Top Law Schools

Hey, I have been reading this forum for a while but never posted. I would appreciate if someone could give me some advice on my situation. I have been offered full scholarships at both Hofstra and St. John's but no money at Fordham. I have lived in NY my whole life and will continue to do so after graduation. I just don't know if Fordham is worth the $140K I would be paying. I am slightly disappointed with no money at Fordham (I graduated UG with a 3.92 GPA and a 164 LSAT) but can I really be upset when I received full scholarships? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Actually you should do some more searching because this very same question I believe was posed elsewhere; it looks like you're not alone.

Fordham is a fine school with decent placement but it still is not on par with the T14 in terms of employment prospects.

What I would do is check the stipulations for your Hofstra/St John's schollies. What are the chances you will lose that scholly? Would you be willing to drop out if you did?

Personally had I been in your shoes I would go St. John's full ride. Really it depends on the grade stip. If you decide St. John's vs Hofstra, I cannot see any advantage to Hofstra unless you live on long island and thus could save housing costs by living at home.

St. John's

Oh I'm sorry, I used the search function but I guess I didn't see something that similar.

For Hofstra I have to be top 40% and St. John's top 50%. I think those are manageable but I could be wrong.

I do live on Long Island but I would commute to any of the schools from home. To be honest I went to St. John's UG on a full scholarship and was not thrilled and don't really want to spend 3 more years there. I don't know if I could have done better by applying to other schools. But thank you for your advice, it really does help.

zelda1225 wrote:Oh I'm sorry, I used the search function but I guess I didn't see something that similar.

For Hofstra I have to be top 40% and St. John's top 50%. I think those are manageable but I could be wrong.

I do live on Long Island but I would commute to any of the schools from home. To be honest I went to St. John's UG on a full scholarship and was not thrilled and don't really want to spend 3 more years there. I don't know if I could have done better by applying to other schools. But thank you for your advice, it really does help.

Apply next year to more schools, your numbers are too good for Hofstra and St. Johns, besides scholarship stipulations are risky.

Apply to all the Top 14, and several top 20 and 30. You will get in to a good school with a decent scholarship.

Good Luck!

Ronaldo wrote:

zelda1225 wrote:Oh I'm sorry, I used the search function but I guess I didn't see something that similar.

For Hofstra I have to be top 40% and St. John's top 50%. I think those are manageable but I could be wrong.

I do live on Long Island but I would commute to any of the schools from home. To be honest I went to St. John's UG on a full scholarship and was not thrilled and don't really want to spend 3 more years there. I don't know if I could have done better by applying to other schools. But thank you for your advice, it really does help.

Apply next year to more schools, your numbers are too good for Hofstra and St. Johns, besides scholarship stipulations are risky.

Apply to all the Top 14, and several top 20 and 30. You will get in to a good school with a decent scholarship.

Good Luck!

Thank you for the advice. Just wondering: is it better to go to a law school, try to do well, and try to transfer, or just not go and re-apply?

zelda1225 wrote:Oh I'm sorry, I used the search function but I guess I didn't see something that similar.

For Hofstra I have to be top 40% and St. John's top 50%. I think those are manageable but I could be wrong.

I do live on Long Island but I would commute to any of the schools from home. To be honest I went to St. John's UG on a full scholarship and was not thrilled and don't really want to spend 3 more years there. I don't know if I could have done better by applying to other schools. But thank you for your advice, it really does help.

This is a really tough choice. First, I'd kick out Hofstra; it's the "worse" of the schools and a stricter stipulation.

Second - what are your long-term goals? What do you plan to do with your law degree? And would you care if you ended up practicing on LI rather than in NYC?

If you're set on NYC you could prob get Brooklyn for free, which I would consider a little better than St Johns given the alumni network in the city, though their stip is slightly stronger.

zelda1225 wrote:

Ronaldo wrote:

zelda1225 wrote:Oh I'm sorry, I used the search function but I guess I didn't see something that similar.

For Hofstra I have to be top 40% and St. John's top 50%. I think those are manageable but I could be wrong.

I do live on Long Island but I would commute to any of the schools from home. To be honest I went to St. John's UG on a full scholarship and was not thrilled and don't really want to spend 3 more years there. I don't know if I could have done better by applying to other schools. But thank you for your advice, it really does help.

