Top Law Schools

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you still have a lot of schools to hear back from this cycle.. so this seems very premature

you're not getting into any of those schools. sorry bro. why didn't you apply to WUSTL? basically, you have to decide whether you're happy with minnesota or not. simple as that.

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I'd take Minn and run. 170+ is hot but that GPA makes you a crapshoot anywhere. I don't think waiting a year and applying early will help much. GL w/ your decision.

If waiting until next cycle is a possible option ( it seems so from your post), it might be better to try again in a few months. You won't end up wondering whether the reason certain schools denied or waitlisted you was because your application was late (it won't be an issue with the ones that accept you).
In the meantime, you could get a little more work experience and save some money before heading to law school. It's only a matter of months before schools start taking apps again, and you already have a nice score so you will have little else you need to do regarding application prep.

Honestly, I don't think you have a good shot at any of the schools you listed. You're definitely out at MVDCG. BU has been WL'ing people with much better numbers right and left, so you're out there. I don't think GW will bite at your GPA, but even if they do, you won't get any scholarship money and the CoA is astronomical.

Where else did you apply? I'm a little confused as to your list of schools because you seem to have a lot of reaches, but no real safety or target schools. Maybe you have a better chance at some of the other schools to which you've applied, but based on the info in the OP, I think Minnesota is likely to be your only offer. If you're happy with that, then go to Minnesota. If not, reapply next cycle (in October, not February).

I'm also a big splitter and will be applying in next year's cycle. Minnesota was NOT a fluke; they are very friendly to splitters.

Not much to say beyond that. It's all premature; see what other acceptances you get, if any. All it takes is one really good one.

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ask Minn if they'll let you defer w/o losing the scholarship possibility

if yes then defer and apply ASAP next cycle

if no, then probably just go to Minn

You need to pick a region you want to live in and go there. If you're cool with MN then go to MInnesota this year, otherwise wait a year and apply to the region you DO want to work at. The t14 is more or less out for you with the GPA, and most schools in the 15-25 range will either reject, WL or accept @ sticker. I personally am not as debt adverse as some so sticker at something like BC or ND would be fine by me, but thats entirely up to you. The smarter play would be applying to a lower T1 or a T2 in the region you want to work in and getting a huge scholly from them.

With your GPA, it's going to be next to impossible to get into a school with a strong international reputation or prestige. If you have work experience, or can get some before next year, you could try ED'ing to Northwestern at the very beginning of the cycle. They sometimes take big splitters (though 2.3 may well be too low for them). You would be locked into paying sticker, but you'd be at a school with a solid reputation.

Beyond that, I think it's a waste of your money to apply to the T14. You'd be much better served by using that money to apply to a wide range of T1 and T2 schools. It's hard to predict results for extreme splitters like you, so your best bet is to cast a really wide net. You'll likely get mixed results, even among peer schools, so try to give yourself as many options as possible.

e: You should also spend some time looking at the school graphs on lawschoolnumbers.com and figure out which schools have a hard GPA floor (meaning they won't accept anyone with a GPA below a certain point, regardless of LSAT score or other factors). You can save yourself the app fee at those schools as well.

Also, predictions for your current cycle:
BC - WL/out
BU - out
UC - Davis - WL
Cornell - out
Columbia - out
Duke - out
Emory - out
GW - out
Georgetown - out
Illinois - WL
Maryland - WL
Michigan - out
Minnesota - In
Northwestern - Out
Notre Dame - WL
UPenn (yup you can start laughing) - out
Vanderbilt - out
UVA - out
Washington University - In/WL
William and Mary - WL

sparcarc wrote:Even though I agree that rankings do not mean much, considering my background as an international student, and considering the fact that I will have some affiliation in the future with businesses in my home country, I just needed a school with a name that is at least recognizable.

I didn't realize you are international and the top priority is name recognition in your home country. If they respect "U of Minnesota" in that country, wouldn't they also respect "U of Nebraska," "Michigan State," "U of Missouri," "Louisiana State," etc.? A lot of these state schools are WAY less selective than the ones you're applying to, and they might give you a big scholly. Consider these if you reapply next year.

Robespierre wrote:

sparcarc wrote:Even though I agree that rankings do not mean much, considering my background as an international student, and considering the fact that I will have some affiliation in the future with businesses in my home country, I just needed a school with a name that is at least recognizable.

I didn't realize you are international and the top priority is name recognition in your home country. If they respect "U of Minnesota" in that country, wouldn't they also respect "U of Nebraska," "Michigan State," "U of Missouri," "Louisiana State," etc.? A lot of these state schools are WAY less selective than the ones you're applying to, and they might give you a big scholly. Consider these if you reapply next year.

Or they could just google "law school rankings" and end up at USN and see Minn all the way up there. I'd just take Minn and run for sure.

Reapply next year, but you should only need to apply to NU, WUSTL, Minnesota, and maybe UIUC. The Minnesota offer is real nice, but you can probably get it next year and do better if you apply on the first day of applications. Of course, if you just want to go this year, taking the Minnesota offer is not a bad idea.

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sparcarc wrote:Hmm yea.. exactly as the poster mentioned above, I'm hoping if I do goto Minnesota, it's 20th in USNWR will matter. Although, I must say, I was hoping for Emory (despite the chances,) but considering that they just dropped 8 spots.. and considering that Minnesota has been consistently in 25 range for a while now, I don't know. Sad though, how much a mere magazine's report can matter and can be a factor in the decision for choosing schools.

Well, still hopeful though. From browsing through other threads, it seems that WUSTL has been offering acceptances to people with low GPA's - although not as low as mine. Scholly is not a huge factor for now - I'd be willing to take on debt. Does anyone think there might be a chance at WUSTL? Or no?

One thing for sure is, if I graduate law school with that kind of GPA, I'm screwed. -_-

You could have a chance at WUSTL if you put together an extremely strong application and apply very early.

You won't get into Emory. They have a hard 3.0 GPA floor. Sorry.

Borhas wrote:ask Minn if they'll let you defer w/o losing the scholarship possibility

if yes then defer and apply ASAP next cycle

if no, then probably just go to Minn

I doubt they would let him defer. You usually need a reason and "trying to get into a better school than you" would not be looked upon favorably

But Minnesota.. and Midwest..

Just not sure. haha

If you have issues with the Midwest, they apply to WUSTL as well -- also set in a Midwestern city/context. It might have a little more national placement than UMN, but its primary market is the South and Midwest.

Anyway, I'm not sure WUSTL is worth deferring a year to go to over UMN. I guess if you're gunning for rankings/prestige it might make sense, since WUSTL seems hellbent on improving its reputation.