Help me out please! Villanova, Michigan State, Penn State Forum

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JD Janitor

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Help me out please! Villanova, Michigan State, Penn State

Post by JD Janitor » Thu Mar 29, 2012 3:52 pm

Here is a quick background:

GPA/LSAT Info:

I have taken the LSAT 3 times and I never lived up to my potential. I have taken nearly every practice exam and averaged a 169. I took the real thing and have consistently scored around a 159 each of the 3 times with 159 being my highest score. I would have to wait till next february before I could retake the LSAT again but I feel as if a 4th take would be seen as pathetic. My GPA is miserable. 3.35.

Connections:

I'm from North Carolina, went to a private university where the majority of students come from the north east and thus have connections in several areas of the East Coast. It is my dream to be a sports agent. I know that its a very difficult career to persue but i have 2 built in advantages. My fraternity brother is a partner at a medium sized DC based sports agency. He has literally told me that if i graduate from a law school, i have a job. My biological brother is projected to go 1st or 2nd round this year in the MLB draft. I consider this a second advantage as I would likely have a client immediately upon graduating. His agency prefers law graduates and thus law school is not simply optional for the job. Being a very caucious individual, i dont want to rely on any individual for a job. Anything can happen in 3 years and the job ive banked on could dry up if things went south even if it is unlikely to do so.
I also work at an nlj250 right now. I have not been given any indication that i would be rehired following graduation but i feel that they would definitely look favorably on me as i have a good relationship with them.

Schools:

I have been accepted to the following:

Penn State: 8k/year scholly

syracuse: 63% scholly

Villanova: no scholarship

Michigan State: 50% scholarship

Still waiting on UNC



I feel that the best school considering my ties is Villanova. I am open to persuing other careers in law and am not stuck on being an agent although i prefer being involved with sports.

Is villanova at sticker a terrible idea? Are any of these schools a good or halfway decent option considering my situation? Thank you for your help and sorry for any typos. This was all done on my iphone.

bdole2

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Re: Help me out please! Villanova, Michigan State, Penn State

Post by bdole2 » Thu Mar 29, 2012 4:02 pm

JD Janitor wrote: Is villanova at sticker a terrible idea?
Yes.

If you have a guaranteed job post-graduation then go where you can get a degree the cheapest.

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JD Janitor

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Re: Help me out please! Villanova, Michigan State, Penn State

Post by JD Janitor » Thu Mar 29, 2012 4:11 pm

bdole2 wrote:
JD Janitor wrote: Is villanova at sticker a terrible idea?
Yes.

If you have a guaranteed job post-graduation then go where you can get a degree the cheapest.
The problem is that I do not want to rely on someone following through and actually hiring me. I would like to know that if they fail to keep a promise, I can still find a good job. This is why I feel villanova may be the better option. If it was my own father offering me a job at his law firm, I would count that as guaranteed but alas my father has no such firm. And Anything could happen to my fraternity brother and this "guaranteed" position in 3 years given the economy.

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Re: Help me out please! Villanova, Michigan State, Penn State

Post by bdole2 » Thu Mar 29, 2012 4:32 pm

I don't know why you think Nova will give you the best prospects. If you were from Philly or something and could live at home it could make sense. However, being from NC none of these schools are good options. I hate to say it but if you really want law school you're probably going to have to take the LSAT a 4th time :?. Either that or shoot for a scholarship at a TTT NC school. Don't relocate to go to a super regional law school, especially at those prices.

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Re: Help me out please! Villanova, Michigan State, Penn State

Post by CanadianWolf » Thu Mar 29, 2012 4:39 pm

If you have a guaranteed job after finishing law school (and passing the bar ?), then Syracuse & Michigan State may be your lowest out-of-pocket cost options depending upon their respective scholarship stipulations. Doesn't Michigan State have a sports law journal ?

Regardless, if you are a North Carolina resident & get admitted to UNC, then UNC is your best option, in my opinion.
Last edited by CanadianWolf on Thu Mar 29, 2012 4:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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rad lulz

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Re: Help me out please! Villanova, Michigan State, Penn State

Post by rad lulz » Thu Mar 29, 2012 4:40 pm

,
Last edited by rad lulz on Sun Apr 21, 2013 6:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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flem

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Re: Help me out please! Villanova, Michigan State, Penn State

Post by flem » Thu Mar 29, 2012 4:41 pm

Michigan State, but only due to it's uber preftigious global food law LLM you could pursue as a dual degree

HeavenWood

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Re: Help me out please! Villanova, Michigan State, Penn State

Post by HeavenWood » Thu Mar 29, 2012 4:53 pm

Not to be a downer, but doing great on practice exams while consistently performing below your potential when you take the actual exam does not bode well for law school success.

