Undergraduate Education impact on law school performance? Forum

[AnnaW131]

Does your undergraduate education have an impact on how well you do in law school? For example if you came from a top school and go to a T4 school.

Any observations?

[ScottRiqui]

Does your undergraduate education have an impact on how well you do in law school? For example if you came from a top school and go to a T4 school.

Any observations?

The combination of undergraduate GPA and LSAT has shown to correlate somewhat well to 1L performance in law school, but I haven't seen anything that claims to break the relationship down further into what type of undergrad you went to, or what your major was.

[badaboom61]

I knew a guy who went to a super elite undergrad and a fourth tier law school. He was top of his class and attributed it in part to his undergrad status / general intelligence reflected in that status, and it said it put him way above the vast majority of the law school class.

Obviously this is just one example; I have no idea if others have this experience.

[TigerDude]

I think how smart and disciplined you are is what decides it.

[midwest17]

I knew a guy who went to a super elite undergrad and a fourth tier law school. He was top of his class and attributed it in part to his undergrad status / general intelligence reflected in that status, and it said it put him way above the vast majority of the law school class.

Obviously this is just one example; I have no idea if others have this experience.

Doesn't going to a fourth tier law school undercut the "general intelligence" claim?

[cinephile]

No.

It was ages ago, but I read about someone who went from an ivy undergrad to a second tier school (with an LSAT about their 75th percentile) because she thought she'd be at the top of her class. She was below median and miserable and cursing herself for thinking this way. It really doesn't work like that at all.

[badaboom61]

I knew a guy who went to a super elite undergrad and a fourth tier law school. He was top of his class and attributed it in part to his undergrad status / general intelligence reflected in that status, and it said it put him way above the vast majority of the law school class.

Obviously this is just one example; I have no idea if others have this experience.

Doesn't going to a fourth tier law school undercut the "general intelligence" claim?

Seems like it, although he had a full ride scholarship and got a biglawl jerb so it worked out for him.

[bp shinners]

Your inherent intelligence can definitely be honed during your undergrad experience. Or you can just get drunk the whole time and not learn important skills like researching/writing/etc...

So if you blow off college, I definitely believe it will negatively impact how you perform in law school.