Top Law Schools

Thanks, everyone!

Not sure how they place in DC, but Emory maybe? Perhaps even add Cal if that LSAT turns out better than expected, perhaps and you get a fee waiver? They tend to be West Coast centric but it's still a T10 and they like high GPA.

NoleinNY wrote:Not sure how they place in DC, but Emory maybe? Perhaps even add Cal if that LSAT turns out better than expected, perhaps and you get a fee waiver? They tend to be West Coast centric but it's still a T10 and they like high GPA.

I have a fee waiver from Emory, so I may indeed add it to my list. I've read bad things about their OCI, though, so I'm somewhat hesitant.

Not really interested in California schools, but I may consider it pending my score.

Anyone else?

atresia wrote:I retook the LSAT this morning, so now I have 3-4 weeks to finish applications before I receive my score. I am looking for advice about what schools I should add/remove from my list. Thank you in advance!

Relevant information:

• GPA: 3.8x (close to 3.9)
  LSAT: 164 (October), TBD (December; humor me and assume 167)
  Straight from undergrad
  Caucasian

Anyway, I am looking to work in the following cities (ranked by preference):

• New York
  Chicago
  Boston
  Washington, D.C.

Here is my list, as it stands:

• Boston College
  Boston University (fee waiver)
  Cardozo (fee waiver)
  Cornell
  Duke (fee waiver)
  Fordham
  George Washington
  Georgetown
  Illinois (no application fee)
  Michigan
  Notre Dame
  Pennsylvania
  Texas
  Virginia (fee waiver)
  Vanderbilt
  Washington University (fee waiver)
  William and Mary (fee waiver)

These are quite similar to my numbers (164, 3.97), and consequently so is your school list. I would say go for it. For us reverse splitters, I feel like there's no reason not to just throw out a wide net and see what happenss

atresia wrote:

NoleinNY wrote:Not sure how they place in DC, but Emory maybe? Perhaps even add Cal if that LSAT turns out better than expected, perhaps and you get a fee waiver? They tend to be West Coast centric but it's still a T10 and they like high GPA.

I have a fee waiver from Emory, so I may indeed add it to my list. I've read bad things about their OCI, though, so I'm somewhat hesitant.

Not really interested in California schools, but I may consider it pending my score.

If you have a fee waiver, apply. Emory is generous with scholly offers and you can try to leverage offers from other schools. Same logic can be applied to WUSTL.

It sucks that you aren't interested in California as much, since UCLA/USC/Berkeley are so GPA centric in comparison to most other schools.

atresia wrote:Anyone else?

I suspect I'll also be a reverse splitter. I have a 4.04...and my LSAT is likely to be 160-165 (hoping for 165-170 like my PTs but not counting on it).

The only other thing going for me is that i'm a minority (biracial-black/white) and first generation college student. I'm applying far and wide as well.

What about Columbia?

Add Washington and Lee bc it is free.

I have a downward GPA trend, plus my GPA's lower at my new school (transferred). So I consider my GPA weaker than what it actually is.

Probably will add Emory, but W&L probably won't make my list.

Thanks everyone!

weejonbu wrote:

atresia wrote:I retook the LSAT this morning, so now I have 3-4 weeks to finish applications before I receive my score. I am looking for advice about what schools I should add/remove from my list. Thank you in advance!

Relevant information:

• GPA: 3.8x (close to 3.9)
  LSAT: 164 (October), TBD (December; humor me and assume 167)
  Straight from undergrad
  Caucasian

Anyway, I am looking to work in the following cities (ranked by preference):

• New York
  Chicago
  Boston
  Washington, D.C.

Here is my list, as it stands:

• Boston College
  Boston University (fee waiver)
  Cardozo (fee waiver)
  Cornell
  Duke (fee waiver)
  Fordham
  George Washington
  Georgetown
  Illinois (no application fee)
  Michigan
  Notre Dame
  Pennsylvania
  Texas
  Virginia (fee waiver)
  Vanderbilt
  Washington University (fee waiver)
  William and Mary (fee waiver)

These are quite similar to my numbers (164, 3.97), and consequently so is your school list. I would say go for it. For us reverse splitters, I feel like there's no reason not to just throw out a wide net and see what happenss

+1 i'm 164/3.95 and i applied to pretty much all those schools except - a few and + a few. Go for itttt!

I applied to ucla/usc too but those are regional. try Boalt too, they <33 high GPAs. it's a long shot for both of us, but a better one than Penn, GULC, and Michigan and I see all of those on your list.

What about Minnesota? It's a pretty good school.

atresia wrote:I have a downward GPA trend, plus my GPA's lower at my new school (transferred). So I consider my GPA weaker than what it actually is.

