coming from an unranked school Forum

[mazzini]

How much does it hurt you to come from an unranked school? I come from a small western slope college which I'm sure has a less-than appealing reputation, especially when it comes to law school admissions councils. I scored a 168 on my second shot at the LSAT but am wondering how much my 3.3 at an unranked school like this hurts.

I'm sure there are others on these forums that have come from lowly undergraduate institutions. Did it greatly affect your chances at admission to some of the higher ranked law schools? Neurotic, I know, but I have to pass the time waiting for decisions somehow....

[Dick Whitman]

None.

[Vincent Vega]

None.

[vanwinkle]

None.

[Na_Swatch]

Well the true answer isn't none. Very top schools will factor it in, but for the vast majority of schools the effect is very minimal; so basically close to none.

[OperaSoprano]

Not none, but not really enough to freak out over. At the margins, UG school strength can absolutely effect your cycle. I also came from an unranked school, and I had some surprises (dinged at at least one place where I should have been almost an autoadmit), and waitlisted at my current school, where I had comfortably above median numbers.

A great PS and softs can mitigate the non-prestigious UG factor, but I do think it is misleading to say the answer is "none."

[James Bond]

Not none, but not really enough to freak out over. At the margins, UG school strength can absolutely effect your cycle. I also came from an unranked school, and I had some surprises (dinged at at least one place where I should have been almost an autoadmit), and waitlisted at my current school, where I had comfortably above median numbers.

A great PS and softs can mitigate the non-prestigious UG factor, but I do think it is misleading to say the answer is "none."

Are you 100% sure that your UG was the reason you were dinged though? Maybe it was your major? Or some other random factor?

[OperaSoprano]

Not none, but not really enough to freak out over. At the margins, UG school strength can absolutely effect your cycle. I also came from an unranked school, and I had some surprises (dinged at at least one place where I should have been almost an autoadmit), and waitlisted at my current school, where I had comfortably above median numbers.

A great PS and softs can mitigate the non-prestigious UG factor, but I do think it is misleading to say the answer is "none."

Are you 100% sure that your UG was the reason you were dinged though? Maybe it was your major? Or some other random factor?

Well, my UG and major were related, in a way that perhaps the OP's might not have been. I don't know for a fact that it wasn't anything else, but I had nothing to disclose, had a perfectly serviceable PS, and got to read both my LORs after the fact. Unless they just hated me as a person, I don't know what else it could have been.

[pleasetryagain]

Not none, but not really enough to freak out over. At the margins, UG school strength can absolutely effect your cycle. I also came from an unranked school, and I had some surprises (dinged at at least one place where I should have been almost an autoadmit), and waitlisted at my current school, where I had comfortably above median numbers.

A great PS and softs can mitigate the non-prestigious UG factor, but I do think it is misleading to say the answer is "none."

FIT doesnt count in this analysis.. thats a wild card.

[James Bond]

FIT doesnt count in this analysis.. thats a wild card.

That's what I was getting at.

[TTTennis]

None.

[OperaSoprano]

FIT doesnt count in this analysis.. thats a wild card.

That's what I was getting at.

It counts, in that it's an unranked school that some law schools probably treated with disdain. My guess is that the former head of my admissions office wasn't thrilled about it, but the current dean was willing to give me a chance. From talking to prezidentv8, who went to a more traditional "non-prestigious" UG, the students at Duke from lesser known UGs did tend to have higher numbers on average. I'm not sure how much higher, or if other factors were involved, but we can at least say that some type of correlation exists here. I'm not trying to discourage the OP, as Prez and I both managed to have great cycles, but it's something that some schools may care about.

[swimbrad]

None.

[03121202698008]

None, I went to an unranked online school geared towards the military and am in at two T14 schools that my numbers suggest should be semi-reaches.

[TTTennis]

None, I went to an unranked online school geared towards the military and am in at two T14 schools that my numbers suggest should be semi-reaches.

Do they rank online schools?

[OperaSoprano]

None, I went to an unranked online school geared towards the military and am in at two T14 schools that my numbers suggest should be semi-reaches.

Your WE was attractive to schools. Our dean actually mentioned this, and said Fordham has taken former military personnel with online degrees, so you fall into an exceptional category. I think someone without military experience who went to an online school would be at more of a disadvantage. Congrats, and your reaches are well earned.

[James Bond]

I still think coming from FIT put you at more of a disadvantage than just your average unranked state school, OS. Even just due to stereotypes...

[JustDude]

None, I went to an unranked online school geared towards the military and am in at two T14 schools that my numbers suggest should be semi-reaches.

Your WE was attractive to schools. Our dean actually mentioned this, and said Fordham has taken former military personnel with online degrees, so you fall into an exceptional category. I think someone without military experience who went to an online school would be at more of a disadvantage. Congrats, and your reaches are well earned.

He got into T14, not Fordham

[OperaSoprano]

None, I went to an unranked online school geared towards the military and am in at two T14 schools that my numbers suggest should be semi-reaches.

Your WE was attractive to schools. Our dean actually mentioned this, and said Fordham has taken former military personnel with online degrees, so you fall into an exceptional category. I think someone without military experience who went to an online school would be at more of a disadvantage. Congrats, and your reaches are well earned.

He got into T14, not Fordham

Yes, I know. My dean specifically mentioned it, so it stands to reason that other schools might feel the same way.

[03121202698008]

None, I went to an unranked online school geared towards the military and am in at two T14 schools that my numbers suggest should be semi-reaches.

Your WE was attractive to schools. Our dean actually mentioned this, and said Fordham has taken former military personnel with online degrees, so you fall into an exceptional category. I think someone without military experience who went to an online school would be at more of a disadvantage. Congrats, and your reaches are well earned.

He got into T14, not Fordham

I also got into Fordham...

[OperaSoprano]

I still think coming from FIT put you at more of a disadvantage than just your average unranked state school, OS. Even just due to stereotypes...

It probably did, but the upside is that it made me memorable, for better or for worse. I still have no idea how legal employers will react, which is why my GPA is going to be absolutely critical.

I don't think OP needs to worry, and this can cut both ways, as the online school + military issue shows, but it's something to keep in mind. There are schools that care, though it's fairly credited that HYSCCN care the most.

[JustDude]

I also got into Fordham...

Not surprising. You got into T14. And 2, not one!

[James Bond]

I still think coming from FIT put you at more of a disadvantage than just your average unranked state school, OS. Even just due to stereotypes...

It probably did, but the upside is that it made me memorable, for better or for worse. I still have no idea how legal employers will react, which is why my GPA is going to be absolutely critical.

I don't think OP needs to worry, and this can cut both ways, as the online school + military issue shows, but it's something to keep in mind. There are schools that care, though it's fairly credited that HYSCCN care the most.

Not that this opinion is based on 100% fact, so take that as you will, but I don't think they'll care much. How you do in law school, as you mentioned, will be the factor they look at.

[TTTennis]

Maybe my TTT UG is the reason I got waitlisted at Illinois. I'm positive it had NOTHING to do with my LSAT or GPA...at all. I hate you crappy school that will not be mentioned (for fear of torment and ridicule).

[James Bond]

Maybe my TTT UG is the reason I got waitlisted at Illinois. I'm positive it had NOTHING to do with my LSAT or GPA...at all. I hate you crappy school that will not be mentioned (for fear of torment and ridicule).

Don't worry...my UG is pretty horrible too. Went there for $