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Does having a Masters help with low GPA and low LSAT? for admissions process

It's a soft factor. How much of one would depend on where you did your masters and in what field.

It would be a masters in History. from Salisbury University.. i think its ranked 38th on World report for masters universities..

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Your masters isn't going to help you much. If it were in a technical field or if it were a PhD it might, but I wouldn't suggest 8 more years of school. Just study your butt off for the next 3 months and kill the LSAT.

You guys are hilarious...

libertarian wrote:take

The only thing that mitigates a low LSAT is to take it again? Bull shit!

I can't tell you how many friends I have that went to top 50 schools (ones in the bay area, that will remain unnamed), who had shitty lsat scores...compared to the 170's you all seemingly achieve here..as well as low GPA's.

Personal statements count for ALOT, in certain circumstances...and having any attribute that allows you to stand out from the pack is a VERY positive thing...

Recruiters are sick and tired of the 3.7 /165 LSAT formula, and the more established the school, the more likely you are to find that to be the case...

Peace brethren....love...chocolate, and peace...

SparksInMyBrain wrote:You guys are hilarious...

libertarian wrote:take

The only thing that mitigates a low LSAT is to take it again? Bull shit!

I can't tell you how many friends I have that went to top 50 schools (ones in the bay area, that will remain unnamed), who had shitty lsat scores...compared to the 170's you all seemingly achieve here..as well as low GPA's.

Personal statements count for ALOT, in certain circumstances...and having any attribute that allows you to stand out from the pack is a VERY positive thing...

Recruiters are sick and tired of the 3.7 /165 LSAT formula, and the more established the school, the more likely you are to find that to be the case...

Peace brethren....love...chocolate, and peace...

Lol, you have no idea what recruiters are sick and tired of so why don't you save your hippy crap for someone who cares.

Lolly,

When you grow up, and realize that your immature remarks are neither accurate nor particularly intriguing, you'll also be at a point in your life when you realize just what a joke the LSAT really is to someone who is in law school.


Go back to your mom and ask her if you can study for another 6 months for an exam you'll undoubtedly continue to falter at.....

I JUST WANT TO GET INTO LAW SCHOOL lol i hate the lsat I would like to never have to hear the world again to tell you the truth but im stressing I really dont think im going to get in anywhere...

are you guys actually all in law school?

Sparksinmybrain....Attending a tier 4 law school is a waste of money because employment prospects are dire. So yes the LSAT does matter and the rank of school you attend matters a lot. If a person's only options were tier 4, they would be better off not going to law school AT ALL. I would even say that lower tier 2 is somewhat questionable.

Lower tier 2 is somewhat questionable? Tell that to the people that went to Loyola (a tier 3) and are now earning 300k at top 100 firms...

Would you like their phone number so you can speak to them directly?

My bottom line is that you guys are being WAYY to hard on yourselves.

This is not medical school...getting into law school is difficult and does require work...

But these guys who are getting 180's or 177's on their LSAT's are FULL of crap!

Do a search...you'll find dozens if not hundreds of people who are claiming to have scored 175+...

If that were the norm, no one would get in anywhere..

But those people are not in the norm...they are far above average scores...and should not be indicative of what is required to get into school..in most cases!

A MAJOR REALITY CHECK is sorely needed on this board!

rjcksn04gt wrote:I JUST WANT TO GET INTO LAW SCHOOL lol i hate the lsat I would like to never have to hear the world again to tell you the truth but im stressing I really dont think im going to get in anywhere...

I wouldn't get despondent just yet. There are many law schools out there, including schools that routinely accept students with low #s. (Think tier 3 and tier 4 schools.) I think the posters are encouraging you to retake the LSAT because scoring higher will make you competitive for admission to top law schools. Although a master's degree is a 'technically' soft factor, it won't give you a significant boost, especially since yours is in history. (A master's degree in, say, electrical engineering would be groovy.) Master's programs are known for grade inflation, you know. Additionally, the skills required for success in graduate school and law school don't overlap as much as you might think. My man SPARKS is also right in stressing the importance of a strong, well-written personal statement.

