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Hello!
I am a recent college graduate, current 7th grade teacher, and prospective law school attendee. I want to pursue a dual JD/M.Ed degree and my dream school is Columbia.

I plan on applying with the following stats:
-T20 undergraduate institution
-GPA 3.95
-2 years teaching experience
-GRE score of 165V 159Q

With my teaching load, I am not sure I have time to retake the GRE. I was wondering if my GPA is high enough to compensate? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

We really don't know what's up w/r/t the GRE. But your GPA puts you in a pretty solid position as-is. The only obvious improvement you could make would be a 173+ LSAT score—which is risky, because a lower LSAT might hurt you.

Schools have been relatively opaque about the GRE, but information from schools that have been more open (like Berkeley) would suggest that you are not an ideal candidate to apply with a GRE score. Based on what those schools have said, the ideal GRE applicant is going to have a serious amount of work experience and/or a graduate degree in an unrelated field, such as engineering. You're only two years out of undergrad, and you don't have any advanced degrees. So although we don't have good benchmarks for GRE-takers, it sounds like you should be thinking about the LSAT (and I disagree that only a 173+ would improve your application; your GRE scores are not 99th percentile).

All that said, what are your career goals? The M.Ed won't help with legal practice, and the JD won't help you get teaching jobs. So I'm wondering whether law school is a good investment for you. Additionally, I'm not sure about the M.Ed market, but for law schools, it makes very little sense to get your heart set on a "dream school" in the T13. If you do pursue a JD, you should be focused on which school will give you a reasonable chance at your career goals at a price you can afford to pay off in that career.

Hmm interesting take. Other have told me that my higher GPA would help offset my lack of an LSAT, but I will consider taking.

granolagoddess1 wrote: ↑

Thu May 13, 2021 1:52 pm

Hmm interesting take. Other have told me that my higher GPA would help offset my lack of an LSAT, but I will consider taking.

That's not how the numbers work. A high GPA/LSAT doesn't "offset" the lower one; it just makes you a splitter or reverse-splitter. And because someone with a high GPA can always raise their LSAT score with a retake, it's strongly recommended to not stay a reverse-splitter.

I'm still curious about your career goals based on the degrees you want to pursue. That wasn't a throwaway question.

I am interested in standardization of curriculum and the legal implications of curriculum development

granolagoddess1 wrote: ↑

Fri May 14, 2021 12:09 pm

I am interested in standardization of curriculum and the legal implications of curriculum development

I mean this nicely, but that’s a topic/subject. What kind of job do you envision doing that would involve that subject?

As the title suggests, I am a GRE applicant looking to attend a T14 school, potentially applying for dual degree.

GRE breakdown:
165V
159Q

Should I take the LSAT??

granolagoddess1 wrote: ↑

Tue May 18, 2021 4:12 pm

As the title suggests, I am a GRE applicant looking to attend a T14 school, potentially applying for dual degree.

GRE breakdown:
165V
159Q

Should I take the LSAT??

It is hard to say. We just don't know enough about the GRE tbh. I've heard that most schools prefer a bit more room between your degrees if you're taking the GRE instead of the LSAT (i.e. you've had a career for 5 years in consulting or have a PhD and you've been teaching some of something akin).
Years ago, when I was applying, I had UG and grad degree as well as about 2 years work experience teaching, and every school I chatted with highly recommended I take the LSAT but offered nothing further. I've heard anecdotally that scholarships are much harder to get for those who take the GRE. But if money isn't an obstacle, and you aren't time pressed, why not apply with the GRE scores and just see what happens? But I do think most schools prefer the LSAT, however, I could now just been an old jaded dog, hah.
Best of luck.

Please help me develop a realistic list.

Merging your topics, since you're asking the same questions in each.

I'm not sure if you're just refusing to accept the feedback you've already gotten, but I promise the feedback won't change if you keep reposting the same thing.

I was cross-posting because I have not really received much feedback other than questioning my motives for wanting to attend law school and/or saying that not enough information about GRE acceptances exists to make a concrete assessment.

I appreciate the advice I've been given so far and am weighing it heavily. I was just seeking additional insight if any was available.

While I appreciate that you want more/different answers, cross-posting the same question across multiple sub-forums (or the same sub-forum) isn't going to change the input you receive.

The reason you've gotten limited feedback is that there are really only two points that people can advise you on given the information you've provided: (1) GRE applicants are mostly a black box and (2) you shouldn't go to law school if you don't have career goals that involve practicing law (and as pointed out, an interest in educational policy is not the same thing). You've also gotten a bonus 2.5th piece of advice, which is to not get hyper-focused on a single "dream school" for law.

If you give people more specific information, then they can provide more tailored advice. But what you've provided so far is just enough for people to give you the kind of generalized feedback you don't want more of.