A Few Questions Regarding Future Law School Path Forum

[Lawschoolhopeful011]

This post will be a bit all over the place since I have a lot of different questions, but I appreciate all those who take the time to help me out.

Background around me:

19 years old
White/Native American
Graduated High School in May 2020
Attended local community college in Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020, and Spring 2021
Completed 70 Semester Units with a 3.95. One B, the rest were A's
Political Science Major (Received my associates degree to transfer in Political Science)
A few years of work experience for my family's accounting company

I attended community college this past year due to Covid-19 due to financial constraints and needing to stay home and work to help family's company. I am now transferring this upcoming semester, and I have a few basic questions.
I am transferring this upcoming semester and so far the top three schools I have been accepted to are UCSB, USC, and Vanderbilt. I also received admission to UCSD, UCI, and Tulane. I am still waiting to hear back from U Penn, Columbia, Georgetown, Northwestern, and Duke, but I am not holding my breath on being accepted into any of them.

I am in a unique position that I am only one year removed from high school, but I have 70 college units complete and many AP credits as well.

I have taken practice test for the LSAT and been studying for about a month now and my scored is in the 167-170 range. With a couple more months of studying, I plan on taking it in August and I expect that I can get a 170 +.

1. I am able to graduate a UC in one year due to them accepting all 70 semester units from CC as well as 20 units from my AP's. If I take a couple of classes this summer as well as a little more of a heavier load during the school year then I can graduate with only one year spent at UCSB. This would be my preferred route as I hope to get to law school as quickly as possible. My question here is, has anyone seen a case like this. Would top 20 law schools automatically decline me due to being in my first year at UCSB even though I am a senior with a high LSAT?

2. If I were to attend USC, Vanderbilt, or any other private that I get into then I would need to spend two years due to the units they required to be taken at their school. Again, I am in a situation where law schools will see that two years of my college came from community college. Does that hinder me from top 20 law schools?

3. Does attending Vanderbilt or USC look much better to law schools then attending UCSB?

4. Will a past MIP (now expunged) and a past speeding ticket hinder me from getting accepted into law school?

My reasoning for attending law school is that I have always been interested in both serving our country and law. I am currently planning to become an officer in the Marines as a Marine Judge Advocate upon completion of law school. This is my reasoning for favoring graduating in 2022 and going straight to law school. I want to explore a career in politics and public service after my time in the military.

5. I was wondering if law schools view someone who plans to serve as an officer in the marines after graduation in a different light?

Sorry for the very long post. I understand my path to law school is very unorthodox. I was just hoping to get others opinions on the UCSB route and if anyone had any idea on how law schools would view that.

I am a really strong student, and I really believe I will hold onto the 3.9+ and achieve the 170+ LSAT for those that are curious what my stats will look at the time of application.

[nixy]

Just a brief answer: for law school admissions, where you attend UG is much less important than your grades in UG. Any of the schools you list are completely fine. Personally I would go with whichever best meets all your other requirements/interests, and especially whichever will cost you the least.

Being really young isn’t an advantage for law school admissions. I get doing UG quickly to save money and get it done - no need to spend more than you need to - but being really young can make you a less appealing applicant, in part because it doesn’t always look good to employers.

Why not do your UG degree, enter the military, and get the yellow ribbon benefits to pay for law school? You will almost certainly do much better in law school after doing the military than before, from a personal maturity perspective. You’ll also generally be a more appealing applicant for both schools and employers with work/military experience.

[cavalier1138]

As nixy mentioned, applying young is not a good thing. In addition to the less-than-great effect it will have on your job search, it's just a bad idea.

You're super-young. Way too young to be thinking seriously about law school. Finish undergrad; get a job (or join the marines, I guess); live a little; then come back to law school applications if you still want to be a lawyer.

[crazywafflez]

I'll just echo what has been said here: Your undergrad won't really matter, all of the schools you've listed are stellar and totally fine. Go to the cheapest option that gives you the best chance to do well at things you enjoy.
I'd say you should consider doing the military right after UG and joining as an officer and once you finish they'll pay for law school. Or, if you don't, feel free to just take a couple years off working in a job you enjoy before going to law school.
I had a few peers that were K-JD at my school, but most were 23-26 starting 1L (of course, we had a couple 23 year olds and a couple 30 year olds, but most folks were between 23-26 in 1L).