Top Law Schools

So I was miserable in med school. Patient deaths and family crisis made my experience unbearable. I went to Harvard and will be given a masters of science for my time. I spent 4 years there. Will law schools care? I have a 3.8 cum GPA in Chemistry. I also graduated from an ivy league school. I am a black male and have a grad degree from oxford.

My interest are in intellectual property/patent law and health care law.

Where should I apply?

If you can explain this in a way that shows why you are now set on law school and why you feel this experience will end differently, write an addendum or address it in your statement. Otherwise I feel that the degree will help more than hurt.

As far as where you should apply- what's your LSAT?

LSAT 161. What score do i need to hit T6 and T3.

patchin411 wrote:LSAT 161. What score do i need to hit T6 and T3.

168 may do it, but likey 170+?

Does my gpa offset a lower lsat score? Is there a LSAT boost for being an AA male

patchin411 wrote:Does my gpa offset a lower lsat score? Is there a LSAT boost for being an AA male

To some degree, but your LSAT score is very, very important. Yes, there is a boost for being an AA male, however it's not a straight up "+5 LSAT" or anything. It's very subjective. You sound like you have excellent credentials and are very intelligent, so you will certainly be a strong candidate. However, you will likely need to up your LSAT a bit for HYS, and maybe for CCN too.

patchin411 wrote:Does my gpa offset a lower lsat score? Is there a LSAT boost for being an AA male

Your GPA will HELP the situation but it doesn't really "offset" that LSAT. You do get a boost but if you look on LSN in previous cycles you can see how other URMs have done- most of them didn't seem to break the T14 with your numbers (although I did see someone come off the WL at Berkeley and a few Cornell admits). To go to a top school you'll likely need at least a few more points.

patchin411 wrote:Does my gpa offset a lower lsat score? Is there a LSAT boost for being an AA male

there are more high gpa's than high lsats, so no. yes there is an admissions boost for being an AA male, and your high gpa will definitely help there, but if you have the time/patience, retake the lsat. if you hit 165, you're a lock for most of the bottom half of the t14. hit 170, and you should be a lock for HYS.

Please retake. Please. You can hit 170+. Please.

D-ROCCA wrote:Please retake. Please. You can hit 170+. Please.

This.

Although it obviously can't hurt you, I don't think you absolutely have to retake. I think you can swing a top-6 acceptance with your numbers. From what I've seen/heard it seems to be the case that law schools tend to weigh GPA's much heavier for URM's. Also, your experience also will serve you well when crafting your personal statement. But I think at the end of the day, you gotta make sure you're ready to actually go to law school. So you're not, err, posting something similar on a Business School Forum two years from now.