Top Law Schools

I just discovered this website last week and thought it may be a good idea to get some advice.

I am 30 years old and live in the great state of Illinois. I did very well in high school but unfort. did not go to a full four year college because of family commitments. I have two amazing children and I have a job as repairman. I went to community college and did very well (not like it is that hard). I always wanted to go to law school and to a top tier college but I married at a young age (do not regret this decision because I have a beautiful family today).

I took the LSAT last december and earned a 175. I studied for 6 weeks off practice exams. I did not think it would be practical to consider law school, especially because I do not have a respectable degree and because of a family commitments. However, now after support from my incredible parents and my wonderful wife (who just got a promotion), they all are telling me to follow my dreams and apply.

Do I have a shot at a top tier law school? Anyone else with my background make it to a top law school? Do I have a shot at scholarships? Would law school students and employers look down at me for my background and age?

I am sorry for all the questions, but I do not know many poeple who go to law school.

northwestern. /thread.

you need a bachelors

If you are content with staying in Illinois, you could almost surely attend UIUC for free.

Yep, you have a great shot (assuming you completed your bachelors at the CC). Law schools actually aren't snobbish about where your degree came from. Assuming you are Chicago area, Northwestern or Chicago are very solid possibilities.

Wouldn't be a bad idea to throw in a Harvard/Yale application for the heck of it (even if you don't want to relocate, might be useful for scholarship leverage).

First... if I'm not mistaken you need a B.A., or a B.S., or some other equivalent to go to an ABA-accredited law school. Schools will require this even if you had stellar numbers. So if you only have a 2-year degree, then transfer and take a year or two to finish up and get the bachelor's degree. Then apply with that score.

Second... I honestly don't think having community college on the transcript will hurt you all that much unless you are aiming for the most elite of law schools out there (the top-6 or so). At my roughly top-20 or so school there are 2 people that started at a community college before transferring to a state university before finishing up their 4-year degree.

So I feel strongly that it can be done. Yes, you should have a shot at scholarships, etc. Schools will value the high GPA no matter where it came from, and schools will value the powerful LSAT, obviously. No, people will not look down on you, at least *most* people won't. The people who might are d-bags anyways.

IAFG wrote:you need a bachelors

I want to re-emphasize this.^

As nice as it would be to say "NU /thread"... the OP *does* need a bachelor's degree.

You may or may not have a shot at a top-tier law school, depending on how they look upon your degree, but for someone with your life the more practical and sensible thing to do is probably to get a full ride (with stipend, if you can swing it) at a lower-ranked local law school.

What kind of a degree do you have? Is it an associate's degree or a three-year bachelor's?

MJMD wrote:You may or may not have a shot at a top-tier law school, depending on how they look upon your degree, but for someone with your life the more practical and sensible thing to do is probably to get a full ride (with stipend, if you can swing it) at a lower-ranked local law school.

What kind of a degree do you have? Is it an associate's degree or a three-year bachelor's?

I should have been more specific. I am going to earn my Bachelors from a state school by the end of the summer. I am taking seven courses this summer throughout two summer sessions(I managed to get an appeal to overload on classes). I had a disruption in my acedemic studies, but I will be earning a Bachelors by September (though it is not a very respected UG)

midwestguy wrote:

MJMD wrote:You may or may not have a shot at a top-tier law school, depending on how they look upon your degree, but for someone with your life the more practical and sensible thing to do is probably to get a full ride (with stipend, if you can swing it) at a lower-ranked local law school.

What kind of a degree do you have? Is it an associate's degree or a three-year bachelor's?

I should have been more specific. I am going to earn my Bachelors from a state school by the end of the summer. I am taking seven courses this summer throughout two summer sessions(I managed to get an appeal to overload on classes). I had a disruption in my acedemic studies, but I will be earning a Bachelors by September (though it is not a very respected UG)

mediocre UG won't hurt much. you'll have a pretty typical cycle for your numbers by LSP standards, unless you have some exceptional softs. your age and background won't particularly help, but i doubt they will hurt much either.

good luck!

midwestguy wrote:

MJMD wrote:You may or may not have a shot at a top-tier law school, depending on how they look upon your degree, but for someone with your life the more practical and sensible thing to do is probably to get a full ride (with stipend, if you can swing it) at a lower-ranked local law school.

