Top Law Schools

For a variety of reasons, in that order, those schools are my top choices. As I'm getting closer to the application process, though, I'm starting to question whether or not those are all realistic targets and if they're worth applying to.

I know schools say, "we look at your entire application," and if they really did I believe I would have a good chance of getting admitted pretty much anywhere. But I know they probably won't if my numbers don't hit a certain point. With that said, here are my numbers and the basics of my application:

- B.S. in Journalism and Electronic Media
- Grade point average, between 3.3 and 3.4
- I've worked regular college jobs to keep student loans manageable, which partially explains the less than perfect GPA, but I've also had a variety of internships and work experience that are more legitimate, listed below:
- Intern for a U.S. Senator; Media Relations Assistant for the athletic department for a year; Intern for one of the largest PACs in the country (very competitive application); Reporter and columnist for two local/regional newspapers, with published work in a few national magazines and newspapers; Taught English and American Culture at a high school in Italy; Intern for the biggest newspaper in Italy; Independent study in Costa Rica
- Involvement in tons of student groups and organizations, leadership roles in some (I doubt this makes a big difference but ask for specifics if it matters)
- Almost fluent in Italian, learning Spanish quickly (if it counts for anything)
- Letters of recommendation could come from a U.S. Senator and former Congressman, they might be willing to make a call for me too. Would that help or should I get recommendations from people who know me better?

Those are the basics, so with all that in mind, does my experience make up at all for the fact that my GPA isn't necessarily a strong point? If I haven't been crossed off because of that, what LSAT score do I need to feel safe? Should I look at applying to other schools, higher or lower in the rankings?

I know this is a detailed post but I would appreciate any advice. Please be honest and let me know if the odds are in my favor. Thanks!

The deluge is coming - you should shoot for the highest LSAT you can, and everything else is just speculation. That advice is correct, but I'll still try to give you some reference. I got into Georgetown and most of the schools between 5-10 with that GPA and a 172, but admissions has only gotten harder since 2008 -- I would want at least that score for your schools (maybe 170 for Vanderbilt, and lower for Georgia).

Having a U.S. Senator or Representative call to Georgetown could be helpful, but unless you were a staffer - and not just an intern - I would not expect him/her to make a call. It is very rare for elected officials to make that sort of personal appeal unless they know you personally. A letter is different; you could probably write it yourself and get him/her to sign it. But the guy/gal had better owe you one if you expect a call.

Unfortunately that's about what I expected I would need in terms of the LSAT. I've always done well on tests so it's tough but not impossible.

As for the senator though, I was just an intern but he's also a family friend. He said specifically that he would make a call to help with law school or to help me get placed in a job I want if I go Marine OCS.

But outside of the phone call, assuming he follows through on the promise, do you think it's worth having a letter from him and other politicians I've worked for? Or would it be better to get a letter from a professor/employer that knows me well?

ut_89 wrote:Unfortunately that's about what I expected I would need in terms of the LSAT. I've always done well on tests so it's tough but not impossible.

As for the senator though, I was just an intern but he's also a family friend. He said specifically that he would make a call to help with law school or to help me get placed in a job I want if I go Marine OCS.

But outside of the phone call, assuming he follows through on the promise, do you think it's worth having a letter from him and other politicians I've worked for? Or would it be better to get a letter from a professor/employer that knows me well?

Get letters from professor unless the senator knows you well and can write with some detail with regards to your personality and the quality of your work. Otherwise, flashing a name won't get you into school. On the other hand, if you marry his daughter and become part of the family...

Assuming a GPA of 3.35:

Georgia 170 LSAT
Vanderbilt 173 LSAT
Georgetown 174 LSAT
Virginia 175 LSAT

lawschoolpredictor.com

A letter from a professor or employer that knows you well is important.
Don't rely on a US Senator's phone call to compensate for sub-par numbers.

Assuming a GPA of 3.35:

Georgia 170 LSAT
Vanderbilt 173 LSAT
Georgetown 174 LSAT
Virginia 175 LSAT

lawschoolpredictor.com

Thanks for the link, very helpful!

Am I dreaming?

Well, you need a little top to spin. If it keeps spinning, you're probably dreaming, but if it stops...