Apply next year to more schools, your numbers are too good for Hofstra and St. Johns, besides scholarship stipulations are risky.

Apply to all the Top 14, and several top 20 and 30. You will get in to a good school with a decent scholarship.

Good Luck!

Thank you for the advice. Just wondering: is it better to go to a law school, try to do well, and try to transfer, or just not go and re-apply?

Not go and re-apply.

Never go to a school under the assumption that you will transfer. Being top 10% of your class is very difficult. The quality of students in law school is higher and in a law school such as Hofstra/St. Johns, everyone knows that if they do not crack top 10%, their employment prospects are very slim.

Also, even though you will work very hard to be top 50% for your scholarship, what if something happens and you are unable to perform the way you thought you would. Losing the scholarship and paying for tuition would be deterimental.

If St Johns or Hofstra is your only option (like someone with 3.4 and 154) and you really want to be a lawyer, maybe it is worth risking it.

But, you have a stellar GPA and you worked very hard for it, you deserve a better opportunity and I believe that if you re-apply early to many schools, including top 14, you will be in a way better situation than you are right now.

Congrats on your GPA, BTW.

You have an excellent GPA, and if you think you could raise your LSAT score, Fordham would probably give you money for a 166, and certainly for a 167+. If you wanted a shot at NYU or CLS, you would still likely need to break 170, which is not impossible. (This is coming from a fellow 164 who also did not want to be told to retake.) I am paying sticker here, and I've been very happy so far. If you think you can raise your score, and you don't mind waiting one cycle, I would give that serious consideration. I love this school, and it's worth the price to me, but if you believe you have a shot at getting money, you should absolutely go after it. I would consider the other two schools only if you can get the money free and clear of any GPA requirements, and only then if you are certain you don't want biglaw.

Please retake. You have a 3.9. Your lsat is at a point where you clearly understand the concepts. If you can get it up to a 168+ then you're good for T14 or money at fordham. Taking a year off isn't the end of the world if you can work on that lsat score. Your options aren't terrible by any means but you can do much better for yourself.

FuManChusco wrote:Please retake. You have a 3.9. Your lsat is at a point where you clearly understand the concepts. If you can get it up to a 168+ then you're good for T14 or money at fordham. Taking a year off isn't the end of the world if you can work on that lsat score. Your options aren't terrible by any means but you can do much better for yourself.

Agree.

If you are unable to retake or cannot score higher than 164 on PT's, re-applying early next year with those numbers, you have a good shot at a top 20 school and maybe some money from Fordham.

Thank you all for the advice.

OperaSoprano: Do you know anything about Fordham's Media/Entertainment Law courses? That is the type of law, along with contracts and IP, that I am interested in. I would really like to work as counsel for a media company but I think that might be unrealistic.

I'm really torn about retaking, I only took the LSAT once, but I realize I would need to increase by at least 6 points to have a shot at NYU or CLS. I really don't want to go outside of NY.

Can you wait another year? If so, retake the LSAT and re-apply to NYU, Columbia, Cornell.

If you can't wait, I would reccommend Hofstra. Great school and you can't beat a free ride!

Other T14's can still give you good placement in NY and I personally would think that the benefit of that would outweigh not being in NY for 3 years.

I would chorus the retake so you can get a T14 or Fordham with money.

zelda1225 wrote:Thank you all for the advice.

OperaSoprano: Do you know anything about Fordham's Media/Entertainment Law courses? That is the type of law, along with contracts and IP, that I am interested in. I would really like to work as counsel for a media company but I think that might be unrealistic.

I'm really torn about retaking, I only took the LSAT once, but I realize I would need to increase by at least 6 points to have a shot at NYU or CLS. I really don't want to go outside of NY.

Well, if you score 3 points higher (which could be done), Fordham will definitely give you decent money. And you have an outside shot to NYU and Columbia, but it could happen. There are several applicants that have gotten in with 167, 3.92. If you do not get in, you will have a decent scholarship at Fordham, which is a great opportunity.

GIBilled wrote:Can you wait another year? If so, retake the LSAT and re-apply to NYU, Columbia, Cornell.

