VERY CLUELESS ABOUT PAYING FOR GRAD SCHOOL. Forum

[TahjDaniels]

I have decided to take on the journey of going to Law school and I wanted to make sure I cover as many ends of the spectrum as i can. Where can I go to apply for Law school scholarships and do they even make those? How does law school effect my student loans from undergrad?

I'm sure the answer is some where in these forums. Maybe you could drop the links in your messages. That way when I get off work, I can work more efficiently.

[cavalier1138]

The overwhelming majority of scholarships for law school come from individual schools and are granted on the basis of your LSAT/GPA. So the best way to minimize your debt is to have both of those numbers as high as possible.

[QContinuum]

The overwhelming majority of scholarships for law school come from individual schools and are granted on the basis of your LSAT/GPA. So the best way to minimize your debt is to have both of those numbers as high as possible.

Also, the (vast) majority of students pay for law school, in part or in whole, via federal student loans. (Even recipients of full-tuition scholarships often still need to take out loans to finance their cost of living and other incidental expenses for three years.)

Federal student loans are, however, only available to U.S. citizens, so if you're not a U.S. citizen you may wish to investigate whether your country offers such loans.

[Halp]

As others have said, GPA and LSAT are key. This board is a treasure trove of LSAT advice. Search for thenoodlyone’s guide, and 1776’s guide. Those threads, along with many others (the LSAT has recently changed format so do look at new stuff too) can help you get the score you need to get law school scholarships (assuming your GPA is pretty good).

[QContinuum]

As others have said, GPA and LSAT are key. This board is a treasure trove of LSAT advice. Search for thenoodlyone’s guide, and 1776’s guide. Those threads, along with many others (the LSAT has recently changed format so do look at new stuff too) can help you get the score you need to get law school scholarships (assuming your GPA is pretty good).

In addition what Halp said, all of which is correct:

• Don't be afraid to retake the LSAT. Schools only care about your highest LSAT score. If you score a 165 and then a 170, schools will treat you the same as a candidate who took the LSAT a single time and got a 170. (And sequence doesn't matter: If you score a 170 and then a 165, schools will still treat you the same as a candidate who took the LSAT once and got a 170. So there's really no risk to retaking.)
• So long as your GPA is 3.0+, then almost no law school in the country is off the table so long as you score high enough on the LSAT. This includes the majority of T13/T20 schools. The only law schools that are seriously GPA-selective are Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Chicago, Berkeley and Cornell.
• If your GPA is in the 2.x range, then a T20 admission - including with merit aid - is still possible. A T13 admission will be tough (though not impossible).

So as you can see above, the key is to do well on the LSAT. Do well enough on the LSAT and even a bad GPA need not hold you back too much. (Conversely, even if you have a stellar GPA, you should still seek to maximize your LSAT score to maximize the amount of merit aid you receive.)

[Halp]

As others have said, GPA and LSAT are key. This board is a treasure trove of LSAT advice. Search for thenoodlyone’s guide, and 1776’s guide. Those threads, along with many others (the LSAT has recently changed format so do look at new stuff too) can help you get the score you need to get law school scholarships (assuming your GPA is pretty good).

In addition what Halp said, all of which is correct:

• Don't be afraid to retake the LSAT. Schools only care about your highest LSAT score. If you score a 165 and then a 170, schools will treat you the same as a candidate who took the LSAT a single time and got a 170. (And sequence doesn't matter: If you score a 170 and then a 165, schools will still treat you the same as a candidate who took the LSAT once and got a 170. So there's really no risk to retaking.)
• So long as your GPA is 3.0+, then almost no law school in the country is off the table so long as you score high enough on the LSAT. This includes the majority of T13/T20 schools. The only law schools that are seriously GPA-selective are Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Chicago, Berkeley and Cornell.
• If your GPA is in the 2.x range, then a T20 admission - including with merit aid - is still possible. A T13 admission will be tough (though not impossible).

So as you can see above, the key is to do well on the LSAT. Do well enough on the LSAT and even a bad GPA need not hold you back too much. (Conversely, even if you have a stellar GPA, you should still seek to maximize your LSAT score to maximize the amount of merit aid you receive.)

