Top Law Schools

The highest ranked school I was accepted to was ranked twentieth. Should I even go to law school, or is it a pipe dream to be a lawyer since I did not get into a top 14? Is it time to take a year off and try and boost my lsat (I got a 167)? I don't want to waste my time since I didn't get accepted anywhere good.

hopingtogetin wrote:The highest ranked school I was accepted to was ranked twentieth. Should I even go to law school, or is it a pipe dream to be a lawyer since I did not get into a top 14? Is it time to take a year off and try and boost my lsat (I got a 167)? I don't want to waste my time since I didn't get accepted anywhere good.

Good is a relative term. Is the school located in the region you wish to work? Do they have strong placement outside that region if they are not located whrere you wish to be? Were you offered money? TLS wisdom suggests retaking and going to a T14, but it really depends on your own situation and what you are looking for.

hopingtogetin wrote:The highest ranked school I was accepted to was ranked twentieth. Should I even go to law school, or is it a pipe dream to be a lawyer since I did not get into a top 14? Is it time to take a year off and try and boost my lsat (I got a 167)? I don't want to waste my time since I didn't get accepted anywhere good.

Are you looking for validation?

hopingtogetin wrote:The highest ranked school I was accepted to was ranked twentieth. Should I even go to law school, or is it a pipe dream to be a lawyer since I did not get into a top 14? Is it time to take a year off and try and boost my lsat (I got a 167)? I don't want to waste my time since I didn't get accepted anywhere good.

What's your gpa? How long have you been studying for LSAT? When did you apply during this cycle?

Also you can go to a 20th ranked and still have a good shot at big law.
Top 15-10% and not being aspie almost guarantees biglaw

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hopingtogetin wrote:I wanted to work in criminal law, like state prosecution, so I don't want to work for biglaw. Also, I have absolutely no regional ties whatsoever--I would be willing to live or work anywhere.

My gpa is a 3.67, and I took the LSAT in October 2012 after studying from May-October. I got my applications into my schools in the first week of November 2012

And no, I am not looking for validation-I just want to make sure I don't waste 3 years of my life by being unemployable after law school graduation!

It becomes a question of debt and the school's employment prospects. Not all T30/T20 or T1 (whatever you wanna call it) are created equally. Some give you a fighting chance at biglaw. Others give you no chance. So only the names of the schools you are admitted to with the COA will allow someone to give you any idea as whether it makes sense.

EDIT: I see you updated your post. I don't know much about GW but I am sure there are others on here that could help you out.

hopingtogetin wrote:I wanted to work in criminal law, like state prosecution, so I don't want to work for biglaw. Also, I have absolutely no regional ties whatsoever--I would be willing to live or work anywhere.

My gpa is a 3.67, and I took the LSAT in October 2012 after studying from May-October. I got my applications into my schools in the first week of November 2012

And no, I am not looking for validation-I just want to make sure I don't waste 3 years of my life by being unemployable after law school graduation!

The schools I got into were GWU, William and Mary, and South Carolina. I got $ at all of them (half at GW and WIlliam and Mary, full at South Carolina).

Do you have a DUI or something? If you can wait you should ED to virgina or retake.

Did you apply to any T14? or UCLA/UT/Vandy/USC? this suggest you shouldve had a great shot at cornell and down.

http://myLSN.info/45r1r0

I did apply to Georgetown, Michigan, and UVA in the top 14, as well as Vanderbilt. I actually haven't heard yet from Vanderbilt, but assuming since I got my application in the first week of November and have yet to hear, I'm guessing that it's a no, since I was rejected at the other three.

although its late in the cycle i would suggest applying to UMN and USC. UMN should throw you tons of money for your numbers which you may be able to use for negotiation. USC seems to look favorably on your numbers. Do you have and C&F issues that may be holding you back?

Throttle wrote:

hopingtogetin wrote:The highest ranked school I was accepted to was ranked twentieth. Should I even go to law school, or is it a pipe dream to be a lawyer since I did not get into a top 14? Is it time to take a year off and try and boost my lsat (I got a 167)? I don't want to waste my time since I didn't get accepted anywhere good.

