MichaelF wrote:I'm a recent graduate, with a BS in Civil Engineering, and an undergraduate GPA of 2.3 (mostly due to my first year, where I screwed around more than I would like to contemplate). I also have an AA in Classics, with a 3.14 GPA.
I'm hoping to attend Law School and enter the Intellectual Property field.
I think I can do very well on the LSAT, but the GPA has me spooked. I have been accepted to an MBA program, and am wondering if my GPA from that program could eclipse or largely make up for the low undergrad GPA?
Any information would be most appreciated.
Mike
I think MBA is the wrong direction, if, ultimately, you're trying to get into IP. The previous posters are correct in that there's no real way to "eclipse" as you put it your
undergrad GPA.
However, you sound like you're quite confident academically, you have a solid IP background foundation, and you seem earnestly interested for the long haul in pursuing a law degree.
So, I would first go take the GRE (any day you want, lucky mfs), crush it, and enroll in the best (*and most affordable) Engineering PhD program you can gain entrance to. Although it is not the case at every school/program, there is a common payment structure for PhD students to be fully funded for both tuition and living stipend (aka little to no debt depending on good/poor life choices, ha).
At this point, you're now in a (relatively) stronger position as far as admissions assuming you crush the
LSAT, get good recs (which might be easier while getting the PhD), throw in some community service, etc.
Then send out your apps 3-4 years from now *where you'll have a much clearer vantage point on how the legal market is/will develop* see if you catch something you like. And if all that fails, you've got a PhD in Engineering w/ no debt versus what your current option(s) even with a good LSAT of a local/weak regional school where there's good chance you'll end up with a less valuable degree, an additional 200k (+7% interest from day 1) loans.
*also: this is off the grape-vine, but I've heard MBA grades are a (law school) joke. The learning part is serious, the team building is emphasized, the networking, etc. But unless you win like a Baker Scholar award, no one will really bother to know the difference in your marks. Hence, I would assume that, short of being a Baker Scholar, law schools wouldn't buy much into it.
However, especially considering the job placement difficulties that schools are having ("o god, NLJ250"), I would think that strategically they'd be more willing to flex on someone with an IP PhD who they could basically just pencil in as someone with a job offer come OCI and/or graduation.