Top Law Schools

Hey, so I was looking for some advice regarding whether there are any other schools I should apply to (maybe to get some money, or if you just don't think i'll get into any of the schools I applied to so far).

I know my gpa is laughably low but I think other parts of my application negate it; 170 first time LSAT score, graduated from Yale and wrote a fairly compelling addendum explaining my GPA, first generation Mexican American, have been out of school for five years during which time I've worked for a labor union and am currently coordinating large scale campaigns with them; I have a really strong personal statement about my interest in pursuing labor law.

Here are the schools I have applied to so far (i know some of them are an incredible reach). Anywhere else you think I should apply to. Would prefer to end up in a big city (LA, Chicago, DC, etc).

UVA
UChicago
Berkeley
Georgetown
USC
UCLA
UC Davis
UC Hastings
William and Mary

Thanks.

HOWARD

UIUC would probably be worth it, especially since there's no app fee. A friend of mine with a 158/3.3 just got in with a 75k scholarship (URM).

Maybe Vanderbilt or Cornell also?

Also, LSP has those numbers as Deny at Northwestern, but with your WE you might still have a shot there?

170 LSAT URM? I think you have a shot anywhere. If you're not applying everywhere, you're probably vastly overestimating the number of URMs who had above a 170. Also, I love your WE.

thanks TommyK, I go back and forth between that thought and the thought that my GPA is going to kill my chances.

UIUC - hadn't looking into it at all, but on first glance it def seems worth considering (love the free application)
Northwester - went back and forth, decided not to because of LSP but i'll give it another look.

TommyK wrote:170 LSAT URM? I think you have a shot anywhere. If you're not applying everywhere, you're probably vastly overestimating the number of URMs who had above a 170. Also, I love your WE.

lowest Yale GPA last year was 3.38
I don't think you need to apply to YHS, but if you get a fee waiver, go for it.
Other schools are probably worth applying to.

I agree with TommyK, and I think the friend I mentioned is a shining example of the possibilities. The person I referenced is only 1 year out of UG also. 170 vs 158 is huge, even with a 2.7

If you can afford it, I would definitely put out a few more apps to T14 schools.

DreamsInDigital wrote:thanks TommyK, I go back and forth between that thought and the thought that my GPA is going to kill my chances.

UIUC - hadn't looking into it at all, but on first glance it def seems worth considering (love the free application)
Northwester - went back and forth, decided not to because of LSP but i'll give it another look.

Northwestern is pretty splitter-friendly. They also like WE more than probably any of the other t14.

You probably won't have to pay for too many application fees. If schools haven't offered it, it may be worthwhile to reach out to them and ask them for it, dropping the fact that you're a URM sporting a 170.

I think I can afford to apply to 4 more schools (only got fee waivers from UVA and William and Mary, all the others I paid for out of pocket. didn't think to reach out about other waivers).

From the responses so far I'm thinking

UIUC
Stanford
Northwestern
Cornell

btw, this is only my second or third time posting, but thanks. this board has been awesome as I navigated through this crazy process.

Definitely throw an app at NU. I have similar GPA, but a higher LSAT. I am also a Mexican-American URM. I was accepted at NU in their first round of decisions.

You should definitely request fee waivers all over the board in the t14, worst case scenario, they say no.

I was successful with this email at quite a few places: (of course you should throw in the URM aspect some way)

Dear Office of Admissions:

I will be applying to law school for the entering class of 2011 and would like to be considered for a merit-based fee waiver. I am especially interested in XX and would greatly appreciate any financial assistance you could provide. To assist with this process, I have included my information below. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

XX
LSAC Number: X / LSDAS GPA: X / LSAT: X


Also, you may have hidden fee waivers to schools, I had them all over the place....

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=129078

(that will tell you how to check if you don't know, definitely worth the time)

Definitely agree on Northwestern, I applied with same gpa and lower LSAT and got in Early Decision, with 170+WE you should have a pretty solid chance RD... LSP told me less than 5% chance, but if you have 170+ LSAT gtown, UVA, and Northwestern are all worth a shot even with lower gpa...

*also, I had a hidden fee waiver from Northwestern, so it's very possible you have one as well...

(edit) Turns out I only had a hidden waiver from Columbia, which is definitely better than nothing. Just emailed a few other schools asking for a waiver. Lets see what happens.

In case anyone was interested, across the board denials for my fee waiver requests. Only sent the request to t14 schools; half of them said they only do need based waivers, the other half said the only way to get the waiver is through the LSACs CRS.

JenDarby wrote:UIUC would probably be worth it, especially since there's no app fee. A friend of mine with a 158/3.3 just got in with a 75k scholarship (URM).

Maybe Vanderbilt or Cornell also?

Also, LSP has those numbers as Deny at Northwestern, but with your WE you might still have a shot there?

You kick ass. I just heard back from UIUC; my first acceptance and a very significant scholarship.

Congrats! But unless it's a full scholly, definitely hold out for T14...

It actually is full tuition, which is going to make my decision difficult no matter what happens with the rest of my cycle.

I was getting pretty confident I would crack the T14, but after my rejection from Boalt I am starting to have doubts.

DreamsInDigital wrote:It actually is full tuition, which is going to make my decision difficult no matter what happens with the rest of my cycle.

I was getting pretty confident I would crack the T14, but after my rejection from Boalt I am starting to have doubts.

Shouldn't be surprised about a rejection from Boalt with a crummy gpa. Their index scores weighs the gpa pretty heavily when compared to pretty much every other school.

TommyK wrote:

DreamsInDigital wrote:It actually is full tuition, which is going to make my decision difficult no matter what happens with the rest of my cycle.

I was getting pretty confident I would crack the T14, but after my rejection from Boalt I am starting to have doubts.

Shouldn't be surprised about a rejection from Boalt with a crummy gpa. Their index scores weighs the gpa pretty heavily when compared to pretty much every other school.

This.

I didn't even bother applying to BoalTTT, because I knew my sub3.0 GPA would be an auto-ding.

You *should* land a T14, but if you don't, I bet it would only be because it is later in the cycle. Anyways, full-ride at UIUC is nothing to sneeze at.

I think you're right. If theres one thing I would have done differently, it would be sending my apps in waay earlier.

Being out of academia for the past few years I didn't realize how important it was, and I didn't find this board till I had already applied to half my schools.

No worries, you're not terribly late, you're just not early. Being a splitter late in cycle can suck (I was waitlisted 9-10 places last cycle), but full tuition at UIUC is a great option even if you do end up getting into one of the lower T14.

*Still pulling for you to get Northwestern, however!

ArchRoark wrote:You *should* land a T14, but if you don't, I bet it would only be because it is later in the cycle. Anyways, full-ride at UIUC is nothing to sneeze at.

I wouldn't be entirely sure that he should land a T14, but I would say it is better than 50%. This is what I would think:

Reaches: Penn/Mich/UVa/Cornell
Targets: GULC/Northwestern
Safeties: GW/WUSTL/UIUC