Can I get into a good law school with a 3.2 GPA? Forum

[laww]

I'm averaging 173 on practice tests. I've been good at taking standardized tests and AP tests (2280 SAT, 35 ACT, 4x5s on APs) and I've got another 4 months to get even better at the LSAT since I've only taken about a dozen practice tests so far.

If I'm able to score 170+ on the real thing, do I realistically have a chance of some day becoming a lawyer? I will graduate from college this month with BS in comp sci and management info systems. I would love to be a patent lawyer. I'm currently working at a biglaw firm as a member of the staff.

[rad lulz]

Lawschoolnumbers.com

[jselson]

http://www.mylsn.info/u82qbk

[laww]

Wow so basically no chance. FML. I am so bad at everything.

[rad lulz]

Wow so basically no chance. FML. I am so bad at everything.

Yeah you need to go back and read those graps

[Dr. Dre]

OP, are you URM?

also, don't compare the LSAT to the SAT/ACT, ever.

[sublime]

..

[ManoftheHour]

Wow so basically no chance. FML. I am so bad at everything.

That GPA will hold you back big time. However, you're doing IP. Just get a large scholly from the flagship school of the state in which you want to practice in and you should be fine.
Also, apply to NU and ED UVA. If not, flagship with $$$.

[Tekrul]

Wow so basically no chance. FML. I am so bad at everything.

OP, I hope you come back and read the thread again. You didn't take away the right message from the lsn data. Your GPA is holding you back to a degree but you can outdistance it by making the rest of your app strong.

You said you're pt'ing 173. You are essentially my numbers twin, you can click on my profile to see my cycle which I've made public (and will keep public until the cycle is completely over).

Seriously don't be so down on yourself. Whether or not law is right for you may be a different matter, but as far as your attitude and expectations on law school admissions, you have good reason to be a little more optimistic, given your high LSAT and work experience.

[laww]

Im sorry

I've just been having a bad few years in life. Nothing seems to go my way (and yes it is my fault and I take full responsibility for it) and this law school stint is honestly my last chance for doing something good.

[jselson]

Im sorry

I've just been having a bad few years in life. Nothing seems to go my way (and yes it is my fault and I take full responsibility for it) and this law school stint is honestly my last chance for doing something good.

ED Northwestern

[90convoy]

OP, are you URM?

[Clearly]

Im sorry

I've just been having a bad few years in life. Nothing seems to go my way (and yes it is my fault and I take full responsibility for it) and this law school stint is honestly my last chance for doing something good.

ED Northwestern

ED NU comes with full ride, no shot with that GPA, he would get pushed to RD, and admitted ASSUMING 173 though.

Trust me OP, if you crush the LSAT law school isn't off the table. You'd almost certainly be in at NU, possible at UVA, and a long-shot (but has happened) to NYU, just break all the 75th percentiles and let the chips fall.

[laww]

URM as in underrep minority?

I moved here from India about 10 yrs ago. I see lots of Indians around so no xD

[Br3v]

Yes

[laww]

Do law schools look at work experience and volunteering?

i have 300+ hours of volunteering and i'm currently working at a biglaw firm as a staff member.

also if i retake some classes I got C grades in will that look better? If I retake 3 classes my GPA will go up to 3.38.

[90convoy]

if i retake some classes I got C grades in will that look better? If I retake 3 classes my GPA will go up to 3.38.

They count all the grades on your transcript so retaking wouldn't help that much. It would be like an average of the C and whatever grade you'd get.

[laww]

At my university they changed it so retaking a class would result in the new grade replacing the old.

Do law schools not care how my university conducts grading?

[Clearly]

At my university they changed it so retaking a class would result in the new grade replacing the old.

Do law schools not care how my university conducts grading?

The LSAC doesn't care. If its on your transcript (and it is) it gets counted.

[rinkrat19]

At my university they changed it so retaking a class would result in the new grade replacing the old.

Do law schools not care how my university conducts grading?

If both grades are on your transcript, no matter whether your school adds in the first grade or not, LSAC will count both grades. If there is no indication that you ever took the class before on your transcript, LSAC would only count the new grade.

[90convoy]

At my university they changed it so retaking a class would result in the new grade replacing the old.

Do law schools not care how my university conducts grading?

If it's on the transcript law schools will count it. Your university would have to take the repeated course grade off of the transcript in order for it to not be included in your LSAC GPA.

here's a link to an area that talks about it on the LSAC website: http://www.lsac.org/policies/transcript ... zation.asp

[laww]

Dang.

One more question if that'd be okay: If I get rejected from the schools I would love to attend, is there anything I can possibly do to ensure that I can try again? Anything like work experience or something that will give me a leg up? The people who come for interviews where I work are students/grads from Columbia, NYU, HYS, and other top law schools. One of them (from Cornell) told me last year that I should look into patent law because of my UG degree as we talked about smartphones and Google's acquisition of thousands of Motorola patents.

The GPA requirement is such a killer. The average GPA for CS (as of 2012) at my school is a 3.1. I took management classes as well to gain a 'broader' understanding but I actually did much better in my CS courses than business ones. For example, I have almost all A's in CS except for a C+ in a 300 level networking class (yo dawg here's a ton of calculus.. wat) and a B+ in 300 level linux kernel prog.. I have mostly B's in my management classes.

edit: wait so my LSAC GPA is going to be much lower? God this really sucks lol

[laww]

Ok so my GPA seems like its going to be a 2.9 or 3.0... great...

EDIT: It is 3.01....

I had 2 D's which I retook and got A's. Should I list both or...

[eric922]

Ok so my GPA seems like its going to be a 2.9 or 3.0... great...

EDIT: It is 3.01....

I had 2 D's which I retook and got A's. Should I list both or...

Both will be counted towards your LSAC GPA. The good news is that even with your GPA you still have a decent chance at some good schools if you do good on the LSAT. My biggest advice to you is if you don't get at least a 170 then retake, and possibly retake even if you do. Getting over a school's 75th percentile LSAT score will make things a lot better for you.

[crumpetsandtea]

I have a 2.8/176 and I got into 3 T14 schools and am now attending one with a small scholarship. It's not impossible, you just have to do your best to game the system a little bit. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Honestly though it will be hard to gauge your chances without an official LSAT score.