Top Law Schools

Hi again, decided my last post got a little out of hand and did not go the direction I had planned for it to go, but I'm just looking for some advice here because I have 2 strategies in mind and would like some honest input. First, some background info:

Current GPA: 3.78
LSAT: Taking in Oct and/or Dec
Status: 5th year, could graduate this fall

First strategy: Take all the courses needed, graduate by Fall, work during the spring until law school in the fall.
Pros:
- Don't have to take another semester of college.

Second strategy: Extend my schooling to the Spring 2013 semester, raise my GPA a bit (potentially to a 3.81), and take the LSAT in Dec 2012/June 2013/October 2013
Pros:
- Can raise my GPA a couple of points and get it past a 3.8, which seems to be a floor at some schools.
- Have the advantage of taking some easier courses in-between instead of taking required/harder ones all at the same time while studying for the LSAT in Oct/Dec 2012.
- Would make study load less, easier to study for the LSAT

Cons:
- Probably means defering law school a year because I'd want my higher GPA to factor in. This could be a pro because it'd give me time to add an extra year of work experience.

Also, will me having 20+ hours over what I need to graduate look weird? Is a 3.81 really much better than a 3.78? With work and school right now I just don't feel like I'm getting to adequately prepare for the LSAT like I'd like to and it may be harder if I have to take the class load I planned to take this fall. And finally, if I take a handful of really obviously easy courses, is anyone actually going to care or is it truly just the number? I haven't taken blow offs in the past.

For these strategies, money is not an issue. Thanks for any advice in advance.

JohnV wrote:Hi again, decided my last post got a little out of hand and did not go the direction I had planned for it to go, but I'm just looking for some advice here because I have 2 strategies in mind and would like some honest input. First, some background info:

Current GPA: 3.78
LSAT: Taking in Oct and/or Dec
Status: 5th year, could graduate this fall

First strategy: Take all the courses needed, graduate by Fall, work during the spring until law school in the fall.
Pros:
- Don't have to take another semester of college.

Second strategy: Extend my schooling to the Spring 2013 semester, raise my GPA a bit (potentially to a 3.81), and take the LSAT in Dec 2012/June 2013/October 2013
Pros:
- Can raise my GPA a couple of points and get it past a 3.8, which seems to be a floor at some schools.
- Have the advantage of taking some easier courses in-between instead of taking required/harder ones all at the same time while studying for the LSAT in Oct/Dec 2012.
- Would make study load less, easier to study for the LSAT

Cons:
- Probably means defering law school a year because I'd want my higher GPA to factor in. This could be a pro because it'd give me time to add an extra year of work experience.

Also, will me having 20+ hours over what I need to graduate look weird? Is a 3.81 really much better than a 3.78? With work and school right now I just don't feel like I'm getting to adequately prepare for the LSAT like I'd like to and it may be harder if I have to take the class load I planned to take this fall.

For these strategies, money is not an issue. Thanks for any advice in advance.

Look at the medians. There's only one law school that has a 25th percentile GPA above 3.8
Personally, I'd say graduate sooner rather than later, but that's me.

dingbat wrote:

JohnV wrote:Hi again, decided my last post got a little out of hand and did not go the direction I had planned for it to go, but I'm just looking for some advice here because I have 2 strategies in mind and would like some honest input. First, some background info:

Current GPA: 3.78
LSAT: Taking in Oct and/or Dec
Status: 5th year, could graduate this fall

First strategy: Take all the courses needed, graduate by Fall, work during the spring until law school in the fall.
Pros:
- Don't have to take another semester of college.

Second strategy: Extend my schooling to the Spring 2013 semester, raise my GPA a bit (potentially to a 3.81), and take the LSAT in Dec 2012/June 2013/October 2013
Pros:
- Can raise my GPA a couple of points and get it past a 3.8, which seems to be a floor at some schools.
- Have the advantage of taking some easier courses in-between instead of taking required/harder ones all at the same time while studying for the LSAT in Oct/Dec 2012.
- Would make study load less, easier to study for the LSAT

Cons:
- Probably means defering law school a year because I'd want my higher GPA to factor in. This could be a pro because it'd give me time to add an extra year of work experience.

Also, will me having 20+ hours over what I need to graduate look weird? Is a 3.81 really much better than a 3.78? With work and school right now I just don't feel like I'm getting to adequately prepare for the LSAT like I'd like to and it may be harder if I have to take the class load I planned to take this fall.

For these strategies, money is not an issue. Thanks for any advice in advance.

Look at the medians. There's only one law school that has a 25th percentile GPA above 3.8
Personally, I'd say graduate sooner rather than later, but that's me.

It's tempting... I'm already late to the graduating thing, so I want to get it over with, it makes me a little nauseous just thinking about staying another semester. But, there's really no reason not to other than more free time in the spring and that if I am able to do as well as I'd like in Oct/Dec the GPA might not matter. But, if it doesn't, I need to prepare for it now and if I want to have a chance at YHS I'm wondering if this could have any foreseeable impact.

LSN says that chances improve from nonexistence to barely noticeable for SLS.

