What weight does your undergraduate institution carry in Law School admissions? Forum

[BMH2018]

I am a 0L who is starting undergraduate. My goal is to work hard in my major (Econ with a minor in accounting) and study hard for the LSAT. My target schools are Washington and Lee Law and William and Mary Law, due to the location of my family and my comfort zone. I’d like to work in commercial transactions, real estate and contracts.

However, before I put the cart before the horse I have just one question. Does my undergraduate, a small liberal arts college in Ohio that has sent people to my target schools, matter when applying? It has a good reputation and big alumni base, and I’m a triple legacy student, but would it matter on an LS application?

Give me your thoughts, and I’ll be back in four years for some more questions!

[totesTheGoat]

This isn't a direct answer to your question, but put law school out of your mind for 3 years. Focus on getting the best econ outcome you can. Then, in your sr year, if you still want law, start thinking about it. Heck, go work a couple years and then take the lsat. There's no need to rush into law school, and there's no point in limiting your options to law school. Do well in econ, work a few internships to see if you like econ, and if you are still interested in law in a few years, that option will still be there for you.

[Wild Card]

Undergrads used to post their "LSAC Action Reports," but most of these are now inaccessible to the public.

From what I saw, the only schools that get a bump are Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford.

[sparkytrainer]

Undergrads used to post their "LSAC Action Reports," but most of these are now inaccessible to the public.

From what I saw, the only schools that get a bump are Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford.

To piggyback on this, there are also bumps seen for West Point and the Naval Academy, given the grade deflation at both.

[coramnonjudice]

As long as you have decent GPA and LSAT scores, your undergraduate institution does not matter. But I agree with the above comments that you get a small bump for one of the big names like Harvard etc.