Side point, but I am a little bit salty about that first bullet point. I know it’s true today, but it definitely wasn’t when I applied to law schools. Made it so much harder! Kids these days...

[QContinuum]

Side point, but I am a little bit salty about that first bullet point. I know it’s true today, but it definitely wasn’t when I applied to law schools. Made it so much harder! Kids these days...

At the same time, though, so many 0Ls are so inherently resistant to the idea of retaking that the change may not be quite as impactful as it might appear at first blush.

I can empathize, really. I was very fortunate to do well the first and only time I took the LSAT. Had I done less well, I can't say for sure that I would've had the fortitude to retake it. (Granted, at the time I didn't know about TLS, so I didn't have a full understanding of how critical the LSAT is.)

[Halp]

Side point, but I am a little bit salty about that first bullet point. I know it’s true today, but it definitely wasn’t when I applied to law schools. Made it so much harder! Kids these days...

At the same time, though, so many 0Ls are so inherently resistant to the idea of retaking that the change may not be quite as impactful as it might appear at first blush.

I can empathize, really. I was very fortunate to do well the first and only time I took the LSAT. Had I done less well, I can't say for sure that I would've had the fortitude to retake it. (Granted, at the time I didn't know about TLS, so I didn't have a full understanding of how critical the LSAT is.)

I mean, I had the same outcome and really cannot complain at all on that front. I just envy the lessened pressure, if that makes sense. I followed TLS study guides religiously and was absolutely sweating bullets (including the morning of the exam) at the thought of having to retake. Oh, well...

[QContinuum]

I mean, I had the same outcome and really cannot complain at all on that front. I just envy the lessened pressure, if that makes sense. I followed TLS study guides religiously and was absolutely sweating bullets (including the morning of the exam) at the thought of having to retake. Oh, well...

Yay for TLS' study guides working!

I used PowerScore's Bibles (plus old LSATs) and was lucky that approach worked for me.

My testing experience was similarly miserable. I was assigned to a room with old-school student chair desks with truly microscopic desks. Trying to keep both my test booklet and Scantron on the desk was quite the challenge. Even worse, every other classroom I saw at that location had been renovated, with comfy chairs and yuge desk space.

[Halp]

I mean, I had the same outcome and really cannot complain at all on that front. I just envy the lessened pressure, if that makes sense. I followed TLS study guides religiously and was absolutely sweating bullets (including the morning of the exam) at the thought of having to retake. Oh, well...

Yay for TLS' study guides working!

I used PowerScore's Bibles (plus old LSATs) and was lucky that approach worked for me.

My testing experience was similarly miserable. I was assigned to a room with old-school student chair desks with truly microscopic desks. Trying to keep both my test booklet and Scantron on the desk was quite the challenge. Even worse, every other classroom I saw at that location had been renovated, with comfy chairs and yuge desk space.

Yea Powerscore!

Ugh. I had plenty of desk space, but my stomach was SO janked up and I got super rattled on a section I really shouldn’t have.

Wait, why the heck am I reliving that miserable experience???

[QContinuum]

Wait, why the heck am I reliving that miserable experience???

We're doing this for the greater good, Halp!

[Halp]

Wait, why the heck am I reliving that miserable experience???

We're doing this for the greater good, Halp!

Oh, right, the greater good...

I feel like I owe the OP some useful content at this point, so I’ll also point out that the name of the game for law schools is maximizing their median GPA and LSAT scores. If you have a nice shiny LSAT (and particularly if the GPA doesn’t drag them down), they are literally willing to buy it with scholarships. (Shiny in this context is higher than their previous median or even their 75th percentile.) Schools publish those numbers on their websites (and maybe the 509s? Been years since I looked at those). I tell you this because I think it can be helpful to understand what’s driving scholarship decisions.

Obviously, it’s slightly more nuanced than that. URM status will alter the calculus. Certain softs can very slightly alter the calculation too, depending on the school. But not by very much, other than URM status to a certain extent.

Study as hard as you possibly can for the LSAT. The scholarships are out there. Just gotta buckle down enough to get them.