What schools in particular are you targeting? I'd look at their medians. If I were in your shoes, I would probably graduate early unless a 25/50/75 were involved.

By the way, I just found the previous thread you mentioned today. No joke, I was going to create the exact same thread today until I found yours. I wish I had seen that thread when it was active, so I could have helped you out against the trolls.

Good luck!!

How much more debt will you have if you stay in school?

WWVWD?

(What would Van Wilder do?)

JCFindley wrote:WWVWD?

(What would Van Wilder do?)

Lol yea I'm starting to feel like that.

InGoodFaith wrote: How much more debt will you have if you stay in school?

Debt won't increase. I've got some assistance avenues that will pay this semester while I'm able to work and pay for rent/necessities and start saving a bit.

goldenflash19 wrote: What schools in particular are you targeting? I'd look at their medians. If I were in your shoes, I would probably graduate early unless a 25/50/75 were involved.

Well, Stanford's median seems to be deceiving, at least according to LSN, which has very few <3.8 admits. I'm slightly above Harvard's 25%, but this would be the difference between 'meeting the 25%' and being slightly above it.

Whichever way you choose, I would still defer school for another year and get more work experience. That would also allow you longer to study for the LSAT and/or chance to retake if you're not happy with your first score. I got into a reach school (one of HYS) and partly attribute it to my work experience. Also, I feel that the experience has helped me 1) gain more skills that will help me in school and afterward, 2) give me extra time so I don't get burnt out on school, 3) and learn more about which areas of law I'm most interested in. Not to mention the help that work experience gives you for OCI (although I haven't yet experienced that). Good luck!

If you want to consider HYS, you need to do everything in your power to get that GPA above 3.8. Seriously.

Of course, this is all irrelevant before you get your LSAT score, but if you're targeting these schools, it's definitely worth it to take the extra semester.

take 50 classes at university of phoenix online, cheat on all the exams, enjoy your 4.2 gpa

EDIT: If I do decide to take the extra semester, postpone lawschool until Fall 2014, should I even keep studying for the LSAT? I don't want to abandon studying for it because I've already exhuasted 1/3 of the material and I'd feel like I've wasted a lot of time. But in the scenario where I take the spring semester and a year off from school to gain WE and all of that, I wouldn't take the LSAT until June and/or Oct 2013. Is it advisable to continue lightly studying for it until a bit closer or should I just drop it altogether for a while?

fatduck wrote:take 50 classes at university of phoenix online, cheat on all the exams, enjoy your 4.2 gpa

Seems like I have a fan.

instantwonton wrote: Whichever way you choose, I would still defer school for another year and get more work experience. That would also allow you longer to study for the LSAT and/or chance to retake if you're not happy with your first score. I got into a reach school (one of HYS) and partly attribute it to my work experience. Also, I feel that the experience has helped me 1) gain more skills that will help me in school and afterward, 2) give me extra time so I don't get burnt out on school, 3) and learn more about which areas of law I'm most interested in. Not to mention the help that work experience gives you for OCI (although I haven't yet experienced that). Good luck!

This is what I'm thinking at the moment as well. I have about a year and a half of UG work experience, but another year would probably help a bit. Thanks for the advice.

Of course, this is all irrelevant before you get your LSAT score, but if you're targeting these schools, it's definitely worth it to take the extra semester.

It also may change how much I study now and when I plan to take the test. If I know I'm not going to apply this october, it may be useful for me to change my study habits a bit. Also, this has some implications for LORs as well. I have one decent LOR ready and could get 1 or 2 more, but they wouldn't be stellar, this could potentially change that somewhat.

JohnV wrote:

fatduck wrote:take 50 classes at university of phoenix online, cheat on all the exams, enjoy your 4.2 gpa

Seems like I have a fan.

i post in pretty much every thread on this site. you aren't special.

fatduck wrote:

JohnV wrote:

fatduck wrote:take 50 classes at university of phoenix online, cheat on all the exams, enjoy your 4.2 gpa

Seems like I have a fan.

i post in pretty much every thread on this site. you aren't special.

Don't act like you didn't remember me, you gave me a very personalized troll earlier from a post that had been dead for months. You can't deny what we have is special.

JohnV wrote:Don't act like you didn't remember me, you gave me a very personalized troll earlier from a post that had been dead for months. You can't deny what we have is special.

Please be one of those posters that doesn't stick around. TYIA.

InGoodFaith wrote:

JohnV wrote:Don't act like you didn't remember me, you gave me a very personalized troll earlier from a post that had been dead for months. You can't deny what we have is special.

Please be one of those posters that doesn't stick around. TYIA.

This.

I'll get out of your forum some day if you get out of my thread now. Kthx.

JohnV wrote:

InGoodFaith wrote:

JohnV wrote:Don't act like you didn't remember me, you gave me a very personalized troll earlier from a post that had been dead for months. You can't deny what we have is special.

Please be one of those posters that doesn't stick around. TYIA.

This.

I'll get out of your forum some day if you get out of my thread now. Kthx.

No promises.