If you can't wait, I would reccommend Hofstra. Great school and you can't beat a free ride!

No, Hofstra is not a great school.

Again, you have great numbers. Do not waste your effort on a ppor or mediocre law school. You have the opportunity to attend an elite or great law school.

zelda1225 wrote:Thank you all for the advice.

OperaSoprano: Do you know anything about Fordham's Media/Entertainment Law courses? That is the type of law, along with contracts and IP, that I am interested in. I would really like to work as counsel for a media company but I think that might be unrealistic.

I'm really torn about retaking, I only took the LSAT once, but I realize I would need to increase by at least 6 points to have a shot at NYU or CLS. I really don't want to go outside of NY.

I was in your position not very long ago at all. I'm also really interested in IP, particularly design copyright issues. We have a dedicated journal, and we are actually getting the first fashion law institute in the US! It's going to open this fall in conjunction with the CFDA, so it has some major backing, and it's something I will absolutely be involved with. My property professor this past semester is well known for IP, and I know she teaches several upper level courses (trademarks and copyright) which I hope to take.)

Just statistically speaking, I believe the average person who retakes a 164 goes up to 166. I recall someone telling me this, and I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I think it could come down to how you prepared the first time around. My personal prep was negligent. I didn't even really deserve a 164. I should've gotten about 146 for what I did, and people told me I was out of my mind, because I hadn't taken a course, or had a tutor, or even had the bibles. I never even timed the few practice tests I took. If you got your score after very diligent prep, you might still be able to eke out a few points, but if your prep was as negligent as mine, you absolutely should retake. I was extremely lucky that things ended this well for me, and I wish you very much luck, but I still think you should retake if you can.

zelda1225 wrote:Thank you all for the advice.

OperaSoprano: Do you know anything about Fordham's Media/Entertainment Law courses? That is the type of law, along with contracts and IP, that I am interested in. I would really like to work as counsel for a media company but I think that might be unrealistic.

I'm really torn about retaking, I only took the LSAT once, but I realize I would need to increase by at least 6 points to have a shot at NYU or CLS. I really don't want to go outside of NY.

Do you know anyone in Media/Entertainment? If you have connections, go wherever you want, save the $$ and use your connections. If you don't, re-take for NYU/Columbia.

OperaSoprano wrote:

zelda1225 wrote:Thank you all for the advice.

OperaSoprano: Do you know anything about Fordham's Media/Entertainment Law courses? That is the type of law, along with contracts and IP, that I am interested in. I would really like to work as counsel for a media company but I think that might be unrealistic.

I'm really torn about retaking, I only took the LSAT once, but I realize I would need to increase by at least 6 points to have a shot at NYU or CLS. I really don't want to go outside of NY.

I was in your position not very long ago at all. I'm also really interested in IP, particularly design copyright issues. We have a dedicated journal, and we are actually getting the first fashion law institute in the US! It's going to open this fall in conjunction with the CFDA, so it has some major backing, and it's something I will absolutely be involved with. My property professor this past semester is well known for IP, and I know she teaches several upper level courses (trademarks and copyright) which I hope to take.)

Just statistically speaking, I believe the average person who retakes a 164 goes up to 166. I recall someone telling me this, and I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I think it could come down to how you prepared the first time around. My personal prep was negligent. I didn't even really deserve a 164. I should've gotten about 146 for what I did, and people told me I was out of my mind, because I hadn't taken a course, or had a tutor, or even had the bibles. I never even timed the few practice tests I took. If you got your score after very diligent prep, you might still be able to eke out a few points, but if your prep was as negligent as mine, you absolutely should retake. I was extremely lucky that things ended this well for me, and I wish you very much like, but I still think you should retake if you can.

That is really good to hear thanks. I also did no prep for the LSAT and I could not see myself studying for a retake after getting a pretty good score. Obviously that is stupid of me but that is what I did.

zelda1225 wrote:That is really good to hear thanks. I also did no prep for the LSAT and I could not see myself studying for a retake after getting a pretty good score. Obviously that is stupid of me but that is what I did.

I didn't prep much and realized that it was a mistake so I ended up deciding that being able to drastically up my LSAT score was worth the year wait.