A couple questions Forum

[Endgames]

So, I've decided I want to pursue law school. I have a 3.98 UG GPA, but I went to a little known, small liberal arts school, and I scored 174 on the LSAT. Economics major, math minor, but I think that doesn't matter much. I'm going to graduate a semester early in the winter of 2010, and have a few things I've been thinking about lately.

First. When is going to be the best time for me to attend. I kind of want to go straight ahead (of course I'll have to do something else second semester). The problem is I have no money whatsoever, no credit, and my parents are not going to contribute even though they make decent money which I know is factored into financial aid decisions. Also, my softs are pretty weak. I have worked as a TA and tutor at UG, but I wasn't able to land any internships during college so my employment history is typical college-kid summer jobs. So, maybe working for a year would be a better idea to make money and build a better resume.

Second. I want to stay in the Boston area. From my research my numbers are pretty solid and I could probably land at BU/BC based on GPA and LSAT but the rest of my app won't be really strong so I don't know. The question is, I think I could probably land a spot at a school higher than BC/BU with my numbers, but how high should I aim, and if I want to live in Boston would it be best to stick with BU/BC? Also, how much money could I get from these schools? Because if I can get enough money it may give me an answer to my first question.

Anyways, thanks for any advice.

[towkthi]

I'm assuming you are in your early twenties in which case I think you could definitely benefit from a little more than a year of work. Try and get a job lined up starting in January and aim to apply for matriculation starting Fall '12. Your numbers are great, even if it is from a small lib arts school which I'm not sure matters all that much, and the sentiment on here seems to be that with those numbers you have a chance at most of the T14. In terms of you growing as a person I would say work a little bit instead of applying in January plus you make some money. The earlier you apply the better the chances you have of getting money and you should be good at both BU and BC. Live frugally while you are working since money is a big concern of yours.

[rundoxierun]

I'm assuming you are in your early twenties in which case I think you could definitely benefit from a little more than a year of work. Try and get a job lined up starting in January and aim to apply for matriculation starting Fall '12. Your numbers are great, even if it is from a small lib arts school which I'm not sure matters all that much, and the sentiment on here seems to be that with those numbers you have a chance at most of the T14. In terms of you growing as a person I would say work a little bit instead of applying in January plus you make some money. The earlier you apply the better the chances you have of getting money and you should be good at both BU and BC. Live frugally while you are working since money is a big concern of yours.

I never understand this "work to grow yourself" advice.. The only thing I learned from working low level jobs is that they suck and you should be nice to the people who work retail. Of course, I grew up poor so maybe Im not the type this message is aimed at.. Im going to law school straight after undergrad(well with a semester between since im graduating in 7 semesters) and I am 100% confident I am not missing out on anything(beyond the resume line) by not working an entry level job a few years before I go.

[gwuorbust]

So, I've decided I want to pursue law school. I have a 3.98 UG GPA, but I went to a little known, small liberal arts school, and I scored 174 on the LSAT. Economics major, math minor, but I think that doesn't matter much. I'm going to graduate a semester early in the winter of 2010, and have a few things I've been thinking about lately.

First. When is going to be the best time for me to attend. I kind of want to go straight ahead (of course I'll have to do something else second semester). The problem is I have no money whatsoever, no credit, and my parents are not going to contribute even though they make decent money which I know is factored into financial aid decisions. Also, my softs are pretty weak. I have worked as a TA and tutor at UG, but I wasn't able to land any internships during college so my employment history is typical college-kid summer jobs. So, maybe working for a year would be a better idea to make money and build a better resume.

Second. I want to stay in the Boston area. From my research my numbers are pretty solid and I could probably land at BU/BC based on GPA and LSAT but the rest of my app won't be really strong so I don't know. The question is, I think I could probably land a spot at a school higher than BC/BU with my numbers, but how high should I aim, and if I want to live in Boston would it be best to stick with BU/BC? Also, how much money could I get from these schools? Because if I can get enough money it may give me an answer to my first question.

Anyways, thanks for any advice.

if this is flame then GTFO. if not then you really don't even need to apply to BU/BC. with a 4.0/174 enjoy probable HYS or the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ that Chicago, UVA, Gtown will throw at you.

and schools will let you loan for the cost of living so that shouldn't be a concern. and as you seem to already know LSAT/GPA is all that really matter. take a job if you want to take a year off and 'see the world' but don't just take a job b/c you feel it will help you get into a better school. it won't. you are already in almost as good a situation as you could be in. unless you can cure AIDs in the next year then you are essentially good to go.

[swc65]

With those numbers you want to attend BC/BU? What are your ultimate goals? Will those schools serve those goals? The only problem you could possibly encounter getting into those schools is yield protection.

