Hello everybody.I am form Bulgaria,and a study International Relation in bachelor(undergraduate) degree.When i graduate I want to apply in law school in USA.Have I any chances to be enrolled in USA top law schools.Is it a problem that I am non US citizen.Sorry about my language I study it yet.And i will increase it.
Thank you for a help!
International candidate! Forum
-
TripTrip
- Posts: 2767
- Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2012 9:52 am
Re: International candidate!
Sure. Why not? Go take the LSAT.nbssb wrote:Have I any chances to be enrolled in USA top law schools.
No.nbssb wrote:Is it a problem that I am non US citizen.
-
nbssb
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2012 3:05 pm
Re: International candidate!
Thank you for answers.I am prepearing for Lsat and I hope that my GPA will be 3.8 or higher but i am not sure that the univesity who i study is equal on US university .I mean will be my GPA equal on some US student GPA.
Best regards!
Best regards!
-
TripTrip
- Posts: 2767
- Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2012 9:52 am
Re: International candidate!
Does your school calculate GPA on a 4.0 scale? If so, that will probably be your LSDAS GPA.nbssb wrote:Thank you for answers.I am prepearing for Lsat and I hope that my GPA will be 3.8 or higher but i am not sure that the univesity who i study is equal on US university .I mean will be my GPA equal on some US student GPA.
Best regards!
-
nbssb
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2012 3:05 pm
Re: International candidate!
Yes my school calculate GPA on a 4.0 scale.
Want to continue reading?
Register now to search topics and post comments!
Absolutely FREE!
Already a member? Login
-
heythatslife
- Posts: 1201
- Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2012 7:18 pm
Re: International candidate!
From what I know, the LSAT score is the single most important factor in law school admissions for international candidates. LSAC has a slightly different way of dealing with foreign undergraduate GPAs in that it will label them with one of the following categories: Superior, Above Average, Average, and Below Average. This system is not meant to penalize international candidates, but it just means that your GPA will matter less compared to domestic applicants. I can't recall the exact criteria for all of them but I'm pretty certain 3.8 gets you a "Superior" rating.
The real problem for international applicants, in my opinion, is their limited post-JD options - i.e. your career after graduation. It literally is a "biglaw or bust" situation for us (yes, I'm also a foreign national, although I did my undergraduate studies in the US), because "midlaw" and "shitlaw" firms most likely will not/cannot sponsor a long-term work visa. That makes US law schools a huge financial gamble unless you can get your LSAT scores up in the 170+ range and get into one of the top schools, which would give you a fair shot at biglaw. I'm not trying to intimidate you or discourage you from following this path, but you should at least be aware of the realities. So, my advice to you is to work hard on your English, because the LSAT is not an easy test even for native English speakers.
For purposes of admission, it's not a problem. In fact, I think being Bulgarian might even be considered as a diversity factor, which could potentially help you (although I'm speculating here).nbssb wrote:Is it a problem that I am non US citizen.Thank you for a help!
The real problem for international applicants, in my opinion, is their limited post-JD options - i.e. your career after graduation. It literally is a "biglaw or bust" situation for us (yes, I'm also a foreign national, although I did my undergraduate studies in the US), because "midlaw" and "shitlaw" firms most likely will not/cannot sponsor a long-term work visa. That makes US law schools a huge financial gamble unless you can get your LSAT scores up in the 170+ range and get into one of the top schools, which would give you a fair shot at biglaw. I'm not trying to intimidate you or discourage you from following this path, but you should at least be aware of the realities. So, my advice to you is to work hard on your English, because the LSAT is not an easy test even for native English speakers.
-
nbssb
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2012 3:05 pm
Re: International candidate!
Thank you for advice heythatslife.
-
spleenworship
- Posts: 4394
- Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2011 11:08 pm
Re: International candidate!
Also, the greater your english comprehension the easier it will be to score higher on the LSAT. And you want to score as high as possible. You should practice. Find ways on the internet to watch American, Canadian, and British TV shows and movies, get some books in English, and "hang out" here in the lounge reading and talking to people. Otherwise you'll never be able to finish the reading comprehension section in time to get a good score.
Furthermore, I recommend securing funding now, somehow, or you are going to be limited to just a few schools that will provide loans or grants to international students. While a very good LSAT score may secure scholarships, the fact is that if you lost that scholarship for whatever reason you would simply have to drop out of school unless your family can come up with the $40,000 a year, for a year or two for you to finish. So see if you can figure that out as well, because you will not qualify for US student loans.
Perhaps your country has some sort of student loan funding you could call on?
Furthermore, I recommend securing funding now, somehow, or you are going to be limited to just a few schools that will provide loans or grants to international students. While a very good LSAT score may secure scholarships, the fact is that if you lost that scholarship for whatever reason you would simply have to drop out of school unless your family can come up with the $40,000 a year, for a year or two for you to finish. So see if you can figure that out as well, because you will not qualify for US student loans.
Perhaps your country has some sort of student loan funding you could call on?
