Top Law Schools

Apologies if this is in the wrong board, I had trouble deciding if this should have gone here or in the "What Are My Chances?" board.

I am currently in UG planning on graduating a year early and was wondering how that could/would affect my chances of admissions. I am hovering around a 3.65 GPA with room for improvement over the next semester and will graduate with a triple major and a minor.

A friend that has gone through the process has warned me that graduating early would give many adcoms a reason to not consider me due to a lack of "life experience" and I was hoping others could weigh in on that!

Cheers!

Your friend is correct. There will be a lot of concern with maturity. Same thought applies to KJDs or people only a year out. It can be overcome with good writing and softs. But being 20/21 as an applicant means your performance will likely be somewhat below your numbers.

Schools wont care.

shump92 wrote:Your friend is correct. There will be a lot of concern with maturity. Same thought applies to KJDs or people only a year out. It can be overcome with good writing and softs. But being 20/21 as an applicant means your performance will likely be somewhat below your numbers.

This was not my experience at all. Maybe it depends on the school, though.

Wol wrote:

shump92 wrote:Your friend is correct. There will be a lot of concern with maturity. Same thought applies to KJDs or people only a year out. It can be overcome with good writing and softs. But being 20/21 as an applicant means your performance will likely be somewhat below your numbers.

This was not my experience at all. Maybe it depends on the school, though.

If you don't mind me asking, where did you apply/get in to?

shump92 wrote:Your friend is correct. There will be a lot of concern with maturity. Same thought applies to KJDs or people only a year out. It can be overcome with good writing and softs. But being 20/21 as an applicant means your performance will likely be somewhat below your numbers.

So would you suggest I make sure i have a strong LSAT score and PS? My friend had suggested that I stay the additional year, but with three majors and a minor already, I'm not quite sure I want to....

Wol wrote:

shump92 wrote:Your friend is correct. There will be a lot of concern with maturity. Same thought applies to KJDs or people only a year out. It can be overcome with good writing and softs. But being 20/21 as an applicant means your performance will likely be somewhat below your numbers.

This was not my experience at all. Maybe it depends on the school, though.

Ditto what Wol said. I graduated a year early and did very well for my numbers.

It won't affect you. Law schools will not turn down a 3.65+ and (hypothetically speaking) 170+ just because you're 20/21.

ariaaaa wrote:

Wol wrote:

shump92 wrote:Your friend is correct. There will be a lot of concern with maturity. Same thought applies to KJDs or people only a year out. It can be overcome with good writing and softs. But being 20/21 as an applicant means your performance will likely be somewhat below your numbers.

This was not my experience at all. Maybe it depends on the school, though.

If you don't mind me asking, where did you apply/get in to?

Applied to something like 30 schools (don't remember exactly) and go to Cornell. Got wait-listed at UVA, but my LSAT was below their median.

I will say that Michigan wouldn't consider my application unless I sent them my final semester grades. I withdrew before I heard back from them.

ariaaaa wrote:

shump92 wrote:Your friend is correct. There will be a lot of concern with maturity. Same thought applies to KJDs or people only a year out. It can be overcome with good writing and softs. But being 20/21 as an applicant means your performance will likely be somewhat below your numbers.

So would you suggest I make sure i have a strong LSAT score and PS? My friend had suggested that I stay the additional year, but with three majors and a minor already, I'm not quite sure I want to....

I was referring to what has happened to 19 year olds before and being KJD doesn't always help (especially at schools like Y) Obviously you want to put a lot of time into both the PS and LSAT. Based on that anecdotal testimony, I wouldn't be too worried about finishing early. But keep in mind that at top schools a lot of people are very qualified so all parts of your application deserve a lot of attention.

shump92 wrote:

ariaaaa wrote:

shump92 wrote:Your friend is correct. There will be a lot of concern with maturity. Same thought applies to KJDs or people only a year out. It can be overcome with good writing and softs. But being 20/21 as an applicant means your performance will likely be somewhat below your numbers.

So would you suggest I make sure i have a strong LSAT score and PS? My friend had suggested that I stay the additional year, but with three majors and a minor already, I'm not quite sure I want to....

I was referring to what has happened to 19 year olds before and being KJD doesn't always help (especially at schools like Y) Obviously you want to put a lot of time into both the PS and LSAT. Based on that anecdotal testimony, I wouldn't be too worried about finishing early. But keep in mind that at top schools a lot of people are very qualified so all parts of your application deserve a lot of attention.

Absolutely, thanks for your advice! I guess all I can do is make sure every thing I submit is as strong as possible and will apply for May graduation as planned!

OR you could still graduate early and get some work experience for a couple of years anyways.

I graduated early from UG and law school. Nobody gives a shit. Certainly not adcomms.

Graduating with a triple major & a minor suggests that you must have had a lot of AP credits from high school that your undergraduate school accepted as substitutes for college courses. Is this correct ? Also, how old will you be if you enter law school right after graduation from high school ?

You should be more concerned about employers than about law school admissions committees. Having work experience between college and law school is a major plus for getting your first legal job, skipping a year of college is basically the opposite of that, and will hurt you in the job hunt. If you go to a great school and get great grades you'll still be O.K., but the deck will be stacked against you if you wind up a marginal candidate.

CanadianWolf wrote:Graduating with a triple major & a minor suggests that you must have had a lot of AP credits from high school that your undergraduate school accepted as substitutes for college courses. Is this correct ? Also, how old will you be if you enter law school right after graduation from high school ?

Yes, I went to a rather competitive high school and graduated having taken/passed 16 AP courses all of which were (luckily!) accepted by my UG institution. I'll be 20 when entering law school, would you happen to have any advice to pass on?

Don't go to law school before you are even legally allowed to drink lol

Also reposting this: http://lawschoolnumbers.com/proud2b19

Mack.Hambleton wrote:Don't go to law school before you are even legally allowed to drink lol

Also reposting this: http://lawschoolnumbers.com/proud2b19

That username...

Wol wrote:Schools wont care.

Schools worth going to will care

My advice is do not go to law school until you have earned a high LSAT score & a substantial law school scholarship.

Mack.Hambleton wrote:

Wol wrote:Schools wont care.

Schools worth going to will care

No, they won't (unless it's NW). High LSAT/GPA is all that counts. Everything else is BS.

minnbills wrote:

Mack.Hambleton wrote:

Wol wrote:Schools wont care.

Schools worth going to will care

No, they won't (unless it's NW). High LSAT/GPA is all that counts. Everything else is BS.

You can still get admissions offers as a very young KJD, but more often then not it turns an HYS admit into a rejection, and for CCN and lower T14 it turns from named scholarships and big money to much lower money and wait lists.

At the NYU RTK finalist interview weekend thing I met ONE KJD of the 50+ people I met.

I applied as K-JD, but with a longer than average program+work experience as part of school. Cycle was good for me.

ETA: That said, YMMV

I did this. Can't really recommend it. I don't think it puts you in any worse position than the normal KJD but (1) dont give up that senior year of college unless you're saving your parents money/would cost you 10k+, college is awesome and you'll never have freedom/fun like that again (2) If i could do it again I'd get a year of work experience to save up for law school and just have SOME work experience, it also might confirm/change your desire to go to law school and (3) from a purely admissions standpoint, it definitely did not help my cycle, everyone hiring/admitting for the rest of your life will look to you work experience as a signal that you're mature, developed, and competent-so while you won't be worse off than a KJD in this regard, it certainly would help to have some WE.

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