You could get good money at schools that will give you much better opportunities. Why limit yourself to those good, but not great, schools? I know you want to stay in Beantown, but a degree is forever while law schools is only 3 years. You could also be in Boston for summers and breaks if you want. Besides your numbers give you a decent shot at Harvard. And you have a more than great shot at CCN. http://harvard.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats
http://www.lawschoolpredictor.com/wp-co ... ograms.htm



You do not need good credit for Fed govt. loans for school. As long as you do not have any current delinquencies you should be fine. You parents' income will be factored in for need-based aid, but you have numbers that could get you merit aid at some great schools anyway!

As for taking a year off, that is a personal choice. It will not be a big factor in the admissions process when you apply. You would also have more time to ride out this economy and see if law school is still a good investment. However, it's uncertain how much you will get out of a year and a half of working. What type of job would you get? Where? What sort of experience would you gain from it? Is the money worth delaying law school for a year?

You are on track to apply very early next cycle and receive some decisions before you graduate. I would apply as soon as app come out, see who accepts, and then decide. That way you will know what all of your options are. If you get into Harvard, then you can go to law school immediately, not worry about softs, and get to stay in Boston.

[swc65]

In addition to above, you could also go ahead and apply for jobs and have one lined up before you graduate. That way your bets are hedged.

[Endgames]

if this is flame then GTFO. if not then you really don't even need to apply to BU/BC. with a 4.0/174 enjoy probable HYS or the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ that Chicago, UVA, Gtown will throw at you.

and schools will let you loan for the cost of living so that shouldn't be a concern. and as you seem to already know LSAT/GPA is all that really matter. take a job if you want to take a year off and 'see the world' but don't just take a job b/c you feel it will help you get into a better school. it won't. you are already in almost as good a situation as you could be in. unless you can cure AIDs in the next year then you are essentially good to go.

It's not a flame, I just wasn't sure whether or not GPA and LSAT is all that matters. I guess your answer to my question is that I should be aiming higher. Are schools like Chicago really going to be throwing money at me? I know I'm within the range of GPA/LSAT for those schools but I wasn't sure if I would get big money from them or if I could just get in and get lots of money at lower schools. I've heard that other factors are more important at schools like HYS than at most other schools since almost everyone applying would have numbers similar to mine and more often than not from a more prestigious undergrad.

[clintonius]

Soft factors are very important at Yale and Stanford, and you need to present a compelling application in addition to presenting the requisite high numbers to have any shot of admission at either. Not that you can afford to be sloppy elsewhere, but Harvard is generally more numbers-based. If JR continues to (seemingly) favor astronomical GPAs, I think you're about as close to a lock as you can be for Harvard. Not sure how much money you'd see at CCN on down, but my guess is that it'd be a hefty chunk.

[gwuorbust]

if this is flame then GTFO. if not then you really don't even need to apply to BU/BC. with a 4.0/174 enjoy probable HYS or the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ that Chicago, UVA, Gtown will throw at you.

and schools will let you loan for the cost of living so that shouldn't be a concern. and as you seem to already know LSAT/GPA is all that really matter. take a job if you want to take a year off and 'see the world' but don't just take a job b/c you feel it will help you get into a better school. it won't. you are already in almost as good a situation as you could be in. unless you can cure AIDs in the next year then you are essentially good to go.

It's not a flame, I just wasn't sure whether or not GPA and LSAT is all that matters. I guess your answer to my question is that I should be aiming higher. Are schools like Chicago really going to be throwing money at me? I know I'm within the range of GPA/LSAT for those schools but I wasn't sure if I would get big money from them or if I could just get in and get lots of money at lower schools. I've heard that other factors are more important at schools like HYS than at most other schools since almost everyone applying would have numbers similar to mine and more often than not from a more prestigious undergrad.

1. yes, you should be aiming much higher. even if you go to Chicago you could easily find a job in Boston. But if you wanted to leave Boston sometime in your future a BU degree would be more limiting then a Chicago degree. check out these applications:

http://chicago.lawschoolnumbers.com/app ... ,8&type=jd

as you can see there are many ppl who got serious money with your numbers. A friend of mine is a 3L at Chicago and got 10k per year with a 4.0/171.

2. softs matter at HYS but like anything it is how you spin it. say you worked with a student org. you could just say that or you could say that you managed a dynamic, academic learning group the pushed you to look into the details of xyz, blah, blah. what really matter is not what you did but how you market it.

3. prestige of undergrad doesn't matter. it can't hurt you, though applications from HPY can get the worlds smallest boost.

4. not everyone is applying with numbers close to yours. there are tons of ppl that apply with auto-reject numbers simply b/c they don't know any better.

5. good luck!!