Top Law Schools

I graduated from a top Big Ten school with a 2.86 GPA. I had to work 20 hours or more each week to support myself and I also helped run a large student organization, so my electives really hurt my GPA (I had a 3.77 major GPA).

That being said, what LSAT score must I hit to be taken seriously at Top 100 Law Schools? I have 2 years of work experience now and am taking the LSAT in October. I'd like to go to Illinois, Indiana, or Wisconsin, but I understand that it may not be possible.

Thanks in advance. I know that acing the LSAT is my top priority at this point, and maybe my only hope.

Forget top 100, get a 172 and go top 25

Oh and ed. And dont make excuses in your ps, like working 20 hours etc... Millions worked 40 hours and did a lot better

Get a great LSAT score(168+) along with good LORs and a nice PS and you'll get into U of I which is probably the best of those schools. Good Luck! Go big ten!!

sophia.olive wrote:Oh and ed. And dont make excuses in your ps, like working 20 hours etc... Millions worked 40 hours and did a lot better

don't mention it in your ps, but do make sure it's clear on your resume. and make sure to write in major/cumulative gpa at the top.

Thanks. I definitely plan on ED, likely to Indiana (I'm not sure I even can to Ill. or Wisc.) I took my first practice test Tuesday and was only at 158, so I have a long ways to go but came in with no practice.

So you suggest that I do not mention the GPA whatsoever in the PS?

sweepsingle wrote:Thanks. I definitely plan on ED, likely to Indiana (I'm not sure I even can to Ill. or Wisc.) I took my first practice test Tuesday and was only at 158, so I have a long ways to go but came in with no practice.

So you suggest that I do not mention the GPA whatsoever in the PS?

I wouldnt mention it. I would talk about work experience, something you've over come or something that makes you stand out from other apps.

I appreciate the help. Good to know that I have hope and that it's up to me to just kill this test.

158 with no practice isn't bad at all. That's about the 80th percentile of all students taking the LSAT. Study dilligently and you should improve a great deal.

Just a warning, schools in the T50 are getting more and more picky about GPA and make sure to apply early. I got flat out rejected at IU-B with a 165 and a similar GPA to yours, but I applied very late. You really need a 167 or so to get into the midwest schools that are low-GPA friendly. Otherwise, you are looking at lots of WL's and likely schools outside of the T50.

And apply early.

No one cares about major GPA. Unless you can get a 173 or above, forget law school. It is not meant for people who cant get above a 2.86 UG GPA..... we dont need future mediocre lawyers

you can always consider cooley. Good luck!

dukelawguy144 wrote:No one cares about major GPA. Unless you can get a 173 or above, forget law school. It is not meant for people who cant get above a 2.86 UG GPA..... we dont need future mediocre lawyers

you can always consider cooley. Good luck!

Oh, if only this were posted in The Lounge.

Suffice it to say this is utterly worthless.

dukelawguy144 wrote:No one cares about major GPA. Unless you can get a 173 or above, forget law school. It is not meant for people who cant get above a 2.86 UG GPA..... we dont need future mediocre lawyers

you can always consider cooley. Good luck!

i like how you fail to differentiate between gpa and lsat. good luck dude, i hope durham treats you well. and by that i mean you belong in that shithole.

dukelawguy144 wrote:No one cares about major GPA. Unless you can get a 173 or above, forget law school. It is not meant for people who cant get above a 2.86 UG GPA..... we dont need future mediocre lawyers

you can always consider cooley. Good luck!

With logic like this, you sound like you will be one.

Get 170+ and you might even end up with scholarship money at WUSTL.

dukelawguy144 wrote:No one cares about major GPA. Unless you can get a 173 or above, forget law school. It is not meant for people who cant get above a 2.86 UG GPA..... we dont need future mediocre lawyers

you can always consider cooley. Good luck!

It must be really sad to get a kick out of tearing down other people's dreams.

Don't ever ever ever let any moron discourage you.

You're fighting an uphill battle, that's for sure. But if you really kill the LSAT you have a decent chance.

My GPA was even lower than yours (wont say how much), I scored 170 on the LSAT, and I'm going to Illinois in August.
My 1st practice test was 155, if 158 was a dry run then you should be able to study your way up to the 170's.

And I wouldn't waste space on the PS to mention the GPA, I'm sure they read thousands of stories about people juggling school, full time jobs and sick kids who still get a 4.0 GPA.

