Chances at Law School Forum

[BallHog]

Hey Guys!

First post here and promise it won't be the last.

I am currently a Mechanical Engineering major at top 30 engineering school (according to USNWR). I graduate May 2013. My current GPA is 3.71, though I am looking to push myself and make that a 3.75 by the time I graduate. Math/Science has always been a strength of mine, but I want to "broaden my horizons" by taking the steps to apply to law school (become a patent attorney). My goal is a T14 Law Program.

Being an engineering major, naturally, English (in terms of reading comprehension etc.) is not one of my strengths. I am a very good analytical thinker. I have decided to spend my summer and fall studying for the LSAT in October. I am hoping for a 165+, what do you think my chances are at this score? How will that put me up against fellow applicants? What steps do you think I should take to attain a 170? Basically I want you guys to tell me if applying the law school, for me, is a good idea or not.

Thank you for beginning this journey with me!

[FantasticMrFox]

I do not believe in the whole idea "mathematical people are bad at RC/English" because reading comprehension is also analysis. You are literally taking apart the argument presented in the reading passage and from that dissection taking information and answering questions. If you are an analytical thinker as you claim, reading comprehension shouldn't be worse for you than for non-engineering majors.

Sure, you are less accustomed to reading so much but do not mentally handicap yourself by telling yourself that you just aren't suited for it. If you start studying with this misinformed notion that you can't do well in RC, you will stop when you achieve more than your expectations when in fact it wasn't even on par with what you could achieve.

Anyways, I really cannot tell you what your chances are at 165+ since I'm not familiar with how difficult that GPA is at your school and especially since GPA doesn't really translate to LSAT.

To be completely frank, wanting to "broaden horizons" isn't a great reason for applying to law school...unless, are you a degree collector?

[mushybrain]

Absolutely no way to know what you'll get until you start practice tests.

Applying to law school is only a good idea if you want to practice law. You certainly have a shot at good schools; I had a 3.7 and with my LSAT score I will be attending a T-14. If you just want to broaden your horizons, there are far cheaper ways to do so.

[BallHog]

Thank you for the replies.

I agree with you, FantasticMrFox. It certainly is a terrible way to start off, so I will try and look at things in a different perspective now.

By 'broadening my horizons', I meant doing law is a more prolific career. I am not a degree collector... just someone who is trying to be successful and provide for future generations. Yes I would like to practice law, because engineering (math/science) is becoming boring as I progress through my degree.

Thanks again guys!

[Nova]

I have decided to spend my summer and fall studying for the LSAT in October. I am hoping for a 165+, what do you think my chances are at this score? How will that put me up against fellow applicants? What steps do you think I should take to attain a 170? Basically I want you guys to tell me if applying the law school, for me, is a good idea or not.

Thank you for beginning this journey with me!

How do you suppose we would know how well you will do on the LSAT?!

165 is not that special. Its T1 material but not T14 material.

Go here bro, http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... ?f=6&t=396

[BallHog]

Well what I meant was, considering my background in engineering, how have other engineers performed on the LSAT compared to a major in the liberal arts? Do law schools look up/down on science majors?

[FantasticMrFox]

Well what I meant was, considering my background in engineering, how have other engineers performed on the LSAT compared to a major in the liberal arts? Do law schools look up/down on science majors?

I think you should just sit down and take a cold diagnostic (it's only a diag if its timed too)

[Nova]

University of North Texas economist Michael Nieswiadomy has conducted several studies (in 1998, 2006, and 2008) derived from LSAC data. In the most recent study Nieswiadomy took the LSAC's categorization of test-takers into 162 majors and grouped these into 29 categories, finding the averages of each major:[17]

1.Mathematics/Physics 160.0
2.Economics and Philosophy/Theology (tie) 157.4
3.International relations 156.5
4.Engineering 156.2
5.Government/service 156.1
6.Chemistry 156.1
7.History 155.9
8.Interdisciplinary studies 155.5
9.Foreign languages 155.3
10.English 155.2
11.Biology/natural sciences 154.8
12.Arts 154.2
13.Computer science 154.0
14.Finance 153.4
15.Political science 153.1
16.Psychology 152.5
17.Liberal arts 152.4
18.Anthropology/geography 152.2
19.Accounting 151.7
20.Journalism 151.5
21.Sociology/social work 151.2
22.Marketing 150.8
23.Business management 149.7
24.Education 149.4
25.Business administration 149.1
26.Health professions 148.4
27.Pre-law 148.3
28.Criminal justice 146.0

Not that it matters too much.

Here, http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 2&t=184717 , TLSers debate liberal arts and hard science.

FMF is right. Take a diagnostic. Read that thread I posted earlier. It will give you perspective.

[oaken]

I am hoping for a 165+, what do you think my chances are at this score?

LSAT scores are, by definition, a reflection of how well you do versus everyone else who also takes the test.

A 165 is a 92nd percentile score. So, quite literally, you have an 8% chance of getting this score or better. See this for more details: http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/ls ... cores.html

Good luck with your studies!

[Nova]

I am hoping for a 165+, what do you think my chances are at this score?
Depends how bad you want it and how well you study

How will that put me up against fellow applicants?
Lawschoolnumbers.com

What steps do you think I should take to attain a 170? Read the LSAT forum here. Eat sleep breath LSAT. 4 hours a day. 5 days a week. Atleast. 1 or 2 PTs a week. Read the LR/LG powerscore bibles and LR/LG manhatten guides, quickly. Get atleast 30 real LSATs. buy the 52-61 book, and 62-66 individually.

Basically I want you guys to tell me if applying the law school, for me, is a good idea or not.
If you really want to be a patent attorney, sure, go for it.

[bp shinners]

Well what I meant was, considering my background in engineering, how have other engineers performed on the LSAT compared to a major in the liberal arts? Do law schools look up/down on science majors?

One data point, but this Biochem major scored well enough on the LSAT to attend HLS. Several of my classmates were hard science/engineering majors. They have the same shot as anyone else at a top score (if not higher, as our undergrad major was difficult and required analytical thinking).

Law schools love science majors, especially engineering. While not guaranteed employment after school, it's everything but. There are not enough qualified patent attorneys out there, so they're always in demand.

[laxbrah420]

I am hoping for a 165+, what do you think my chances are at this score?

LSAT scores are, by definition, a reflection of how well you do versus everyone else who also takes the test.

A 165 is a 92nd percentile score. So, quite literally, you have an 8% chance of getting this score or better. See this for more details: http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/ls ... cores.html

Good luck with your studies!

i dont think that's how stats work

[JoeFish]

Science/engineering/math type people own the LSAT all the time.

The REAL point is: If you're not confident in your reading/reading comprehension skills, then I would be hesitant to recommend you attend law school at all. How's your writing? Reading and writing are... fairly common in law school. The writing is fairly technical, so you don't need to be able to write the Great American Novel or whatnot. But if you go into law school disliking reading/writing, or not being too confident with regards to those, well... there's a possibility you won't enjoy law school.

Not that you have to enjoy law school to go and ultimately enjoy being a patent lawyer. Just one more thing to think about, though.