What kind of a degree do you have? Is it an associate's degree or a three-year bachelor's?

I should have been more specific. I am going to earn my Bachelors from a state school by the end of the summer. I am taking seven courses this summer throughout two summer sessions(I managed to get an appeal to overload on classes). I had a disruption in my acedemic studies, but I will be earning a Bachelors by September (though it is not a very respected UG)

I think that if you're any kind of "Bachelor" in school life (despite being a happily married man in real life) then you're good to go for more school! UG quality is a surprisingly minor factor (the tremendous level of variation there is the primary reason the LSAT is so valued in America).

Also my advice to favour lower-ranked schools that may be freer with cash was partly based on unknowns about your undergraduate degree (they may also be freer with their evaluation of academic credentials). If you have a good GPA, I'd start looking hard at best and baddest local law school.

A 175 LSAT and an interesting story like yours goes a long way. The conventional wisdom doesn't apply to you because you are a non-traditional grad. I think you have a shot a going just about anywhere you want. If I were in your shoes, I would contact the U of Chicago admissions office and go on a tour. Try to get an informational interview with the dean of admissions or his/her assistant. Ask all the questions you want. Their answers could be generally applied to all of T1 schools. Just make sure you have your application in early and its in pristine shape. Good Luck

mediocre UG won't hurt much. you'll have a pretty typical cycle for your numbers by LSP standards, unless you have some exceptional softs. your age and background won't particularly help, but i doubt they will hurt much either.

good luck![/quote]\

Thanks for your response. I do not have that exceptional "softs." I worked my entire life and supported my wife and two daughters. I never thought about going to a t10 law school until I got my score and support from my family. I guess I will have to write an amazing personal statement to even have a remote shot.

The people on this thread are all very accomplished and I am not sure how my application will fare compared to all the recent college graduates with better UG degrees and similar LSAT scores. But we will see.

midwestguy wrote:

MJMD wrote:You may or may not have a shot at a top-tier law school, depending on how they look upon your degree, but for someone with your life the more practical and sensible thing to do is probably to get a full ride (with stipend, if you can swing it) at a lower-ranked local law school.

What kind of a degree do you have? Is it an associate's degree or a three-year bachelor's?

I should have been more specific. I am going to earn my Bachelors from a state school by the end of the summer. I am taking seven courses this summer throughout two summer sessions(I managed to get an appeal to overload on classes). I had a disruption in my acedemic studies, but I will be earning a Bachelors by September (though it is not a very respected UG)

NU /thread.

depending on OP's GPA, it might be NU with $$$, which would help offset the expense of moving a family of four to downtown Chicago.

IAFG wrote:depending on OP's GPA, it might be NU with $$$, which would help offset the expense of moving a family of four to downtown Chicago.

Since the OP's wife just got a promotion at her job, I would highly advise against dramatically relocating the family anywhere. That having been said, at the same time, I would probably not go any lower than Chicago, Northwestern, or UIUC in-state. And depending on where they live in the state, the best option may even be located in the next state over: Wisconsin-Madison, Indiana at Bloomington, or WUSTL are all possibilities, depending on zip code.

kevin261186 wrote:northwestern. /thread.

No.

He needs a bachelor's degree for LS.

Plus, if his GPA is > 3, then NU could end up being a safety.

And again:

kevin261186 wrote: NU /thread.