Just get the highest LSAT you can. I didn't even read your softs because they probably will not matter.

rad law wrote:Just get the highest LSAT you can. I didn't even read your softs because they probably will not matter.

I hate to say this, but it's appears quite true that softs in general don't really matter much. With that kind of GPA you need to score in 170's to be comfortable.

If you know that these are the school's you want to attend for sure, I'd say this is a textbook case for an ED to UVA or Georgetown. UVA is great because they'll let you knoe rather quickly if they'll accept you under ED and Geoorgetown will let you know by December 15th if I recall correctly.

CanadianWolf wrote:Assuming a GPA of 3.35:

Georgia 170 LSAT
Vanderbilt 173 LSAT
Georgetown 174 LSAT
Virginia 175 LSAT

lawschoolpredictor.com

That seems a bit high for Georgia. I would say 166-168.

rando wrote:

CanadianWolf wrote:Assuming a GPA of 3.35:

Georgia 170 LSAT
Vanderbilt 173 LSAT
Georgetown 174 LSAT
Virginia 175 LSAT

lawschoolpredictor.com

That seems a bit high for Georgia. I would say 166-168.

UGA? 164 was admit LSAT this year. Maybe it will go up to 165 next year. 168 is probably a little high.

rad law wrote:

rando wrote:

CanadianWolf wrote:Assuming a GPA of 3.35:

Georgia 170 LSAT
Vanderbilt 173 LSAT
Georgetown 174 LSAT
Virginia 175 LSAT

lawschoolpredictor.com

That seems a bit high for Georgia. I would say 166-168.

UGA? 164 was admit LSAT this year. Maybe it will go up to 165 next year. 168 is probably a little high.

Never know what they'll do with a 3.35?? But yeah 168 would prob. be auto-ad regardless. 166 is probably solid, but not a lock.

That GPA is lower for UGA though. He will probably need a slightly higher LSAT to compensate. UGA likes higher GPAs - as evidenced by my numbers.

I just used lawschoolpredictor.com to arrive at the level where a 3.35 GPA for a non-URM would get a "strong consider". Although I do agree that the numbers seem high. Maybe with a slight upward bump in the GPA average the LSAT number will drop.

rando wrote: Never know what they'll do with a 3.35?? But yeah 168 would prob. be auto-ad regardless. 166 is probably solid, but not a lock.

A 164 and 3.35 was probably good for this cycle. A 166 for next cycle ought to do it. For UGA though TCR this cycle seemed to be to apply early (before about January) because out of staters with high numbers kept getting WL later in the cycle.

rad law wrote:

rando wrote: Never know what they'll do with a 3.35?? But yeah 168 would prob. be auto-ad regardless. 166 is probably solid, but not a lock.

A 164 and 3.35 was probably good for this cycle. A 166 for next cycle ought to do it. For UGA though TCR this cycle seemed to be to apply early (before about January) because out of staters with high numbers kept getting WL later in the cycle.

You know better than I do, though that seems awfully low.

OP, for a resource besides lawschoolpredictor, head over to lawschoolnumbers and check out the graph for Univ. of Ga.

CanWolf, nobody is saying you are wrong, just LSP may be overcompensating in this situation.

ut_89 wrote:Unfortunately that's about what I expected I would need in terms of the LSAT. I've always done well on tests so it's tough but not impossible.

As for the senator though, I was just an intern but he's also a family friend. He said specifically that he would make a call to help with law school or to help me get placed in a job I want if I go Marine OCS.

But outside of the phone call, assuming he follows through on the promise, do you think it's worth having a letter from him and other politicians I've worked for? Or would it be better to get a letter from a professor/employer that knows me well?

In that case, assuming you can pull off a LSAT within reasonable range (168+) I would ED to Georgetown. Have your Senator call the law school dean (not the dean of admissions); if the dean cares, he'll pass on the note. Your letters should be academic references, although one of three could be from the Senator.

If you are in-state, the same advice applies for UVA.

The law school predictor calculator *seems* like it gives lower chances of acceptance vs. similar sites, I guess Ill have to look at it some more though. Not exactly encouraging.

bows_and_toes wrote:The law school predictor calculator *seems* like it gives lower chances of acceptance vs. similar sites, I guess Ill have to look at it some more though. Not exactly encouraging.

Username probably related to hazing?

Pretty fratty, bro