Does where you went Undergraduate matter? Forum

[stompa]

I am a sophomore and currently attend a Top 10 Public University studying Accounting and recently I have been doing a lot of thinking. In the spring semester senior year of high school I was accepted to some pretty good universities such as Brown, Stanford, University of Virginia, USC, Georgetown, and Boston College but I chose to go with the school I currently attend due to financial constraints (my parents are helping my sibling pay for medical school and other constraints as well). I'm in the honors program at this school and maintain a (what I would think) is a pretty good GPA sitting at roughly a 3.62 right now. Most of my good friends attend big shot schools like UPenn and Harvard and are making around the 3.1-3.4 range currently. I guess in light of the current job situation in the market for employment especially in Law it's really competitive from what I have seen and read. Like many other people's dreams I would love to attend a T20 Law School (I guess the ideal/dream for me would be UPenn more specifically). This has got me thinking to the fact that ultimately does a student 3.1-3.4 range GPA at an Ivy league school beat out the 3.62 at a mere good public university when it comes to applying to good law schools (assuming of course hypothetically that these students get around the same great LSAT score) simply because student one attended a good undergraduate school? With my hunch that student one gains the advantage I am starting to regret not going to a elite school. Should I be worried/regretful?

Thanks

[NoleinNY]

I am a sophomore and currently attend a T10 Public University studying Accounting and recently I have been doing a lot of thinking. In the spring semester senior year of high school I was accepted to some pretty good universities such as Brown, Stanford, University of Virginia, USC, Georgetown, and Boston College but I chose to go with the school I currently attend due to financial constraints (my parents are helping my sibling pay for medical school and other constraints as well). I'm in the honors program at this school and maintain a (what I would think) is a pretty good GPA sitting at roughly a 3.62 right now. Most of my good friends attend big shot schools like UPenn and Harvard and are making around the 3.1-3.4 range currently. I guess in light of the current job situation in the market for employment especially in Law it's really competitive from what I have seen and read and . Like many other people's dreams I would love to attend a T20 Law School (I guess the ideal/dream for me would be UPenn more specifically). This has got me thinking to the fact that ultimately does a student 3.1-3.4 range GPA at an Ivy league school beat out the 3.62 at a mere good public university when it comes to applying to good law schools (assuming of course hypothetically that these students get around the same great LSAT score) simply because student one attended a good undergraduate school? With my hunch that student one gains the advantage I am starting to regret not going to a elite school. Should I be worried/regretful?

Thanks

There have been dozens of threads on this matter before...

Barring going to Harvard/Yale/Princeton for undergrad, it doesn't make a big impact. Some schools may consider it a plus (e.g., if you went to Harvard UG and want to go to Harvard Law). Some employers may appreciate a the academic background, especially (but not limited to) if you had an engineering background and were going for IP work.

As a general rule of thumb, it makes little difference where you went to undergrad for law school applications. People from Harvard go to T2s, people from much less prestigious state schools get into Harvard and Columbia.

Don't regret your decision. It was a smart move, especially from a financial perspective. No need to go to law school (an expensive venture in and of itself) with a ton of debt from undergrad.

Just finish out your undergrad with good grades, kill the LSAT, and enjoy.

Most law schools are number whores, and put most of their focus on applicants with good numbers. A 3.62 from a top tier public undergrad beats out a 3.1 from an Ivy.... Now, if it were a 3.62 v 3.62, the school may help... But not in your hypo.

[northerniowan]

A guy from my little university in Iowa got into Harvard, so no, it doesn't really matter where you went to UG.

[Mr. T6]

The legal market is competitive, but I've never seen a lawyer or law school take an undergraduate program into consideration (except for intellectual property law, which is a different ballgame).

As others have noted, the only significant factor in determining your law school admissions will be your LSAT score.

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/115484

[Mr. Pancakes]

I am a sophomore and currently attend a Top 10 Public University studying Accounting and recently I have been doing a lot of thinking. In the spring semester senior year of high school I was accepted to some pretty good universities such as Brown, Stanford, University of Virginia, USC, Georgetown, and Boston College but I chose to go with the school I currently attend due to financial constraints (my parents are helping my sibling pay for medical school and other constraints as well). I'm in the honors program at this school and maintain a (what I would think) is a pretty good GPA sitting at roughly a 3.62 right now. Most of my good friends attend big shot schools like UPenn and Harvard and are making around the 3.1-3.4 range currently. I guess in light of the current job situation in the market for employment especially in Law it's really competitive from what I have seen and read. Like many other people's dreams I would love to attend a T20 Law School (I guess the ideal/dream for me would be UPenn more specifically). This has got me thinking to the fact that ultimately does a student 3.1-3.4 range GPA at an Ivy league school beat out the 3.62 at a mere good public university when it comes to applying to good law schools (assuming of course hypothetically that these students get around the same great LSAT score) simply because student one attended a good undergraduate school? With my hunch that student one gains the advantage I am starting to regret not going to a elite school. Should I be worried/regretful?

Thanks

no

[emkay625]

no. the higher gpa will prevail. your 3.62 will have you better off than their 3.4.

get that gpa is high as possible! try to get it over 3.75.

[062914123]

.

[Umpapamaumau]

A guy from my little university in Iowa got into Harvard, so no, it doesn't really matter where you went to UG.

Didn't Alex go to Oxford in between the two?

[northerniowan]

A guy from my little university in Iowa got into Harvard, so no, it doesn't really matter where you went to UG.

Didn't Alex go to Oxford in between the two?

Lol I'm actually referring to someone else. Who is this Alex guy?

[anewaphorist]

No impact. Went to a generic State-U for both of my B.A.s, now I'm UChicago c/o 2015. Just one person's story of course, but I think all you can do at this point is earn a stellar GPA at whatever school you call undergrad. That and brown-nose some of your professors for glowing recs.

[snowpeach06]

Doesn't matter at all. Just make sure your grades/test scores are good, and you'll be on a mostly level playing field with Harvard undergrads.