No, Not if his GPA is high enough...

mhernton wrote:A 175 LSAT and an interesting story like yours goes a long way. The conventional wisdom doesn't apply to you because you are a non-traditional grad. I think you have a shot a going just about anywhere you want. If I were in your shoes, I would contact the U of Chicago admissions office and go on a tour. Try to get an informational interview with the dean of admissions or his/her assistant. Ask all the questions you want. Their answers could be generally applied to all of T1 schools. Just make sure you have your application in early and its in pristine shape. Good Luck

Do law schools really grant information interviews like that? Wow! I thought you would have to be invited to speak with the dean or assistant dean of admissions.

University of Chicago or Northwestern would be an incredible dream for me (I never even expected that I would be given the oppurtunity or time to finish my BA!). I had my first child when I was 19 years old, so law school was always just a dream. Chicago is also not far from my family. I could not bear being so far from my wife and daughters .

I still need to think about rec letters.

kevin261186 wrote:

midwestguy wrote:

MJMD wrote:You may or may not have a shot at a top-tier law school, depending on how they look upon your degree, but for someone with your life the more practical and sensible thing to do is probably to get a full ride (with stipend, if you can swing it) at a lower-ranked local law school.

What kind of a degree do you have? Is it an associate's degree or a three-year bachelor's?

I should have been more specific. I am going to earn my Bachelors from a state school by the end of the summer. I am taking seven courses this summer throughout two summer sessions(I managed to get an appeal to overload on classes). I had a disruption in my acedemic studies, but I will be earning a Bachelors by September (though it is not a very respected UG)

NU /thread.

OP would get into UChi with a decent GPA. I don't get why everyone is saying NU only.

What is your GPA when you add up all your classes from CC, and real college OP?

Moxie wrote:

kevin261186 wrote:northwestern. /thread.

No.

He needs a bachelor's degree for LS.

Plus, if his GPA is > 3, then NU could end up being a safety.

And again:

kevin261186 wrote: NU /thread.

No, Not if his GPA is high enough...

I have a 4.0 from community college. I have a 3.6 from the few classes I took at state college. I will hopefully have a similar/higher GPA from my summer courses by September.

OP would get into UChi with a decent GPA. I don't get why everyone is saying NU only.

What is your GPA when you add up all your classes from CC, and real college OP?

[/quote]


I have not submitted my transcripts to LSDAS, but I assume its around a 3.7-3.8 (I had a 4.0 from CC)

midwestguy wrote:

Moxie wrote:

kevin261186 wrote:northwestern. /thread.

No.

He needs a bachelor's degree for LS.

Plus, if his GPA is > 3, then NU could end up being a safety.

And again:

kevin261186 wrote: NU /thread.

No, Not if his GPA is high enough...

I have a 4.0 from community college. I have a 3.6 from the few classes I took at state college. I will hopefully have a similar/higher GPA from my summer courses by September.

Uuuuuh, G*d... sudden. feeling. of inadequacy.

Congratulations, man. Your whole life is about to change for the better.

midwestguy wrote:

OP would get into UChi with a decent GPA. I don't get why everyone is saying NU only.

What is your GPA when you add up all your classes from CC, and real college OP?

I have not submitted my transcripts to LSDAS, but I assume its around a 3.7-3.8 (I had a 4.0 from CC)[/quote]

Then don't listen to this guy "Kevin261126's" advice and aim WAY higher. Harvard is possible with a 175 and 3.7+ At the least Columbia, NYU and Chicago are the targets.

Congrats on the great numbers by the way.

Desert Fox wrote: OP would get into UChi with a decent GPA. I don't get why everyone is saying NU only.

What is your GPA when you add up all your classes from CC, and real college OP?

if he wants to stay in IL (and he sounds pretty settled about that), NU with $ > UChi

midwestguy wrote:
I have not submitted my transcripts to LSDAS, but I assume its around a 3.7-3.8 (I had a 4.0 from CC)

Really work to get that GPA to 3.8 Like your life depends on it. 3.8/175 will get big money at Northwestern, and a sizable chunk at UChicago. You scholarships will rapidly decline after 3.8, so you better gun your ass off. You also have a shot at Harvard.