Probably will add Emory, but W&L probably won't make my list.

Thanks everyone!

Jesus, add it at least for the sake of scholly negotiation. You're applying to peer schools and the application is FREE

UW Madison? Iowa?

sojuteacher wrote:What about Minnesota? It's a pretty good school.

if you like -10 degree winters and disgusting summers. lol i shouldn't be talking...i applied.


...but i have NO intention of going somewhere that when I walk outside, I have to keep going into stores every 5 minutes to let my face thaw.

gbpackerbacker wrote:Jesus, add it at least for the sake of scholly negotiation. You're applying to peer schools and the application is FREE

Haha, fair enough.

Gotti wrote:

sojuteacher wrote:What about Minnesota? It's a pretty good school.

if you like -10 degree winters and disgusting summers. lol i shouldn't be talking...i applied.


...but i have NO intention of going somewhere that when I walk outside, I have to keep going into stores every 5 minutes to let my face thaw.

Average summer high in the 75-80 range = disgusting?? That's a few degrees cooler than Chicago and people rave about Chicago in the summer.

swampthang wrote:

Gotti wrote:

sojuteacher wrote:What about Minnesota? It's a pretty good school.

if you like -10 degree winters and disgusting summers. lol i shouldn't be talking...i applied.


...but i have NO intention of going somewhere that when I walk outside, I have to keep going into stores every 5 minutes to let my face thaw.

Average summer high in the 75-80 range = disgusting?? That's a few degrees cooler than Chicago and people rave about Chicago in the summer.

75-80? That's like what I have my A/C set on

AreJay711 wrote:

swampthang wrote:

Gotti wrote:

sojuteacher wrote:What about Minnesota? It's a pretty good school.

if you like -10 degree winters and disgusting summers. lol i shouldn't be talking...i applied.


...but i have NO intention of going somewhere that when I walk outside, I have to keep going into stores every 5 minutes to let my face thaw.

Average summer high in the 75-80 range = disgusting?? That's a few degrees cooler than Chicago and people rave about Chicago in the summer.

75-80? That's like what I have my A/C set on

= pleasant temperature? I'm confused about what "disgusting" meant in its original context. When I think a disgusting summer, I think oppressive heat and/or humidity like DC, Arizona, or the South. The Midwest and Northeast generally have warm summers akin to a Florida winter or spring. Not sure what's so unappealing about that.

swampthang wrote:

AreJay711 wrote: 75-80? That's like what I have my A/C set on

= pleasant temperature? I'm confused about what "disgusting" meant in its original context. When I think a disgusting summer, I think oppressive heat and/or humidity like DC, Arizona, or the South. The Midwest and Northeast generally have warm summers akin to a Florida winter or spring. Not sure what's so unappealing about that.

Yeah, it seems nice to me. Screw that winter though.

oh my bad...isn't it humid and mosquito-ey? i hate humidity.

Since this was brought back from the dead, anyone else want to offer some advice on topics not pertaining to Minnesota weather?

atresia wrote:Since this was brought back from the dead, anyone else want to offer some advice on topics not pertaining to Minnesota weather?

The people in Minnesota are disturbingly... nice. It's really over the top, it'll kind of freak you out, even if you're already from the Midwest.

If you want to work in New York, Chicago, Boston or DC you should keep your applications to schools in those cities, especially given the retracted legal market. Since it seems unlikely that you’ll be getting into a T14, but highly likely you can get into several strong regional powerhouses with money, I’d shoot for something like the following:

New York:

Fordham
Brooklyn
St. John’s
Rutgers

Chicago:

Notre Dame
Illinois
Loyola-Chicago
Chicago-Kent

Boston:

BU
BC
UConn (BU and BC also place moderately well in NY, doing well at UConn well get you good jobs in NY and Boston)
Suffolk

DC:

GW
American
William & Mary

If you put together a strong and compelling application, then you have an excellent chance of getting into any of those schools and you should get money from many. Given the current legal market, it is wise to minimize debt and go to school in a city in which you wish to practice in.

Best of luck. You are applying late, so don't discount the option of applying early next fall.

ahduth wrote:

atresia wrote:Since this was brought back from the dead, anyone else want to offer some advice on topics not pertaining to Minnesota weather?

The people in Minnesota are disturbingly... nice. It's really over the top, it'll kind of freak you out, even if you're already from the Midwest.

I hear it borders on passive-agressiveness. Or maybe it's some kind of progressive social brainwashing. Wisconsin folk are nice, but Iowa and Illinois, what's with them? I might be unconsciously violating Midwestern stereotypes by throwing some of them under the bus, but wow. Iowans are like the polar opposite of WI/MN and IL acts like they're NY or something.