Top Law Schools

Hi all -

I have a 3.45 GPA and a 166 on the LSAT. Can't retake because I've already taken it 3 times. Question is, would it be better to try and get into the best school possible or should I try and get somewhere where I'm going to be above median and thus (hopefully) more likely to get decent scholarship money and a better class rank?

With your stats, a higher ranked school.

TheMostDangerousLG wrote:With your stats, a higher ranked school.

TITCR

I would try to limit debt as much as possible. With the schools you are looking at, it is unlikely you are competitive to work in a mid-size or large law firm that places an emphasis on school rank or grades.

Tom Joad wrote:I would try to limit debt as much as possible. With the schools you are looking at, it is unlikely you are competitive to work in a mid-size or large law firm that places an emphasis on school rank or grades.

TCR

TheMostDangerousLG wrote:With your stats, a higher ranked school.

And take on big debt? Even the best schools I think I have a shot of getting into are definitely more regional than national so would I be in that much stronger of a position graduating from the top regional school at roughly median than from a non-top regional at above median? It just makes me nervous because I feel like any school that I barely get into is going to have a class that is much more competitive than a school where I am clearly above median, at least in LSAT score.

Tom Joad wrote:I would try to limit debt as much as possible. With the schools you are looking at, it is unlikely you are competitive to work in a mid-size or large law firm that places an emphasis on school rank or grades.

To what extent should I focus on limiting debt? Is it better to go to the dominant school in a state for half price or a second or third ranked school in a state for free?

5678 wrote:

Tom Joad wrote:I would try to limit debt as much as possible. With the schools you are looking at, it is unlikely you are competitive to work in a mid-size or large law firm that places an emphasis on school rank or grades.

To what extent should I focus on limiting debt? Is it better to go to the dominant school in a state for half price or a second or third ranked school in a state for free?

This is probably too vague of a question for anybody to answer. If you want an answer you have to cough up costs of attendance and schools. And even then, there might not be a right answer. Most likely boils down to personal preferences and other idiosyncrasies.

Tom Joad wrote:

5678 wrote:

Tom Joad wrote:I would try to limit debt as much as possible. With the schools you are looking at, it is unlikely you are competitive to work in a mid-size or large law firm that places an emphasis on school rank or grades.

To what extent should I focus on limiting debt? Is it better to go to the dominant school in a state for half price or a second or third ranked school in a state for free?

This is probably too vague of a question for anybody to answer. If you want an answer you have to cough up costs of attendance and schools. And even then, there might not be a right answer. Most likely boils down to personal preferences and other idiosyncrasies.

Alright fair enough.

Another question - Is where you land on LSAT spread a good predictor of class rank?

Supposedly it has a correlation of .4 or so. So, if you're well above the LSAT median for a school, you're more likely than the next guy to rank highly, but it's still far from guaranteed.

go for the best ranked school that offers you the best scholarship with no stipulations other then remain in good standing. If there are more than one offer, go to the school that's the closest to your target market. Keep that debt down.

5678 wrote:

Tom Joad wrote:

5678 wrote:

Tom Joad wrote:I would try to limit debt as much as possible. With the schools you are looking at, it is unlikely you are competitive to work in a mid-size or large law firm that places an emphasis on school rank or grades.

To what extent should I focus on limiting debt? Is it better to go to the dominant school in a state for half price or a second or third ranked school in a state for free?

This is probably too vague of a question for anybody to answer. If you want an answer you have to cough up costs of attendance and schools. And even then, there might not be a right answer. Most likely boils down to personal preferences and other idiosyncrasies.

Alright fair enough.

Another question - Is where you land on LSAT spread a good predictor of class rank?

It's probably the best predictor out there, but it's really not a good one, especially since at most schools the difference isn't high enough to be statistically significant. It's not like a kid who got a 170 is in the same section as a kid who got a 145. That kid with the 170 would most likely score higher on a law school test, but we'll never know, because s/he went to a better school.

At the schools you're looking it, half the class will probably have in the 162-165 range, and no, you're not really more likely to do better than them.

You should go in to school expecting to be around median, because you're more likely to be there than anywhere else. Don't go to a law school where you wouldn't be happy with around median. If you do better than that, good for you.

5678 wrote:Hi all -

I have a 3.45 GPA and a 166 on the LSAT. Can't retake because I've already taken it 3 times. Question is, would it be better to try and get into the best school possible or should I try and get somewhere where I'm going to be above median and thus (hopefully) more likely to get decent scholarship money and a better class rank?

Apply to both, use the lower-ranked schools to negotiate scholarships elsewhere, and then make a decision based on the expected ROI compared to your student loan debt based on accurate numbers (such as those provided by LawSchoolTransparency). Going to the best school to which you're admitted might be the best decision, or it might not be. You won't know until you have all that information. But you want to make sure you have options, so apply to a range of schools.

Top regional schools aren't bad. 166 is not the end of the world. You'll still make it into some respectable programs. My personal preference in your shoes would be to take on as little as debt as possible, but that will depend on the scholarship offers.

Good luck, without knowing your personal preferences it's hard to really help here.