Top Law Schools

This is my first post in this forum, but I used it this past year to basically figure out things about the application process.
So here's my story, in at Berkeley, Penn, Michigan, Virginia, Northwestern, Duke, Cornell, Georgetown.
Out at Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, NYU, Chicago.

I'm at a 3.8, 171, political science from an Ivy.
I had my sights set on at least CCN, but unfortunately that isn't happening, I really thought I was in at one of those three, but oh well.
My goal is to work for a V5 (Wachtell, Cravath, Skadden, Sullivan, Davis Polk), but I just don't see that happening anymore.

I can't go into Berkeley or Penn thinking that I'm going to be in the top 10% there, so I'm contemplating volunteering for a year, retaking the LSAT later this year, and giving next year's cycle another shot. Comments?

depressed0L wrote:This is my first post in this forum, but I used it this past year to basically figure out things about the application process.
So here's my story, in at Berkeley, Penn, Michigan, Virginia, Northwestern, Duke, Cornell, Georgetown.
Out at Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, NYU, Chicago.

I'm at a 3.8, 171, political science from an Ivy.
I had my sights set on at least CCN, but unfortunately that isn't happening, I really thought I was in at one of those three, but oh well.
My goal is to work for a V5 (Wachtell, Cravath, Skadden, Sullivan, Davis Polk), but I just don't see that happening anymore.

I can't go into Berkeley or Penn thinking that I'm going to be in the top 10% there, so I'm contemplating volunteering for a year, retaking the LSAT later this year, and giving next year's cycle another shot. Comments?

Flames wake up uurrrly on holiday weekends.

if this is not a flame you are a giant douchebag.

why?!

Consider that if you retake in Dec you will be very late in the admissions cycle which will hurt your chances. You might benefit from taking it in Sept and ED at your top choice. Not everybody improves when they retake. Make sure you prepare for the LSAT.

Volunteering at a law related job will benefit you but not is the application process because you will be applying in September or October and you will only have the hours that you accumulate between now and then.

I'd go to Berkeley if I were you.

I would go to Berkeley if it was a t6. I think the t6 distinction is because you can reasonably get a NYC elite law job from a t6, whereas from a non-t6 you have to be at the super-top of your class to get those jobs.

Isn't that why there's a "t6" (HYSCCN), for the New York City elite corporate law jobs, and the t4 for academia (Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Chicago)?

No.

TheTopBloke wrote:No.

Then what exactly is t6? What is the point of that distinction?

Oh poor baby, someone might not get a spot at Wachtell. Waah! Hope Mom and Dad can help you out when you're living in the gutter.

F.L.A.M.E.

Threads like this make me want to /self.

depressed0L wrote:

TheTopBloke wrote:No.

Then what exactly is t6? What is the point of that distinction?

I mean no, law school is not worth it.

should I retake then? I mean I'm only 20 (about to turn 21 in two weeks), (came in with a ton of AP), so its not like I'll be too old by the time I graduate law school (23 if I go, 24 if I wait)

depressed0L wrote:why?!

Because you are are apparently coming straight out of ug saying "I want to work for V5 because I am a huge prestige whore."
which is actually okay in my book if you know what you are talking about. But your post just reeks of not knowing shit about what any of the above firms do except that a company named "Vault" called them the top 5.

No.

rando wrote:

depressed0L wrote:why?!

Because you are are apparently coming straight out of ug saying "I want to work for V5 because I am a huge prestige whore."
which is actually okay in my book if you know what you are talking about. But your post just reeks of not knowing shit about what any of the above firms do except that a company named "Vault" called them the top 5.

Well, how are you getting your law school rankings? Its UNSWR followed by 14 isn't it? Hypocritical, isn't it?

Yes, I am a prestige whore, I feel fine with it.

depressed0L wrote:

rando wrote:

depressed0L wrote:why?!

