Top Law Schools

Hi there, I was wondering if I could get some advice on my situation.

I am currently a sophomore studying engineering at uc berkeley, the college being number one for my major. my current gpa is less than stellar, a 2.8 to be exact, and judging by my future curriculum- it probably wont raise above a 3.0. That being said, I have a few questions...

1- Unfortunately, I regret to say that I was involved in an incident of cheating this past semester and received an F in one of my general engineering courses. The incident was reported to the office of student conduct. I plan on retaking the course so that the F will not factor into my gpa, however the score will still show up on my overall transcipt. How do you think this will affect my law school application, and will the incident be reported to the candidate schools?

2- Currently I am involved in only science related extracurriculars and only have engineering work experience. What activities, clubs, jobs, etc. should I pursue that would be most impressive on my application?

3- Realistically, what are my chances to get into a top 25 law school with my academic background thus far? And what LSAT score do you think I should be shooting for to make up for it?

I'd really appreciate any feedback, I feel so lost. I really want to go into patent law but I feel it may be out of my reach. thanks

I would like to point out that your F will still be factored into your "law school" GPA.

The cheating incident may not be reported per se, but it may one day come to the attention of your school, should you be admitted.

Instead of allowing this to hang over you during your entire law school career, it might be advisable to mention it up front. You may also have to disclose this one day when you take the bar.

I suggest you find someone at your current school who might be able to offer advice or perhaps write a letter on your behalf, a letter that indicates you've learned from the unfortunate incident.

Many selective schools require you to submit a letter from your dean or office of judicial affairs attesting to your academic record--and asks them to disclose of all incidents such as academic dishonesty.

Besides that, ALL applications that I have filled out (and I have filled out about 20 from mediocre to top schools) ask you to disclose any academic dishonesty. So it WILL come out.

That being said, you will need to write an excellent addenum to your applications explaining your incident of academic dishonesty.

As far as extracurriculars, law schools admissions committees can tell when people join extracurriculars just to make themselves look better. You'd be better served to excel in the extracurriculars you are already involved in, and perhaps take on some leadership positions in them.

You will need OUTSTANDING letters of reccommendation, and perhaps, if you are well acquainted with your professors, they might include something that mitigates your incident of academic dishonesty.

With your F and that incident, I'd say it would be extremely hard to be accepted into a top 25 school, even if you got a 180 on your LSAT. Academic honesty means a LOT to top schools.

That being said, if you are truly interested in law school--don't write it off! There are many schools that are not on the top of the ranking lists that are still great schools! Find one with a program you like, and TRY for it.

I would suggest that you apply to many schools to better your acceptance chances. Some admissions counselors are more receptive to these types of things than others.

kali444 wrote:Hi there, I was wondering if I could get some advice on my situation.

I am currently a sophomore studying engineering at uc berkeley, the college being number one for my major. my current gpa is less than stellar, a 2.8 to be exact, and judging by my future curriculum- it probably wont raise above a 3.0. That being said, I have a few questions...

1- Unfortunately, I regret to say that I was involved in an incident of cheating this past semester and received an F in one of my general engineering courses. The incident was reported to the office of student conduct. I plan on retaking the course so that the F will not factor into my gpa, however the score will still show up on my overall transcipt. How do you think this will affect my law school application, and will the incident be reported to the candidate schools?

2- Currently I am involved in only science related extracurriculars and only have engineering work experience. What activities, clubs, jobs, etc. should I pursue that would be most impressive on my application?

3- Realistically, what are my chances to get into a top 25 law school with my academic background thus far? And what LSAT score do you think I should be shooting for to make up for it?

I'd really appreciate any feedback, I feel so lost. I really want to go into patent law but I feel it may be out of my reach. thanks

You chances aren't great and the academic sanction isn't helping you. All you can do now is focus on the LSAT and go all out there.