What's your gpa? How long have you been studying for LSAT? When did you apply during this cycle?

Also you can go to a 20th ranked and still have a good shot at big law.
Top 15-10% and not being aspie almost guarantees biglaw

Bad math and bad advice

I think there are many benefits of waiting a year, especially if you have very little experience on your resume. It would give you plenty of time to study for a re-take, of course, and another year to monitor employment data isn't so bad either. Plus, you might find something else you enjoy doing that doesn't require such a massive gamble.

kwais wrote:

Throttle wrote:

hopingtogetin wrote:The highest ranked school I was accepted to was ranked twentieth. Should I even go to law school, or is it a pipe dream to be a lawyer since I did not get into a top 14? Is it time to take a year off and try and boost my lsat (I got a 167)? I don't want to waste my time since I didn't get accepted anywhere good.

What's your gpa? How long have you been studying for LSAT? When did you apply during this cycle?

Also you can go to a 20th ranked and still have a good shot at big law.
Top 15-10% and not being aspie almost guarantees biglaw

Bad math and bad advice

How is it bad math and bad advice?

i mean i can't tell if you if you should actually go to law schoool or not, and it looks like you're doubting it a bit...but if your only concern is getting into the t14, then yes you can and should wait a year, get that LSAT score up, and try again. your GPA isn't bad and just 2-3 more points on the LSAT can really pay off.

last year the best school i was accepted to was UMN (waitlisted or rejected at everywhere better, and i applied to a LOT of places) and this year i already have 3 t14 acceptances (two of which waitlisted me last year, one of those with $ this time), still waiting to hear back on others. nothing wrong with waiting a year and applying again as a stronger candidate.

167 is not bad, but if you have ask "should I" to anything that takes 3 years and costs more than a house................you already have your answer.

-This is coming from somone who will tell mostly anyone already in not to quit, but for those doubter not yet in the door................don't jump in the pool unless you are willing to swim all of the way to the other side.

Throttle wrote:

How is it bad math and bad advice?

Because plenty of people at top 20 schools strike out despite being in the top of their class and being "non-aspie." Outside of the T14 schools, your chances at biglaw are really limited and they're not dictated entirely by grades.

Throttle wrote:

hopingtogetin wrote:I wanted to work in criminal law, like state prosecution, so I don't want to work for biglaw. Also, I have absolutely no regional ties whatsoever--I would be willing to live or work anywhere.

My gpa is a 3.67, and I took the LSAT in October 2012 after studying from May-October. I got my applications into my schools in the first week of November 2012

And no, I am not looking for validation-I just want to make sure I don't waste 3 years of my life by being unemployable after law school graduation!

The schools I got into were GWU, William and Mary, and South Carolina. I got $ at all of them (half at GW and WIlliam and Mary, full at South Carolina).

Do you have a DUI or something? If you can wait you should ED to virgina or retake.

Just stop. The advice you're giving in this thread is awful. He performed right in line with his numbers, and he would have exactly zero chance of admission to UVA, whether ED or RD.

OP, you need to retake. Hitting 170 would give you a good to very good shot at most of the lower T14 (except B). A 171 would give you a shot at NYU and would make you a virtual lock at DNCG (and MVP, if you get around the YP), some with good money. You would also see more money at non-T14 schools.

There is a poster on jdunderground.com who attended a T-20 and is unemployed. She posts frequently. She is in full blown crisis mode. She recommends going to YHS only. I have a lot of friends that attended UT Austin, and a lot of them told me I should think real, real carefully about whether I should attend or not. I am from Texas though, and if I were to attend I would probably be able to get COA under $75K. I am not so sure I would attend UT Austin though. I am gunning hard for YHSC or the rest of the T-14 at $$. I want national portability.

