Shoot me now! 2.37/143 l Long read Forum

[noob4lyfe]

You should aim for a 180. But really, you'll need 170+ (maybe 175+) with your GPA to have a shot at a decent school. I don't know what the numbers are for Northwestern, but I know they do take some low GPAs combined with high LSATs, so check out Law School Numbers for specifics. Just think of Elle Woods: she worked her way up from a 135 to a 175 in a few months with a little help from her sorority sisters. If she can do it, you can do it (however, note that Elle also had a 4.0).

Of course, for a school like Northwestern, you should also get some work experience. This is REALLY IMPORTANT no matter where you go. You may or may not improve dramatically on the LSAT so it's important to have a backup plan. Do you like accounting? You said you loved the pre-reqs and courses in your major. Maybe you should be an account for a few years and see what it's like. Do not close your mind to other professions just because you're thinking about law school. Moreover, please recognize that going to law school may not help you become a lawyer, about half of all law students never get real legal jobs and even those who do often get terrible jobs.

You should absolutely aim higher than Boston University. I go there and I can tell you that many people graduate without real, full-time jobs. Just look at Law School Transparency. BU's employment score is 50.9%. Why spend good money for a school with such poor placement? The only way it's worth going to is if you're getting a full ride. Even then, it's iffy. Maybe if you have a full-ride and a burning passion for the city of Boston and already own a home in Boston (with an underwater mortgage) and your spouse has a lucrative job in Boston (that he or she couldn't find elsewhere). Otherwise, no.

Also, softs generally don't mean much. Particularly when they're just college extra-curriculars. Many of your classmates will have come from TFA, Peace Corps, consulting firms, etc. A lot of students have more significant softs, and even those don't do much for them in terms of getting in to a reach school.

You should absolutely take a prep course. I did and it really helped me. I'm not a self-disciplined person and I needed the structure of a class to make me study. Maybe this structure will help you as well.

Also, consider other careers.

Which prep course did you take?

Also, What grade improvement did you notice?

Thanks in advance!

[A. Nony Mouse]

Do Law schools take into account for the difficulty of undergrad you studied in. Engineering vs Music (not to discredit Music). Is it weighted the same?

They don't care. They only care about the number. A 4.0 in basketweaving is worth way more than 3.5 in engineering.

[dingbat]

Whats OP?

Original Poster - the person who started the thread (you)

[noob4lyfe]

To get into halfway decent school you are going to need years of WE to separate yourself from that GPA, and a 160+ on the LSAT. I am going to be honest your only chance at probably a T1 or high T2, with that GPA would be Northwestern, (maybe there are other super friendly splitter schools, but I didn't research the T1 that well when I was applying) however, I imagine it would take a 173+ to have a shot, that would require an unprecedented amount of work to achieve such a score. I mean you could possibly get in with a lower score but you would have to do something ridiculous as well like win some kind of global humanitarian award. So I believe your approach will have to be something a lot more reasonable.

If you are really hell bent about your interest in the law, and your content with living anywhere then your first plan of action save as much as possible over those 2 years and work to get that LSAT up. After you break the 160 mark then you should do some research and look into low T2/TTT state funded schools that have decent job prospects, pick 1 and move to that state and establish residency before you apply so you don't go into as much debt. There will be a contigent of T14 fanboys on this board that will laugh at this notion, but there are a few out there like Texas Tech which won't get you big law, but you can make a decent life for yourself being a lawyer. Also a plus for some of these schools is the extremely low cost of living. If the economy keeps going south and test takers keep dwindling who knows maybe a low/mid 160's can snag you a few grand in scholarships.

Personally as mentioned above I think you should consider a career in fundraising you seem to have success in that field already.

Also something worth mentioning that hasn't really been discussed is how are you going to do things different in law school that you haven't already done in your academic career. I don't mean this to offend you or anything, but just from the outside looking in it appears that thus far your academic career suggests you won't be very successful in law school.

You have very interesting points here. Let me comment on a few.

My success at school so far: I gravitate towards courses i LOVE. I've even scored 2nd overall in Accounting courses across every section. While in others, I disliked so my average in those courses reflected that. With that said, will i love law school courses? Maybe, but if its anything i can relate towards helping the less fortunate etc, Id completely be passionate about it. Criminal Law for example. Also Tax Law is another consideration, I do well with Tax.

Northwestern keeps popping up. Going to look into that further on TLS.

Texas Tech! I posted a link of a grad from Texas Tech, Mark Lanier presenting at Harvard Law. Why was he immune to the schools rankings. Also, TT isn't in the top 100. How do you determine its worthy to attend?

[A. Nony Mouse]

Texas Tech! I posted a link of a grad from Texas Tech, Mark Lanier presenting at Harvard Law. Why was he immune to the schools rankings. Also, TT isn't in the top 100. How do you determine its worthy to attend?

When did he graduate? The legal market has changed a looooooooooooottt in the last 5 years - there are a lot of senior lawyers who would be screwed if they went to their law schools today. Plus, it's not that no one who attends a school outside the T-14 will ever have success; it's just that the odds are highly stacked against you. If you're one of the 20% of your class who gets a reasonable legal job, then it was a good outcome for you, but that still doesn't make it a good bet to go to a school where only 20% of graduates get a reasonable legal job (even if that 20% are blissfully happy).

(20% = number picked out of my ass, not saying this describes TT.)

[Englander742]

If you can make it to 166 or so, WUSTL would be in play. It's not a perfect school, but it sounds like you're a hard worker and a talented fundraiser, so with a good resume you could probably get a good job.