Because you are are apparently coming straight out of ug saying "I want to work for V5 because I am a huge prestige whore."
which is actually okay in my book if you know what you are talking about. But your post just reeks of not knowing shit about what any of the above firms do except that a company named "Vault" called them the top 5.

Well, how are you getting your law school rankings? Its UNSWR followed by 14 isn't it? Hypocritical, isn't it?

You just made an enormous assumption about how I chose my school. Yet I wasn't the one posting about how I only got into the T7+, wtf.

Not to mention, but the prestige-whoring (USNWR) just to prestige-whore (Vault) again as a 0L is a bit over the top.

Just explaining to you why you have been labeled.

depressed0L wrote:Yes, I am a prestige whore, I feel fine with it.

Your moniker doesn't agree. Neither does your initial post.

I *am* a prestige whore. Nothing wrong with it, I'm just trying to understand if I should wait out a year, do something interesting, and reapply with the hopes of V5.

My moniker is depressed0L, I'm pursuing prestige but I can't get into a t6, so I'm depressed, I'm fine with chasing prestige, I'm not fine with my current situation, what about my moniker or my post is inconsistent with my prestige whoredom.

That's the problem. You're a whore.

depressed0L wrote:I *am* a prestige whore. Nothing wrong with it, I'm just trying to understand if I should wait out a year, do something interesting, and reapply with the hopes of V5.

My moniker is depressed0L, I'm pursuing prestige but I can't get into a t6, so I'm depressed, I'm fine with chasing prestige, I'm not fine with my current situation, what about my moniker or my post is inconsistent with my prestige whoredom.

Yep, definitely a flame

TheTopBloke wrote:That's the problem. You're a whore.

Berkeley doesn't secure its law students private sector jobs, really, I'm not sure what they do.
MVP are good, but not NYC V5 good.
Chicago is phenomenal, whereas the other two - Columbia and NYU - feed right into these firms.
That's my concern.

depressed0L wrote:I *am* a prestige whore. Nothing wrong with it, I'm just trying to understand if I should wait out a year, do something interesting, and reapply with the hopes of V5.

My moniker is depressed0L, I'm pursuing prestige but I can't get into a t6, so I'm depressed, I'm fine with chasing prestige, I'm not fine with my current situation, what about my moniker or my post is inconsistent with my prestige whoredom.

The fact that you are depressed about it is not consistent with you being 'fine' with it. Either way. I don't really give a shit. You are setting yourself up for a world of disappointment. Not my problem. Again, just pointing out for you why people call you a douche and why you'll probably encounter that real-life moniker in the future.

depressed0L wrote:

TheTopBloke wrote:That's the problem. You're a whore.

Berkeley doesn't secure its law students private sector jobs, really, I'm not sure what they do.
MVP are good, but not NYC V5 good.
Chicago is phenomenal, whereas the other two - Columbia and NYU - feed right into these firms.
That's my concern.

You still haven't addressed the concern that you, as a 20 yr old 0L appear to have no clue what separates a V5 firm from a V10, 20 etc. Nor what you will be doing as an associate at said firm. And that is just assuming that you succeed in LS to get to V5.

rando wrote:

depressed0L wrote:I *am* a prestige whore. Nothing wrong with it, I'm just trying to understand if I should wait out a year, do something interesting, and reapply with the hopes of V5.

My moniker is depressed0L, I'm pursuing prestige but I can't get into a t6, so I'm depressed, I'm fine with chasing prestige, I'm not fine with my current situation, what about my moniker or my post is inconsistent with my prestige whoredom.

The fact that you are depressed about it not consistent with you being 'fine' with it. Either way. I don't really give a shit. You are setting yourself up for a world of disappointment. Not my problem. Again, just pointing out for you why people call you a douche and why you'll probably encounter that real-life moniker in the future.

I'm fine with being a prestige whore but depressed in my progress toward prestige, what about that is so hard to understand!?!?!??!??!!?!