Throttle wrote:

kwais wrote:

Throttle wrote:

hopingtogetin wrote:The highest ranked school I was accepted to was ranked twentieth. Should I even go to law school, or is it a pipe dream to be a lawyer since I did not get into a top 14? Is it time to take a year off and try and boost my lsat (I got a 167)? I don't want to waste my time since I didn't get accepted anywhere good.

What's your gpa? How long have you been studying for LSAT? When did you apply during this cycle?

Also you can go to a 20th ranked and still have a good shot at big law.
Top 15-10% and not being aspie almost guarantees biglaw

Bad math and bad advice

How is it bad math and bad advice?

Because a 15% chance is actually a BAD shot, not a GOOD shot.

cinephile wrote:

Throttle wrote:

How is it bad math and bad advice?

Because plenty of people at top 20 schools strike out despite being in the top of their class and being "non-aspie." Outside of the T14 schools, your chances at biglaw are really limited and they're not dictated entirely by grades.

Grades and being "non-aspie" does not guarantee you biglaw no matter where you go (okay, you might have to try really hard to strike out at HYS if you have great grades and are socially normal). Yes, with great grades from a school with great placement, then you are in a very good position. But there are a ton of other stuff in play--bidding strategy, where you have ties, how insular a particular market is, how healthy is the legal market in a particular area, etc. OCI, like grades, can have a bit of randomness to it.

All the advice saying apply to the T14 is incredibly stupid. OP wants to do criminal law. OP doesn't want Big Law. The T14 isn't going to offer him or her any serious advantage for this. The person should retake to get a full ride somewhere decent or a good scholarship at a T14 but this isn't about T14 or bust. Is OP better positioned going to a better school? Sure. Is it worth it to take it at sticker or close to sticker? Not at all.

LRGhost wrote:All the advice saying apply to the T14 is incredibly stupid. OP wants to do criminal law. OP doesn't want Big Law. The T14 isn't going to offer him or her any serious advantage for this. The person should retake to get a full ride somewhere decent or a good scholarship at a T14 but this isn't about T14 or bust. Is OP better positioned going to a better school? Sure. Is it worth it to take it at sticker or close to sticker? Not at all.

...because nobody changes their mind on what sort of law they want to practice?

Unless OP knows exactly what criminal law entails and has hands-on experience, the risk of him changing his mind and then being SOL is pretty high.

Retaking for $$ is credited, though.

Suralin wrote:

LRGhost wrote:All the advice saying apply to the T14 is incredibly stupid. OP wants to do criminal law. OP doesn't want Big Law. The T14 isn't going to offer him or her any serious advantage for this. The person should retake to get a full ride somewhere decent or a good scholarship at a T14 but this isn't about T14 or bust. Is OP better positioned going to a better school? Sure. Is it worth it to take it at sticker or close to sticker? Not at all.

...because nobody changes their mind on what sort of law they want to practice?

Unless OP knows exactly what criminal law entails and has hands-on experience, the risk of him changing his mind and then being SOL is pretty high.

Retaking for $$ is credited, though.

Honestly, the alternative that OP has a change of heart to work 2000+ hour years is unlikely. OP probably has more job security looking into a practice with regular, non-white collar criminal law. I agree that OP could change his or her mind but saying to pay money for a T14 on the chance that that happens is nonsense.

OP should take the year off to get a better score and get a full-ride or half schollies at T14s, though.

DA offices don't care what your school's rank is.

You debt load doesn't really matter if you do prosecution either.

But... since you're asking, no, you probably shouldn't go to law school.

bizzybone1313 wrote:There is a poster on jdunderground.com who attended a T-20 and is unemployed. She posts frequently. She is in full blown crisis mode. She recommends going to YHS only. I have a lot of friends that attended UT Austin, and a lot of them told me I should think real, real carefully about whether I should attend or not. I am from Texas though, and if I were to attend I would probably be able to get COA under $75K. I am not so sure I would attend UT Austin though. I am gunning hard for YHSC or the rest of the T-14 at $$. I want national portability.

This is probably an ad hominem, but I normally wouldn't trust anyone who is "full blown crisis mode" and posts frequently on any site....apart from tls ofcourse