Do Law schools consider the time you spent in undergrad? Forum

[itachiuchiha]

I know that it won't make or break you but say that Person A and Person B had identical GPA's and LSATs.

Say person A finished undergrad in a total of 6 semesters (3 years) because of dual enrollment and AP credits
Say person B finished undergrad in a total of 4-5 years.

Will law schools see a distinction?

[gaud]

It may help if you're on the edge, but I'd assume that both applicants would either be accepted or rejected. No major difference.

[ScottRiqui]

My hunch is that it would be extremely rare to have two candidates so similar that the adcomms would be deciding between one or the other based on such a minor part of the application.

[gaud]

My hunch is that it would be extremely rare to have two candidates so similar that the adcomms would be deciding between one or the other based on such a minor part of the application.

Yep.

[Ling520]

I know that it won't make or break you but say that Person A and Person B had identical GPA's and LSATs.

Say person A finished undergrad in a total of 6 semesters (3 years) because of dual enrollment and AP credits
Say person B finished undergrad in a total of 4-5 years.

Will law schools see a distinction?

I think it would make you stand out IF you have a good GPA. Making straight As while taking 20+ credits a sememster will strengthen an already strong application. If your GPA is mediocre, however, I don't think it will make any difference.

[RhymesLikeDimes]

Seems like a silly thing to make a decision off of. Assuming that they both have good GPAs, B probably switched majors, or couldn't register for needed classes at a crucial point, or some other trivial factor. The only thing it would indicate is that A had more direction coming out of high school, but that's a matter for your PS, and not something that's going to tip the scales one way or the other.

[cinephile]

I know a girl who spent 9 years in undergrad. Mostly because she completed the requirements for a piano performance degree, but her parents wouldn't let her graduate/would stop paying her rent unless she got a more traditional degree. Anyway, adcoms didn't seem to hold it against her.

[2014]

So is person A matriculating at 20-21 and person B at 23-24?

We are talking completely at the margins here, assuming everything else is identical, then I personally would favor person B since he might be marginally more employable.