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I've been browsing TLS for about a year, and finally put together (what I think) is a legitimate question for the board. Apologies in advance if this is the wrong outlet.


Until recently I'd settled on a TT, state university with my 161. I'm a GI Bill eligible vet, and intend to use it on law school. My work in the service, although not combat related, was somewhat impressive and makes for a hell of a personal statement. As for the recent shift in LS consideration, I was offered a high level GS position that starts at ~100K in D.C., which likely won't begin until around Aug/Sep. This is obviously something I can't turn down, but I am still adamant about using the GIB for LS. That said, my current thought process is to retake in June after some serious tutoring and time commitment to hit that 75th for GULC's part time program.

So, the reason for my post:

I have a 3.0 LSAC gpa, and the figures I'm seeing for their part time program reveal about a 5% acceptance rate. Is this accurate, and more importantly, is GULC a pipe-dream with that gpa? I'm confident in my ability to hit the 168 by June, but is it worth the effort with such low probability? Also somewhat relevant is the fact that I've held a 3.9 through the last 3 years of UG. Freshman year was obviously a bust. Lastly, I want to go to law school to make money. I'm not shy about my intentions in that regard, and I think that a JD will give me options. If I don't land a "big law" position, the degree will still undoubtedly further my career in government work. Between that expectation, and the fact that tuition would be about $7500/yr, I don't see many negatives if I can actually pull it off. Thanks for thoughts or advice.

A 168 would certainly put you in the running for GULC PT. Obviously you'd go early decision to this program.

While you're probably the perfect person for GULC PT, be careful what you wish for. Paging DF et al., but I think if you talk to folks that actually have biglaw, they'd trade their right testicles for a job that paid 100k where you work 40 hours a week, half of which are done from home.

I don't see why you wouldn't at least spend a few years doing your new gov job before shooting for law school. The salary seems solid, as are the benefits I imagine. Why not see if you enjoy the work and perhaps see it opening up other opportunities down the road before preoccupying yourself with ls?

Also, as for the biglaw thing, I would just suggest you seek out a few biglaw attorneys and speak with them about it. I don't mean the grumbling tls regulars, but real life people that have experience in biglaw that will speak earnestly with you. I may be wrong, but I get the impression that you haven't done this. This isn't a tongue-in-cheek suggestion, but rather something everyone should probably do before attending law school with biglaw as the goal. I spoke with a few practicing biglaw attorneys and I'm glad that I did, because I've definitely altered my goals and expectations bit as a result.

Thank you both for taking the time.

Twenty - I hear you. I can't say for sure that I won't be a miserable bastard at firm X, but I have some crazy strong urge to find out. Plus the money. Excited to see your confidence in my possibilities.

Clem - I'm getting old, man. 30 this year makes me want to f*cking cry at night. If I don't do it now, I never will. I've sat down with a handful of associates, and with mixed results. Some are zombies, some seemed to be perfectly content with their choices. And I'll have about a year in my position before 1L to hash things out.

GULC is very military friendly. I think you'd get in, especially ED. Make sure you go to the Dean's group interview so you'll he on his radar.

I don't know what the changes are to the BAH for people going PT (if you calculated that into your COA), so it may be worth checking out. You have the full GI Bill right? All months at 100%?

DiniMae wrote:GULC is very military friendly. I think you'd get in, especially ED. Make sure you go to the Dean's group interview so you'll he on his radar.

I don't know what the changes are to the BAH for people going PT (if you calculated that into your COA), so it may be worth checking out. You have the full GI Bill right? All months at 100%?

Yes, full eligibility, so all four years nearly covered. Thanks for the heads up on Dean's interview. I've only scanned the PT requirements, but I think that the credit disbursement still puts me at full time for GI Bill purposes. Not certain, though.

Clemenceau wrote:, but I get the impression that you haven't done this. This isn't a tongue-in-cheek suggestion, but rather something everyone should probably do before attending law school with biglaw as the goal. I spoke with a few practicing biglaw attorneys and I'm glad that I did, because I've definitely altered my goals and expectations bit as a result.

Can you say a little more ? How did your views shift.

Georgetown bump for more feedback.

This central question seems to be whether its worth it for you to study for and retake the LSAT. I'd say with a high enough score, you can definitely get into GULC. I was admitted into the full time program with a 2.8 GPA, and I'd imagine that PT is less grade-sensitive.

I believe GW also has a good PT program, so even if your LSAT does not improve enough to land GULC, you could still put GW into play. And given your current resume and likely career in the DC market, I'd bet that a GW degree will do just as much for you as a GULC degree.

Thanks for that. You're right about retaking. I know it's the smart move, but damn, thinking about going through that again really bums me out. I think my aversion to GW is the cost. Tuition would be about 17K, as opposed to GULC's 7K tag. I'm guessing the difference in lsat score would be about 2-3 points.

Keep in mind that the GI Bill is the "final payer" which means that any scholarships you get get tacked onto the front. It's entirely possible that GWU gives you a 5k/year or 10k/yr scholarship with a 168 scholarship in their part time program.

Hell, I'd hope to have a decent shot at GULC with a 168. Money aside, are there ever any legitimate reasons to accept GWU over GULC?

Also, one last question. GWU's PT median is 159. Think there's any hope with my current numbers? I know that's researchable, but don't know if I'll get any good information searching part-time info.

BNA, make sure you check out the Veterans Thread. There is a Veteran there who got accepted ED into Georgetown.