How will law school admissions view my music classes? Forum

[mjhz]

I'm a Music Business major at a Top 50 University, and--as the way my major works--I am required to take a certain number of "performance" classes as pre-reqs for my upperdivision Music Business classes. These classes haven proven to be incredibly difficult given I've had a miniscule amount of formal musical training throughout my life. In fact, many of my classmates are actual performance majors and have been studying since early childhood. I played sax in highschool band and have played guitar in various bands throughout the years, and I've picked up informal understandings of music which, in an institutionalized music education setting, have proven to be wrong. A lot of my time spent in these classes involve the deconstruction and reconstruction of certain methodologies and understandings I've come to accept throughout my entire experience with music.
How will law schools view my performance in these classes? While not horrible, my grades have been sufficient enough to hold a 3.71 in conjunction with other classes in my courseload. I'm hopeful for a Top 20 school, but I probably need an LSAT score to really have any idea of where I initially stand in this process. Still, I feel like these classes are significantly different from my other classes insofar as a grade being an accurate reflection of an understanding of the material. A lot of the grading system is subjective and often times biased. Would this be something to talk about in an addendum? Perhaps there's a silver lining I could focus on as I don't want to be making excuses.

edit: might be worth mentioning I'm currently in my 2nd year of undergrad

[arklaw13]

What year in college are you?

[BigZuck]

They'll like your GPA better than if it was a 3.70 but not as much as they would have liked it if it were a 3.72

Don't write an addendum. Grading is subjective? That's what you would say? No, don't do that.

[mjhz]

What year in college are you?

2nd year. I'll edit to mention that in my original post

[arklaw13]

What year in college are you?

2nd year. I'll edit to mention that in my original post

Relax. Just get as high a GPA as you can. This is really early for you to be worrying about this just yet.

[mjhz]

What year in college are you?

2nd year. I'll edit to mention that in my original post

Relax. Just get as high a GPA as you can. This is really early for you to be worrying about this just yet.

Yeah, it's just now that I'm in to my second year of this stuff it's starting to get crazy

[ManoftheHour]

Yeah, it's just now that I'm in to my second year of this stuff it's starting to get crazy

lol, you don't know the definition of crazy yet. It's way too early to be worrying about this. Keep your GPA up and just enjoy college!

[mjhz]

They'll like your GPA better than if it was a 3.70 but not as much as they would have liked it if it were a 3.72

Don't write an addendum. Grading is subjective? That's what you would say? No, don't do that.

Please listen through the door as I perform my next Jazz Improv exam.

[ManoftheHour]

They'll like your GPA better than if it was a 3.70 but not as much as they would have liked it if it were a 3.72

Don't write an addendum. Grading is subjective? That's what you would say? No, don't do that.

Please listen through the door as I perform my next Jazz Improv exam.

Still. Schools probably aren't going to buy that. Unless you are a hard science major, probably all other grading in your courses are arguably subjective (i.e. majors with lots of writing).

Above all else, law schools probably don't care, even if they agree with you that it is not fair. They want only two things from you: Your GPA and your LSAT. Why? Because these two factors affect their ranking.

If this really bothers you, change majors.

[BigZuck]

They'll like your GPA better than if it was a 3.70 but not as much as they would have liked it if it were a 3.72

Don't write an addendum. Grading is subjective? That's what you would say? No, don't do that.

Please listen through the door as I perform my next Jazz Improv exam.

How's it any different than the way an English paper is graded?

[mjhz]

They'll like your GPA better than if it was a 3.70 but not as much as they would have liked it if it were a 3.72

Don't write an addendum. Grading is subjective? That's what you would say? No, don't do that.

Please listen through the door as I perform my next Jazz Improv exam.

How's it any different than the way an English paper is graded?

I'm given a sheet of chords and a backing track, and I'm expected to improvise something meaningful based off theoretical knowledge and physical proficiency.

[ManoftheHour]

You could go into engineering or become a math major. No subjective grading there. However, if you do poorly, schools are not going to care that you took on a harder major? Why?

Reason was previously mentioned. They only care about two things: Your GPA and your LSAT score. Why? Because it affects them in the rankings.

The point is, on that logic, people of all different majors could write addendums. But they will sound like nothing more than excuses to schools, so don't do it.

[BigZuck]

I'm given a sheet of chords and a backing track, and I'm expected to improvise something meaningful based off theoretical knowledge and physical proficiency.

How's that any different than being given a pen and a bluebook and told to go write something meaningful about a poem you read?

But what I meant was how is the grading any more subjective here than when an English professor grades an essay?

[mjhz]

They'll like your GPA better than if it was a 3.70 but not as much as they would have liked it if it were a 3.72

Don't write an addendum. Grading is subjective? That's what you would say? No, don't do that.

Please listen through the door as I perform my next Jazz Improv exam.

Still. Schools probably aren't going to buy that. Unless you are a hard science major, probably all other grading in your courses are arguably subjective (i.e. majors with lots of writing).

Above all else, law schools probably don't care, even if they agree with you that it is not fair. They want only two things from you: Your GPA and your LSAT. Why? Because these two factors affect their ranking.

If this really bothers you, change majors.

I believe you're right that it's just the GPA and LSAT in the end. I probably won't change majors; the upperdivision classes are right up my alley, and I'm hoping to practice entertainment law. I guess I should just figure out what needs to be done to solely get that GPA..

[ManoftheHour]

Honestly, even if your GPA drops a bit, if you beast the LSAT, you're golden for the top schools. I'm not talking about a T-20, I'm talking about the top top schools.

Like others have said, it's way too early. If you love your major (which I'm sure you do), stick with it and just enjoy college.

ETA: You could also take garbage easy A classes to supplement your GPA. I was a former science major so my GPA was shit. I took like 8 slam dunk A classes to pull my GPA up to a respectable range. I don't think it affected my cycle in a negative way at all. YMMV.

[mjhz]

I'm given a sheet of chords and a backing track, and I'm expected to improvise something meaningful based off theoretical knowledge and physical proficiency.

How's that any different than being given a pen and a bluebook and told to go write something meaningful about a poem you read?

But what I meant was how is the grading any more subjective here than when an English professor grades an essay?

Maybe it's just I've personally never had any trouble with those kinds of tests, and I have with these music performance-based exams. I do, however, believe there exists a certain favoritism of students who have a stronger musical background than myself.

Edits: In addition, words have intrinsic meanings in and of themselves. Music is entirely up for interpretation.

You can also erase mistakes and perfect an essay before handing it in. Once notes are played, there's no taking them back. That's where I'm trying to come from with this--whether or not it makes a difference.

[dudley12]

I'm hoping to practice entertainment law

you should know that, by and large, there is no such thing as entertainment law in the real world. It might exist in actuality but that shouldn't be what you're going for.

[mjhz]

I'm hoping to practice entertainment law

you should know that, by and large, there is no such thing as entertainment law in the real world. It might exist in actuality but that shouldn't be what you're going for.

Ok, thanks. One of my adjunct copyright and publishing professors is an entertainment lawyer and specializes in intellectual property law. So, maybe saying I want to practice in entertainment law would have been more correct.