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New to the forum, so forgive me if I ask repeated questions. I am currently active duty in the military and will be getting out to go to law school. I have worked on my BA for some time now, and finally finishing in March with a 3.68 GPA. I will be taking the June LSAT. Obviously I am not in the running for any T-25 or maybe even a T-50 school. Barring me bombing LSAT, do I have a legitimate chance to get into a Tier 2 or a regional school? How much will my late in life degree and age (36) hurt me?

Thanks for any advice!

Check out mylsn.info. With a good LSAT you definitely have a shot at T14 schools. Age and doing your BA late doesn't matter at all if you have strong numbers.

Thanks for the quick reply! Another question that I forgot to ask is how much does the LDAS change your GPA? I know there are a lot of factors, but I just want to be ready when I see it!

I don't know what you've heard, but a 3.68 doesn't really "lock you out" of anywhere, especially with a military background and (hopefully) a killer LSAT. Prep your ass off for June, and I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised at the options you'll have, especially if you're 100% GI Bill eligible.

Edit: If you didn't repeat many classes, take a bunch of classes that didn't count toward your degree, or take college-credit classes in high school or at a community college that your degree-granting institution didn't count, I think you'll find that your LSDAS GPA will match the GPA on your transcripts pretty closely, like within 0.1 or so.

Thanks, that makes me feel a little better. I guess I feel inferior to all those who have been at their undergrads right out of high school.

Yes, I am 100% GI Bill authorized. Glad to know that might help.

It shouldn't hurt. I'll be 32 as a 1L next year and have made a point of asking during interviews; the unanimous response has been that it won't impact anything and can potentially help; you bring more to the table than your average K thru JD.

Good luck!

Old guy here (36). Definitely agree that our age (assuming you've done something useful with your years, which you definitely have) is a bonus in admissions. I've also heard that even in class being older isn't that much of a problem other than just being aware that you're a little different. I got great advice from someone--there will be people in LS who don't want to deal with you because you're older, just ignore them and keep it moving. Sounds good to me.

The only problem area that I can see is in OCI/biglaw hiring--they will be concerned about our willingness to work awful hours and we could also be management problems considering the folks we will be reporting to will typically be significantly younger than us. My informal research has revealed some older folks working as associates in big law firms, so it's possible.