Top Law Schools

Will 5 years of undergrad hurt my chances? I transferred colleges, and also changed my major, thus I need to go for an extra semester. However, I was thinking of possibly just doing five years, taking 4 classes a semester instead of 5 my senior year, and graduating with a higher GPA as well. I want responses however my argument is since I am going directly to law school after I might as well stay in the academic mode and not take from December-September off.

The benefits if law schools don't care would be a higher GPA and more time to study and prepare for the LSAT, also I transferred, hated my old college, and love my new one so I wouldn't mind doing some extra time here

Not at all. If you can boost your GPA it will be a good move. Just don't go spending an arm and a leg at your new school. It wouldn't be worth if you had to take on tons more debt.

Mal Reynolds wrote:Not at all. If you can boost your GPA it will be a good move. Just don't go spending an arm and a leg at your new school. It wouldn't be worth if you had to take on tons more debt.

+1. If you can raise your GPA at a decent price, I say go for it.

Law schools mainly care about 2 things: your GPA and your LSAT.

It will cost me about 10k more, however I am fortunate enough that the one thing my parents will give me money for is my education. I am fortunate enough to actually graduate with little to no debt.

So for the sake of this question do not consider any financial implications.

what's the likely difference in gpa? certain points are more helpful than others. For instance 2.95 > 3.0 is huge, while 3.32 > 3.37 isn't.

Also consider that my last semester senior year Law Schools will not see until after they accept or deny me, for instance I plan on graduating with a 3.4 but when I apply I probably will have a 3.3.

However the extra semester will probably take me from a 3.2 to a 3.4 based on the extra time and lightened workload so I don't have to take a million classes in one year just to graduate on time

Get it in your head now bro dog: take at least a year off. It will allow your GPA to increase even more, you can distance yourself from your GPA with work experience and you can take extra time, if need be, to study for your LSAT.

Stonehill wrote:Also consider that my last semester senior year Law Schools will not see until after they accept or deny me, for instance I plan on graduating with a 3.4 but when I apply I probably will have a 3.3.

However the extra semester will probably take me from a 3.2 to a 3.4 based on the extra time and lightened workload so I don't have to take a million classes in one year just to graduate on time

Well then, I think you're time is best spent saving your parents 10k for such a marginal gain that LS adcoms won't even see. Now, if it was the difference between making cum laude or not, I'd say do it. The difference you'd gain seems negligible to me.

In short, save that 10k (for your parents and yourself, as you'll need it in LS) and study your ass off for your LSAT, as your LSAT is more important than your GPA.

Hope that helps.

I feel like there is a big difference between a 3.2 and a 3.4 , I would think that would put me in a whole new tier

Stonehill wrote:I feel like there is a big difference between a 3.2 and a 3.4 , I would think that would put me in a whole new tier

It would probably be a big difference at certain schools. The dude above you can't even spell his own name right.

Mal Reynolds wrote:

Stonehill wrote:I feel like there is a big difference between a 3.2 and a 3.4 , I would think that would put me in a whole new tier

It would probably be a big difference at certain schools. The dude above you can't even spell his own name right.

First off, you're a fucking idiot, Mal Reynolds. You couldn't come up with a better username so you decided to go with a shitty actor's name. How pathetic. And btw, its not that I spelled my name incorrectly, I actually decided that it looked better that way without considering the shit I would get for doing so. Regardless, I don't give a fuck about the spelling of my username.

Second, the OP said that he would be applying in the midst of the year, meaning that the LS would only see his GPA up until that point, in which he has indicated that it won't/can't be a 3.4 at that point; basically, he'd be applying with whatever GPA he had at that point (At or less than a 3.3).

Stonehill wrote:Also consider that my last semester senior year Law Schools will not see until after they accept or deny me, for instance I plan on graduating with a 3.4 but when I apply I probably will have a 3.3.

The only chance in which it would be worth it, in my opinion, is to wait it out for the 3.4 GPA. The OP, however, has indicated that he will be going straight from UG to LS, which means that LS wont see his final grades, since they come out in May.

What this means is that he would have to wait a year/cycle to actually apply with a 3.4, as I believe updating your GPA that late into the cycle (May/June) is a no-go.

OP, if you're going to invest in another year of UG to raise your GPA, which is a good move IMO, then you should take a year off so that your LS application can benefit from doing so. Otherwise, I don't think a 3.2 to a 3.3, with regards to your application and paying 10 grand, is worth it, as a 3.2 -3.3 GPA is below/at many school's 25th percentiles.

Good luck in whatever you decide!

nmop_apisdn wrote:

Mal Reynolds wrote:

Stonehill wrote:I feel like there is a big difference between a 3.2 and a 3.4 , I would think that would put me in a whole new tier

It would probably be a big difference at certain schools. The dude above you can't even spell his own name right.

First off, you're a fucking idiot, Mal Reynolds. You couldn't come up with a better username so you decided to go with a shitty actor's name. How pathetic. And btw, its not that I spelled my name incorrectly, I actually decided that it looked better that way without considering the shit I would get for doing so. Regardless, I don't give a fuck about the spelling of my username.

Second, the OP said that he would be applying in the midst of the year, meaning that the LS would only see his GPA up until that point, in which he has indicated that it won't/can't be a 3.4 at that point; basically, he'd be applying with whatever GPA he had at that point (At or less than a 3.3).

Lol you sound mad. First off, it's Captain Reynolds to you and he is not an actor. He is the Captain of the Firefly class ship, Serenity. I agree with your second point. That's why I told him to take a year off. Calm down bra.

Mal Reynolds wrote:

nmop_apisdn wrote:

Mal Reynolds wrote:

Stonehill wrote:I feel like there is a big difference between a 3.2 and a 3.4 , I would think that would put me in a whole new tier

It would probably be a big difference at certain schools. The dude above you can't even spell his own name right.

First off, you're a fucking idiot, Mal Reynolds. You couldn't come up with a better username so you decided to go with a shitty actor's name. How pathetic. And btw, its not that I spelled my name incorrectly, I actually decided that it looked better that way without considering the shit I would get for doing so. Regardless, I don't give a fuck about the spelling of my username.

Second, the OP said that he would be applying in the midst of the year, meaning that the LS would only see his GPA up until that point, in which he has indicated that it won't/can't be a 3.4 at that point; basically, he'd be applying with whatever GPA he had at that point (At or less than a 3.3).

Lol you sound mad. First off, it's Captain Reynolds to you and he is not an actor. He is the Captain of the Firefly class ship, Serenity. I agree with your second point. That's why I told him to take a year off. Calm down bra.

I'm not mad, little breh. I'm just amazed that you'd attack the quality of my advice based on my username - fallacious reasoning at best. Even so, I like the way my username is spelled - correct or not - it's more asthetically pleasing to me.

Also, I used an "a" in place of the "e" at the end of "upside"; you gonna talk shit about that too?

lulz at ad hominems.

PARTY wrote:lulz at ad hominems.

There's a party up in HERE.

What was the difference to gpa?