The Everlasting Question - Does UG matter? Forum

[Cesc]

Hey guys!
I'm (international student) still at less selective college at a small (around 450 undergraduates) private university, but already intend to apply to law school. My college is a small regionally private university that focuses on campus but also on online degrees.
It is not ranked except it's online degrees, at US News. My reasoning behind going to the school is because I got a scholarship there, which is sometimes difficult to get one due to being international.

I have researched quite a bit and I know that HYS students would be preferred over me, however at the end it all comes down to GPA + LSAT. I think I would be the only one

Now considering the case that I would graduate with a 3.9/4 and would have a high LSAT score would this guarantee me a shot at T10? Or would it be a no-go because it is unknown in the States, except for its online degrees?

Or should I go to a Public State school, ( maybe lower GPA) but at least I would know that some people got into T10 from the Public State school?

I would appreciate answers! Thanks in advance

[Tom Joad]

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[Cesc]

Thanks! But I was just curious because my school is not ranked, except for its online degrees, and I thought that this might hurt my chances

[somewhatwayward]

If going to the public university would require you to take on debt, then stick with the school you are getting the scholarship from. You are already going to take on a lot of debt to go to a T10 school (unless you are one of the lucky few who gets a really big scholarship but even then there are living expenses).

My sense is that if you go to an unknown school and do poorly, that might be held against you. I don't think it would be held against you if you do well although maybe, if all else were equal, they would take the 170/3.9 from HYP than the 170/3.9 from the unknown school. At the end of the day, the 3.9 from your school counts as a 3.9 in the USWNR just as much as the 3.9 from HYP, which is what the schools really care about, for the most part.

My advice is to stay at the school where you have a scholarship and focus on getting the highest GPA you can. Make sure you major in something where this is attainable for you. Between now and when you take the LSAT, also make sure you do a lot of dense reading in English (assuming it is not your first language but even if it is, it can only help to do dense reading). When the LSAT is four to six months away, start preparing for it like crazy. There are lots of good guides on this website about how to study for the LSAT. Get a 170+ to pair with your 3.9 and you will have a shot everywhere.

[Cesc]

Thanks for your answer and advice!
Yes I would have to be in dept to go to a Public State.
The reason why I'm so concerned is because there are only a few people who went onto law schools from my college, and I could never found it under the "Undergraduate representation" and I thought that maybe T10 are directly rejecting them, based on their UG.

Also can it hurt my chances because my university is unranked?

[TheThriller]

Thanks for your answer and advice!
Yes I would have to be in dept to go to a Public State.
The reason why I'm so concerned is because there are only a few people who went onto law schools from my college, and I could never found it under the "Undergraduate representation" and I thought that maybe T10 are directly rejecting them, based on their UG.

Also can it hurt my chances because my university is unranked?

No, what WILL hurt your chances are misspelling words and using improper English tenses.

But all asshole-comments aside, even if your university doesn't have formal grades it shouldn't hold you back. As long as you have a killer LSAT you should be fine. Have you taken your LSAT yet?

[HeavenWood]

If you know for a fact you want to go to law school, not really.

As long as you go to at least a decent-ish school and take advantage of your resources, you'll be perfectly well-prepared for lawl skool life.