The best answer to your query, however, is what you've already heard. At this point the success of your app cycle depends on your LSAT score. With that said, ask yourself the following questions:

How much do I want to attend law school? Am I willing to give it my best shot this time?

Don't be scurred . Devote the next 3 months to intensive/effective preparation for the October LSAT. Make it your bitch!

2 quick points:

1, job prospects from lower ranked schools: every year there are FAR more new JDs than there are new lawyer jobs, this means if one attends a lower ranked school there is a risk involved. So if you attend a lower ranked school you must really, really make sure to finish high in your class, the lower the school ranking the higher you'll need to finish. By the time you get to tiers 3 and 4 you really need to make sure you will finish in the top 10-15% of your class, and it may not be worth the risk.

2, a low LSAT score and a low gpa can be the kiss of death. A master's degree, a nice personal statement, or any other factors can only help an applicant that is on the bubble. Programs use a LSAT/GPA formula to determine acceptances, and if the formula determines you are an auto-reject no soft factor will help. The best thing for the OP to do is study for the LSAT. For proof of this look at the index numbers on LSN, it is clear who was auto-accept, auto-reject, or on the bubble.

SparksInMyBrain wrote:Lolly,

When you grow up, and realize that your immature remarks are neither accurate nor particularly intriguing, you'll also be at a point in your life when you realize just what a joke the LSAT really is to someone who is in law school.


Go back to your mom and ask her if you can study for another 6 months for an exam you'll undoubtedly continue to falter at.....

Wow, that told me... or not.

Glad to see you're not bitter. I'm sure the LSAT is a joke to someone in law school - I bet if I went back to my first year UG work, I'd find it easy too. The point is that doing well in the LSAT is important in law school admissions. I'm not sure what your probably made up 'anecdotes' are supposed to achieve in the face of hard facts but go right ahead.

Dude, you just told a 3.9 with a 155 diagnostic in another thread not to bother to study for the LSAT because their GPA would 'balance it out', you're either elaborate flame or completely retarded.

Be sure to talk about what strengths you bring to the law schools you are applying to... and what you learned and how you have matured through the graduate school process. I know in my case I am hoping my Master's Degree (also in history) helps to raise the overall quality of my application. In my case graduate work was a great place for me to mature emotionally and academically. After grad school I realized what an absolute joke undergraduate education can be... and how immature I was still after graduating the first time.

I recently read an article about how some top law programs ( I believe UCLA was mentioned specifically) are reconsidering allowing students to have lap-tops in the classroom because so many students are playing solitaire while the professor is lecturing... I think these schools are genuinely looking for mature applicants in many cases rather than the slacker genius with great "stats." This is the whole point of the personal statement and consideration of other "soft factors" so make the most out of it.

Hi everyone,

I'm basically in the same situation. I'm doing a BS/MS in Environmental Science at a well-known university in upstate NY. I have yet to take the LSATs but my ugpa is currently a 3.4 and I'll be starting masters work this year, with a focus and thesis regarding environmental economics. Is it worth it to get the masters now or to just simply apply to law school?

I'm looking to go to Maryland, Oregon, Washington, or Lewis and Clark for environmental law. Well frankly just to go to any tier 2+ school.

DPS

DPS, 3.4 isn't too bad of a GPA. You could get into a tier 2 school easily with an above average LSAT.

Also, sparks = troll

Master's degrees are basically useless, except that one might increase your chances for scholarships. Once you finish your cycle and decide on a school, you'll look back and realize that admissions really, really is mostly about LSAT and GPA. I know it's sad and frustrating, but that's just the way it works.

Sure, there are exceptions. There are plenty of them! But they're still exceptions. Get the best LSAT score you can, and good luck!

People every year with humanities masters: thousands and thousands.
People every year with a 175+ LSAT: ~500.

If you want something that'll make you stand out, well there you go.

People every year with humanities masters: thousands and thousands.
People every year with a 175+ LSAT: ~500.

If you want something that'll make you stand out, well there you go.

OP, a masters won't help at all.

Whoever was spouting the crap about the PS mattering...is an idiot.