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Hi,

I apologize in advance if I'm asking any questions that are naive. I've been reading a lot of posts on here but would like some advice.

I am currently thinking about applying to law school. I have been talking to a coworker who will be leaving for a T14 school and we have many of the same interests. Historically, people in my workplace who leave tend to go either to T14 law schools or get MBAs instead. My interests aren't necessarily BigLaw and I do not have a geographical preference.

Would potentially be a "splitter."
Undergrad GPA: 3.5 From what I understand, it doesn't matter that my GPA is from a top 15 institution and that there is a sharp upward trend (I had a horrible freshman year including two W's). From what I understand, A+'s may be counted in LSAC GPA a bit differently (I do have a few on my transcript)?

I have not taken the LSAT yet but am currently collecting study materials. I think my best bet would to get an absolutely perfect LSAT score. I know the GRE is a completely different test, but I did get a 170 on the verbal section for that, which I seem to have read has some similarities to the LSAT.

I know work experience is usually not a large factor, but I have read on this forum that NU tends to look more favorably on it. I have one year of experience teaching at a Title 1 school and I am currently working as an undergraduate admissions officer. I am planning to work there at least one more full year. I am not sure if these would be considered good "softs."

I guess the gist of it is whether I should bother applying to T14 law schools in general with my low undergrad GPA, or even law schools in general. It seems to me there is a bit of an attitude of T14 or bust on here. I would appreciate any thoughts you have.

Good shot at T14 with 170+. Those are not good softs but WE is valuable, especially at NU.

Agree with above. 170+ will get you t14.

Don't agree that the sentiment here is t14 or bust. There are many people who are looking at regionals, but without geographic preference, t14 should probably be the only goal. Just my opinion.

Your gpa isn't that bad for the t14. A high LSAT score could get you some money. If you want big t14 money, NU ED might be your best bet.

13IL09 wrote:Hi,

I apologize in advance if I'm asking any questions that are naive. I've been reading a lot of posts on here but would like some advice.

I am currently thinking about applying to law school. I have been talking to a coworker who will be leaving for a T14 school and we have many of the same interests. Historically, people in my workplace who leave tend to go either to T14 law schools or get MBAs instead. My interests aren't necessarily BigLaw and I do not have a geographical preference.

Would potentially be a "splitter."
Undergrad GPA: 3.5 From what I understand, it doesn't matter that my GPA is from a top 15 institution and that there is a sharp upward trend (I had a horrible freshman year including two W's). From what I understand, A+'s may be counted in LSAC GPA a bit differently (I do have a few on my transcript)?

I have not taken the LSAT yet but am currently collecting study materials. I think my best bet would to get an absolutely perfect LSAT score. I know the GRE is a completely different test, but I did get a 170 on the verbal section for that, which I seem to have read has some similarities to the LSAT.

I know work experience is usually not a large factor, but I have read on this forum that NU tends to look more favorably on it. I have one year of experience teaching at a Title 1 school and I am currently working as an undergraduate admissions officer. I am planning to work there at least one more full year. I am not sure if these would be considered good "softs."

I guess the gist of it is whether I should bother applying to T14 law schools in general with my low undergrad GPA, or even law schools in general. It seems to me there is a bit of an attitude of T14 or bust on here. I would appreciate any thoughts you have.

Why are you even considering law school. All you've said is that you're not necessarily interested in BigLaw.

Thanks for the advice. Sorry for the late reply.

The reason I am considering law school is that I have been talking extensively to my coworker who is heading to a T14 law school in a few months. We have many of the same interests and she has a big interest in public interest law. While I don't necessarily think BigLaw is for me, I haven't ruled it out. One of my RA supervisors in undergrad was also a law student and I previously worked with an immigration lawyer at the social justice center at my university. I realize it can be a difficult field, but it's something I've been growing increasingly interested in.

For NU, would ED actually give a worse shot at scholarships? It seems they would have less of an incentive to offer scholarships.

13IL09 wrote:For NU, would ED actually give a worse shot at scholarships? It seems they would have less of an incentive to offer scholarships.

NU is different than other t-14's in that they give out 150k to ED applicants

Oops, I just saw that on their website right before you posted. Thanks for the reply!

hairbear7 wrote:

13IL09 wrote:For NU, would ED actually give a worse shot at scholarships? It seems they would have less of an incentive to offer scholarships.

NU is different than other t-14's in that they give out 150k to ED applicants

The 150k scholarship is awarded to those that would start Fall 2015. Are there sources suggesting this same scholarship will be available for upcoming cycles?

xiao_long wrote:

hairbear7 wrote:

13IL09 wrote:For NU, would ED actually give a worse shot at scholarships? It seems they would have less of an incentive to offer scholarships.

NU is different than other t-14's in that they give out 150k to ED applicants

The 150k scholarship is awarded to those that would start Fall 2015. Are there sources suggesting this same scholarship will be available for upcoming cycles?

They've done it for four straight years now.

Your GPA isn't that low, and it sounds like you may get a boost from your A+s. You'll have lots of T14 options if you do well on LSAT. Crush the exam, then apply liberally.