[OBAMAdeception]

Consider that law school may not be for you. There's no shame in that, OP, different people have different aptitudes. Do something you have an aptitude for. It sounds like you're a good tutor, maybe you should pursue that instead.

If you aren't a good test taker law school is going to destroy you. You will do poorly on your exams, you will have bad grades, you will have $250k in debt, and you will not get a job. You will die penniless and alone.

[mqt]

In all seriousness even with a 170 you are in bad shape with the gpa. It's too low. You should pursue an MSW or another field where you can hit your goal to help the community. Law won't give you an opportunity unless your parents are filthy rich. A 135 to 170 is impossible. You'd need to meet with a tutor daily for a year and totally change how you think. It is a 20k investment.

Thanks for the input. No sarcasm intended.

My Law school mentality is= Do whatever it takes. Even if it means to prove naysayers wrong.

Your comments are actually helping, motivation wise :]

This is a wonderful mentality to have if you're going to go to law school, but actually attending in the first place is a huge mistake if you can't get about a 20 point increase on a retake. Both your GPA and LSAT score are below the 25th percentile at literally every law school in the nation except for Cooley and Southern University. At this point, you'd be lucky to attend the worst schools in the nation at cost. I think it goes without saying that you should really consider other options unless you get a significant increase.

[dingbat]

Northwestern keeps popping up. Going to look into that further on TLS.

Northwestern is not going to happen unless you get your LSAT into the 170s, and even then it's not a given

[noob4lyfe]

If you can make it to 166 or so, WUSTL would be in play. It's not a perfect school, but it sounds like you're a hard worker and a talented fundraiser, so with a good resume you could probably get a good job.

Washington is a great state. I've visited it myself. Went on vacay to see the White House and Pentagon etc. Museums Galore. All in all. A wonderful place to spend a 3 year term.

One question comes to mind. Why did you choose WUSTL over say Emory or Notre Dame that are placed in a similar ranking spot?

P.s Thanks for the compliments. Everyone's eying the fundraising stuff quite keenly, which I hope the admissions counsel does as well. I would say I got a little carried away with seeing immediate impact in raising campus awareness that it took a toll on my marks. Eventually I paid for it dearly (oh the irony).

[dingbat]

WUSTL is in St Louis

[TripTrip]

WUSTL is in St Louis

That, and the White House and Pentagon aren't in Washington State.

[dingbat]

WUSTL is in St Louis

That, and the White House and Pentagon aren't in Washington State.

I'm beginning to understand the 2.37/143
Still can't wrap my head around the tutoring part


reminds me of this

[kalvano]

WUSTL is in St Louis

That, and the White House and Pentagon aren't in Washington State.

I'm beginning to understand the 2.37/143
Still can't wrap my head around the tutoring part

The spelling and grammar of the posts makes me doubt the tutoring.

[dingbat]

scooped my ninja!

[kalvano]

Benefits of being a superninja.

Also, OP - law school isn't for everyone. There is nothing wrong with realizing that. If you can't get your LSAT up to 167+, come to that realization.

[TripTrip]

Also, OP - law school isn't for everyone. There is nothing wrong with realizing that. If you can't get your LSAT up to 167+, come to that realization.

That may be the most I've laughed at a credited response!

[Meepo]

Benefits of being a superninja.

Also, OP - law school isn't for everyone. There is nothing wrong with realizing that. If you can't get your LSAT up to 167+, come to that realization.

what a douchebag thing to say

[dingbat]

Benefits of being a superninja.

Also, OP - law school isn't for everyone. There is nothing wrong with realizing that. If you can't get your LSAT up to 167+, come to that realization.

what a douchebag thing to say

Far worse would be to encourage someone to "follow their dreams"
There's nothing wrong with telling someone who's not athletic that they can't be a professional athlete

[Aawaldrop]

Maybe they can go back and do another bachelor's degree and get a higher GPA. Then study for a year for the LSAT and score high. This is really the only way I can see from the 2.37/143 getting into a law school that TLS 'approves'. Also, it would give time for the OP to develop other quality skills needed in law school.

[dingbat]

Maybe they can go back and do another bachelor's degree and get a higher GPA. Then study for a year for the LSAT and score high. This is really the only way I can see from the 2.37/143 getting into a law school that TLS 'approves'. Also, it would give time for the OP to develop other quality skills needed in law school.

I'm pretty sure only the first GPA is reported. A masters might be a better suggestion, but what if OP ends up with the same type of grades as the first time round?

[ScottRiqui]

Maybe they can go back and do another bachelor's degree and get a higher GPA. Then study for a year for the LSAT and score high. This is really the only way I can see from the 2.37/143 getting into a law school that TLS 'approves'. Also, it would give time for the OP to develop other quality skills needed in law school.

If he's already been awarded a bachelor's degree, then nothing he can do will raise his LSDAS GPA.

[TripTrip]

Benefits of being a superninja.

Also, OP - law school isn't for everyone. There is nothing wrong with realizing that. If you can't get your LSAT up to 167+, come to that realization.

what a douchebag thing to say

I thought you were joking with your earlier post when you suggested OP pay sticker at Whittier and Cooley; now I'm not so sure.

[Meepo]

hmmm can anyone provide some statistics on how strong is the correlation between lsat and later job prospect/salary?

[dingbat]

hmmm can anyone provide some statistics on how strong is the correlation between lsat and later job prospect/salary?

Here's a correlation of LSAT to Law school: http://www.top-law-schools.com/rankings.html
Here are two different methodologies for correlating law school to job prospects:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub ... d3c&gid=11
http://www.lstscorereports.com/?r=other