Same Undergrad as Law School...Advice, Advantage?, etc. Forum

[LSATclincher]

Hi friends.

I wanted to know everyone's take on applying to the same law school from which you graduated as an Undergrad.

1) Is there an advantage in the application process?

2) Is there an advantage, especially if you have strong undergrad faculty backing you with recommendations?

3) Is there an advantage if you can produce a personal statement tailored to the school providing experiences/cultural references relating to the school?

My take is that I believe there could/should be an advantage (assuming your LSAT/GPA is not "too far" off the averages).

Thank you in advance.

[Knock]

Hi friends.

I wanted to know everyone's take on applying to the same law school from which you graduated as an Undergrad.

1) Is there an advantage in the application process?

2) Is there an advantage, especially if you have strong undergrad faculty backing you with recommendations?

3) Is there an advantage if you can produce a personal statement tailored to the school providing experiences/cultural references relating to the school?

My take is that I believe there could/should be an advantage (assuming your LSAT/GPA is not "too far" off the averages).

Thank you in advance.

Maybe a slight advantage, because you're more likely to attend. You chose them once, so you have a good chance of choosing them again, which helps a school's yield percentage. However, it likely won't get you in if you're numbers aren't deserving of admittance.

It probably would help to produce a PS, or even better a strong "Why X" essay. Just remember you're Applying To the Law School, so focus on that and not the undergrad school .

[LSATclincher]

I guess I'm viewing it more from a business perspective. You've given them money through undergrad. You've succeeded (assuming a strong GPA, and also the fact that you're shooting for law school). So, you've demonstrated you're likely to succeed again AND provide more money to the school. All of this should, in turn, spark you to "give back" to the school in the future.

[Knock]

I guess I'm viewing it more from a business perspective. You've given them money through undergrad. You've succeeding (assuming a strong GPA, and also the fact that you're shooting for law school). So, you've demonstrated you're likely to succeed again AND provide more money to the school. All of this should, in turn, spark you to "give back" to the school in the future.

That's true. But don't expect it to be a gamebreaking boost.

[dakatz]

I don't think it matters too much, but at least you have experiences to speak of and reasons why you love the place. I mentioned to the school the great connections I had made and comfort I had with the campus and surrounding area. I also worked in the alumni relationships dept for awhile and helped raise the school a lot of money, which of course didn't hurt.

[LSATclincher]

I don't think it matters too much, but at least you have experiences to speak of and reasons why you love the place. I mentioned to the school the great connections I had made and comfort I had with the campus and surrounding area. I also worked in the alumni relationships dept for awhile and helped raise the school a lot of money, which of course didn't hurt.

Do you feel it helped you? Did you get into the school with lower #'s or did you receive a scholarship?

I don't know if I'm trying to cop out because my LSAT score might not be good enough for the better schools in my area. However, my UG school has risen remarkably, and I'm pretty confident their law school will do the same.

[Knock]

I don't think it matters too much, but at least you have experiences to speak of and reasons why you love the place. I mentioned to the school the great connections I had made and comfort I had with the campus and surrounding area. I also worked in the alumni relationships dept for awhile and helped raise the school a lot of money, which of course didn't hurt.

Do you feel it helped you? Did you get into the school with lower #'s or did you receive a scholarship?

I don't know if I'm trying to cop out because my LSAT score might not be good enough for the better schools in my area. However, my UG school has risen remarkably, and I'm pretty confident their law school will do the same.

Be careful making this assumption.

[ResolutePear]

I'd imagine that they would give an ever-so-slight boost because of residency to the state if it's a state university. I would figure that they want somewhat local alumni who would be in a position to hire at OCI in the future.

[LSATclincher]

My mindset has really been retarded by my education as a Business major. For whatever reason, this law school stuff does not abide by business-type principles. It's the same reason I've spent a great amount of time adjusting my techniques/methods of taking the LSAT.

I'm still confident business and law go hand-in-hand, and that is the unique perspective I can bring to the world.

[09042014]

I don't think it matters too much, but at least you have experiences to speak of and reasons why you love the place. I mentioned to the school the great connections I had made and comfort I had with the campus and surrounding area. I also worked in the alumni relationships dept for awhile and helped raise the school a lot of money, which of course didn't hurt.

Do you feel it helped you? Did you get into the school with lower #'s or did you receive a scholarship?

I don't know if I'm trying to cop out because my LSAT score might not be good enough for the better schools in my area. However, my UG school has risen remarkably, and I'm pretty confident their law school will do the same.

Not soon enough to help you. Retake.

[CapHillLove]

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[Patriot1208]

Although I can't provide numbers to support it, there is a sense that my undergrad's law school (which is a t14) is a little more forgiving of students that went there UG (non-residents included). My understanding is that if you succeeded there in undergrad (good grades, good recs, community involvement, etc.), they are more willing to give you the benefit of the doubt if you have a below-median LSAT.

But I'm sure there's no explicit policy in support of this.... it's probably just easier to make a strong case for why you should be admitted and why you want to attend if you have already proven that you can be an asset to the community and thrived there.

Maybe not true for all schools, but I definitely think it is for mine.

I bet this could be true for Michigan or UVA. But as far as anecdotal evidence I know friends at NYU definitely do not feel this way.

[whymeohgodno]

Although I can't provide numbers to support it, there is a sense that my undergrad's law school (which is a t14) is a little more forgiving of students that went there UG (non-residents included). My understanding is that if you succeeded there in undergrad (good grades, good recs, community involvement, etc.), they are more willing to give you the benefit of the doubt if you have a below-median LSAT.

But I'm sure there's no explicit policy in support of this.... it's probably just easier to make a strong case for why you should be admitted and why you want to attend if you have already proven that you can be an asset to the community and thrived there.

Maybe not true for all schools, but I definitely think it is for mine.

Are you talking about Cornell?

[Grizz]

My UG has a T25 law school. My numbers were above medians, so there was a good shot of getting in anyways, but I did not get more money than others with my scores.

From what I've seen around here, it doesn't help much, if at all.

[CapHillLove]

.

[Fark-o-vision]

Without fail, you receive a significant advantage to graduate programs at the undergraduate you attended, assuming that you worked with--and impressed--faculty in the program. This is easier in some departments than others. For instance, a buddy of mine was admitted to the UCLA screen writing MFA without even applying (although he eventually did have to turn in a formal application he wasn't required to turn in req's or writing samples, etc. Just the form that went to the university). A similar thing happened at the business school at my own undergrad, and at the medical school at UC San Diego. The problem with law school would seem to be that you rarely get the opportunity to work with the faculty in undergrad. Individuals I knew that didn't have contact with the actual department they were applying to didn't seem get any advantage.