Undergraduate GPA 2.2 seeking advice on T-14 Admissions Prospects Forum

[dsg8098]

Hello,

I had pretty low grades in undergraduate due to poor time management and just being a slacker. My undergraduate GPA was a 2.2 However, I do have an MA in political Science from NYU and an MBA from a top 45 US program. My MA GPA was 3.5 and MBA GPA was 3.2 and I also worked for the DOJ over a year as a paralegal.

I have not taken the LSAT yet but have been looking into law school because I have always been interested in practicing law, especially big law, because of the large salary.

Here is my question: do I have a shot at T-14 if I score 169 or higher or does my undergraduate GPA doom me to rejection, regardless of what LSAT score I get?

Thanks.

[babyxmarine]

Hello,

I had pretty low grades in undergraduate due to poor time management and just being a slacker. My undergraduate GPA was a 2.2 However, I do have an MA in political Science from NYU and an MBA from a top 45 US program. My MA GPA was 3.5 and MBA GPA was 3.2 and I also worked for the DOJ over a year as a paralegal.

I have not taken the LSAT yet but have been looking into law school because I have always been interested in practicing law, especially big law, because of the large salary.

Here is my question: do I have a shot at T-14 if I score 169 or higher or does my undergraduate GPA doom me to rejection, regardless of what LSAT score I get?

Thanks.

Hey. I would say (from more experienced TLSers that I have read), you will need a better reason then just saying you want to be in big law just because of a large salary. With that being said, can you elaborate on your actual end goal ? What law would you like to practice (if you know, some dont and its okay)?
Now your uGPA is well below the 25% tile of those schools, BUT being a splitter has helped some. So honestly you will a damn near perfect LSAT. Which school do you really want to go to? and also price is another factor, will you be able to afford it? Are you not worried about the price?

These are all things to consider prior to making the ultimate leap. You do have good softs and show that you can do better in school by have above a 3.0 for both masters degree.

[The Lsat Airbender]

If you're really in it for the money, just do something else.

You might get a T14 acceptance (say UVA or NU) with a strong LSAT score (much better than 169), but you'll have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars and forego 3 years' earnings to get that degree because the 2.2 definitely forbears any scholarship consideration. You could maybe get a big discount at WashU with the right test score but then biglaw is not a reliable outcome. It just doesn't make financial sense.

[LSATWiz.com]

Agreed - making law pay $$$$ is a lot of work for any prospective candidate, and the reality is that while you're not necessarily precluded from the t-14 with a 2.2 if you get a 173+, you are highly disadvantaged and that is a difficult score to get. Your academic track record suggests it may be hard to get such a score. If your diagnostic test was over a 160, I'd say go for it if you want to be a lawyer. Jumping from say a 145 to a 175 is very difficult and time consuming. Along the way, you may be tempted to just go with a 2.2 and 155, which would probably wind up being a disastrous financial decision. As your goals are financial and starting salaries in law are inevitably numbers based, I'd say it's probably a bad decision.

[totesTheGoat]

have always been interested in practicing law, especially big law, because of the large salary.

Don't go to law school.