Good luck

dukelawguy144 wrote:No one cares about major GPA. Unless you can get a 173 or above, forget law school. It is not meant for people who cant get above a 2.86 UG GPA..... we dont need future mediocre lawyers

you can always consider cooley. Good luck!

wow youre going to make a fine lawyer... FYI thats sarcasm if you couldnt tell.

yhezel wrote:

dukelawguy144 wrote:No one cares about major GPA. Unless you can get a 173 or above, forget law school. It is not meant for people who cant get above a 2.86 UG GPA..... we dont need future mediocre lawyers

you can always consider cooley. Good luck!

It must be really sad to get a kick out of tearing down other people's dreams.

Don't ever ever ever let any moron discourage you.

You're fighting an uphill battle, that's for sure. But if you really kill the LSAT you have a decent chance.

My GPA was even lower than yours (wont say how much), I scored 170 on the LSAT, and I'm going to Illinois in August.
My 1st practice test was 155, if 158 was a dry run then you should be able to study your way up to the 170's.

And I wouldn't waste space on the PS to mention the GPA, I'm sure they read thousands of stories about people juggling school, full time jobs and sick kids who still get a 4.0 GPA.

Good luck

Congrats on U of I... great school!

OP, study hard and do well on the LSAT so you can be a lawyer. By default, you'll be a better lawyer than dukelawguy.

kalvano wrote:OP, study hard and do well on the LSAT so you can be a lawyer. By default, you'll be a better lawyer than dukelawguy.

very true but i think all of us will be better lawyers than dukelawguy!

Boilernation11 wrote:

kalvano wrote:OP, study hard and do well on the LSAT so you can be a lawyer. By default, you'll be a better lawyer than dukelawguy.

very true but i think all of us will be better lawyers than dukelawguy!

ok some of you may be better lawyers but the truth is...you will have to work 100 times harder to even get the remote level of respect I will have with my degree. Sorry, it's just the way it is. Low tier graduates have it much harder in this field. It's possible you will achieve the same thing that a t14 grad will, but the odds are not in your favor

Also OP, yea it's difficult to manage school and work. But I was president of my frat and worked while I was in school, so LS wont think of that as a valid excuse....

dukelawguy144 wrote:

Boilernation11 wrote:

kalvano wrote:OP, study hard and do well on the LSAT so you can be a lawyer. By default, you'll be a better lawyer than dukelawguy.

very true but i think all of us will be better lawyers than dukelawguy!

ok some of you may be better lawyers but the truth is...you will have to work 100 times harder to even get the remote level of respect I will have with my degree. Sorry, it's just the way it is. Low tier graduates have it much harder in this field. It's possible you will achieve the same thing that a t14 grad will, but the odds are not in your favor

Also OP, yea it's difficult to manage school and work. But I was president of my frat and worked while I was in school, so LS wont think of that as a valid excuse....

wow president of your frat... things just became so clear!

Kill self.

No, seriously though, just own up to the GPA. Explain what happened, but don't try and excuse it away. Be very careful with how you write it, because if you don't do it right it will come across as whiny and self pitying.

Oh, and make SURE to knock the LSAT out of the park. I would shoot for high 160s at the very least. Unless you have the high LSAT to counteract your disappointing GPA, you will be SOL.

dukelawguy144 wrote:

Boilernation11 wrote:

kalvano wrote:OP, study hard and do well on the LSAT so you can be a lawyer. By default, you'll be a better lawyer than dukelawguy.

very true but i think all of us will be better lawyers than dukelawguy!

ok some of you may be better lawyers but the truth is...you will have to work 100 times harder to even get the remote level of respect I will have with my degree. Sorry, it's just the way it is. Low tier graduates have it much harder in this field. It's possible you will achieve the same thing that a t14 grad will, but the odds are not in your favor

Also OP, yea it's difficult to manage school and work. But I was president of my frat and worked while I was in school, so LS wont think of that as a valid excuse....

Dukelawguy144, people like you make me question duke's reputation. Also, people could say that you will never have the respect of a Harvard, Yale, Upenn, Columbia, NYU, Chicago, and Berkley graduate....Why do you need to put other people down? Some people face adversity when trying to achieve their goal. My boyfriend, struggled a lot with the LSATs for example, got scores in the 150s and then got a 173. He is going to attend Columbia now. But people were saying when he was scoring in the 150's that he no shot at a top14 school. I know its not the same thing as OP, but the point is, you can achieve your goals even if you have some trouble along the way.

Dukelawguy- your posts are negative and unnecessary