(3.9/172) Advice applying to law school after leaving med school Forum

[ourobore]

Hello,

Looking for some advice and perspective.

I withdrew from medical school last year after one semester, with the intention to pursue law school. I passed all my classes in med school (the curriculum was pass/fail), but knew in my gut from (before) the start that medicine was wrong for me. I had intended to go to law school from the start of college, and am happy that I have finally chosen to follow my heart instead of what other people expect from me.

My GPA is a 3.9 and my LSAT is a 172. I majored in a humanities field. I have fairly significant volunteer experience and >1 year of full-time work experience (not in a law-adjacent field). Any thoughts on if I have chances at T14/T30, and/or what I might expect from the coming cycle? I know in my case an addendum and strong narrative will likely be important. I anticipate having strong letters.

I am worried that this career change will be a scarlet letter for me, but hoping that decent stats and a solid personal statement/application will help. I would really appreciate any thoughts here. Thank you!

[nealric]

Hello,

Looking for some advice and perspective.

I withdrew from medical school last year after one semester, with the intention to pursue law school. I passed all my classes in med school (the curriculum was pass/fail), but knew in my gut from (before) the start that medicine was wrong for me. I had intended to go to law school from the start of college, and am happy that I have finally chosen to follow my heart instead of what other people expect from me.

My GPA is a 3.9 and my LSAT is a 172. I majored in a humanities field. I have fairly significant volunteer experience and >1 year of full-time work experience (not in a law-adjacent field). Any thoughts on if I have chances at T14/T30, and/or what I might expect from the coming cycle? I know in my case an addendum and strong narrative will likely be important. I anticipate having strong letters.

I am worried that this career change will be a scarlet letter for me, but hoping that decent stats and a solid personal statement/application will help. I would really appreciate any thoughts here. Thank you!

You'll almost certainly get into one of the T14. Apply to the best non-T14 or two in the region you want to work, but that would be just a safety/full ride bait proposition. Then apply to most of the T14, eliminating ones in regions where you wouldn't want to practice (i.e. don't apply to Berkely if you have zero interest in practicing in California). The T14 is more nationally portable than lower ranked schools, but even Yale and Stanford tend to place more strongly on their respective coasts. You might consider retaking the LSAT if there could be any room in the tank. A couple more points (174-175) would put you in strong contention for HYS.

For the most part, law school applications are a numbers game. I sincerely doubt anybody is going to hold the semester in med school against you. The med school experience could even make a decent essay topic.