far above yours. but it is worth a paragraph. 3.4 is better than 3.3 though, so get that 3.4

[jcunni5]

usually CCN has a floor of 3.5 and HYS is out of the question so T6 is probably out other than that with a 170+ you'll be in good shape for MVP DC N(if you have work experience) G. You may need to ED to one of those schools to seal the deal though since you are splitter

[puff0ffluff]

usually CCN has a floor of 3.5 and HYS is out of the question so T6 is probably out other than that with a 170+ you'll be in good shape for MVP DC N(if you have work experience) G. You may need to ED to one of those schools to seal the deal though since you are splitter

i have no idea what you just said, other than HYS probably being harvard, yale, stanford... who's mvpdcn? (is g georgetown?)

no idea what ED or a splitter is ^^; sorry

in the 4 LSAT diagnostic tests I took (1993, 2001, 1995, 2004), i missed about 8-6 questions total, but i'm taking the upcoming june test for the real LSAT =)

[paulinaporizkova]

usually CCN has a floor of 3.5 and HYS is out of the question so T6 is probably out other than that with a 170+ you'll be in good shape for MVP DC N(if you have work experience) G. You may need to ED to one of those schools to seal the deal though since you are splitter

i have no idea what you just said, other than HYS probably being harvard, yale, stanford... who's mvpdcn? (is g georgetown?)

no idea what ED or a splitter is ^^; sorry

in the 4 LSAT diagnostic tests I took (1993, 2001, 1995, 2004), i missed about 8-6 questions total, but i'm taking the upcoming june test for the real LSAT =)

ED = early decision

splitter = low GPA, high lsat

mvpcdn = bottom t14s minus GULC

[paulinaporizkova]

thank you for changing the thread title to something much wiser. you will go far in life, grasshopper

[puff0ffluff]

thank you paulina ^___^

one more question in general: what is a soft? every book on getting into law school i've seen so far talks about it.

[JFS]

nyu isn't out of the question, but it depends on your LSAT. i got in ED to nyu law this cycle with the same gpa (180 LSAT). i think if you can score a 177+ you can get into a T4-6.

[MrPapagiorgio]

thank you paulina ^___^

one more question in general: what is a soft? every book on getting into law school i've seen so far talks about it.

Factors other than GPA and LSAT. I include work experience in the category of "softs," some don't. Other softs are extracurriculars, academic honors, community service, internships, and the like. In short, things that make you stand out among a sea of numbers.

[kwais]

thank you paulina ^___^

one more question in general: what is a soft? every book on getting into law school i've seen so far talks about it.

Factors other than GPA and LSAT. I include work experience in the category of "softs," some don't. Other softs are extracurriculars, academic honors, community service, internships, and the like. In short, things that make you stand out among a sea of numbers.

all this and also things like obstacles overcome, interesting non-traditional story

[2014]

I'm at a 3.3x, 175 (real) and from the research I've done, anything up to Chicago is reasonable, with Columbia and up being the line where you are almost certainly out. I can't forsee too many circumstances where with those numbers if you wanted to attend one of the schools in MVP that you would be straight up declined from all of them.

Cornell also is an auto admit on LSP and you should feel comfortable about your admission chances there if you are anywhere at like 171 and above probably.

That being said, you probably won't do that well your first shot at the LSAT, so don't assume it.