Try taking the test a fourth time and work like mad to shake off those nerves.

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JD Janitor

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Re: Help me out please! Villanova, Michigan State, Penn State

Post by JD Janitor » Thu Mar 29, 2012 5:00 pm

HeavenWood wrote:Not to be a downer, but doing great on practice exams while consistently performing below your potential when you take the actual exam does not bode well for law school success.

Try taking the test a fourth time and work like mad to shake off those nerves.
How bad will a 4th take look to schools?

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HeavenWood

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Re: Help me out please! Villanova, Michigan State, Penn State

Post by HeavenWood » Thu Mar 29, 2012 5:28 pm

JD Janitor wrote:
HeavenWood wrote:Not to be a downer, but doing great on practice exams while consistently performing below your potential when you take the actual exam does not bode well for law school success.

Try taking the test a fourth time and work like mad to shake off those nerves.
How bad will a 4th take look to schools?
Given that just about every lawl skool (including most of the top ones) are numbers whores first and foremost, it won't really matter, excepting the few among them that still average scores.

MrAnon

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Re: Help me out please! Villanova, Michigan State, Penn State

Post by MrAnon » Thu Mar 29, 2012 5:42 pm

you should go to business school, not law school.

HeavenWood

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Re: Help me out please! Villanova, Michigan State, Penn State

Post by HeavenWood » Thu Mar 29, 2012 5:44 pm

MrAnon wrote:you should go to business school, not law school.
You should stop poasting.

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thexfactor

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Re: Help me out please! Villanova, Michigan State, Penn State

Post by thexfactor » Fri Mar 30, 2012 10:12 am

Unfortunately i don't think you can retakea 4th time. I think they changed the rules on retakes. In the past you could just ask a school to send in a form to LSAT allowing you to retake.

I would think long and hard about whether you want to enter the field of law. There is a 80%+ chance that you will be making less than 60k from any of the schools listed you mentioned. Factor in the debt and you are looking for trouble.

If you majored in a useless degree and are looking for just a career, I would consider accounting. MACC degree is generally 1 year. If you go to a decent school you can get a job that pays 50k starting out with room to grow.

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JD Janitor

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Re: Help me out please! Villanova, Michigan State, Penn State

Post by JD Janitor » Fri Mar 30, 2012 11:14 am

I majored in business and minored in chinese. I think you can only take the test 3 times every 2 years. once 2 years passes from the time you first took the test you are allowed to retake it again which for me would be in february.

I make around 40k at my current job. and its a miserable existence. The firm I work for now starts off new attorneys at 115k. I cant imagine graduating law school to make only 50k.

I should have listened to my dad and gone pre-med.

depressing.

checkster

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Re: Help me out please! Villanova, Michigan State, Penn State

Post by checkster » Fri Mar 30, 2012 11:20 am

JD Janitor wrote:I majored in business and minored in chinese. I think you can only take the test 3 times every 2 years. once 2 years passes from the time you first took the test you are allowed to retake it again which for me would be in february.

I make around 40k at my current job. and its a miserable existence. The firm I work for now starts off new attorneys at 115k. I cant imagine graduating law school to make only 50k.

I should have listened to my dad and gone pre-med.

depressing.
A lot of people graduating from law school right now would kill to make 50k : /

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Re: Help me out please! Villanova, Michigan State, Penn State

Post by MrAnon » Fri Mar 30, 2012 11:26 am

From listening to your story, it sounds like you have a lot of connections and a business degree. Law school seems like the wrong direction. I think if you can't make it big as a sports agent from what your present credentials, law degree won't change that. Just get out there and start working, meeting people, etc.

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Re: Help me out please! Villanova, Michigan State, Penn State

Post by Napt » Fri Mar 30, 2012 11:32 am

bdole2 wrote:I don't know why you think Nova will give you the best prospects. If you were from Philly or something and could live at home it could make sense. However, being from NC none of these schools are good options. I hate to say it but if you really want law school you're probably going to have to take the LSAT a 4th time :?. Either that or shoot for a scholarship at a TTT NC school. Don't relocate to go to a super regional law school, especially at those prices.
cr

Business school is also credited if you can get some solid WE and M7.

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