Seek advice Forum

[gf4939]

Still a sophomore in China.
Took the LSAT in December and got a 174.
With a 3.77 GPA. Since the GPA system is different here, it's not so bad (about 5 of 170, but unfortunately the school won't give a rank proof)
But nearly without any extracurricular experience.
Is there any chance for HYS?
And will an exchange program(maybe Columbia or NYU) help?
(an exchange of one semester may cause great trouble to my curriculum)
And beside lifting my GPA, what kind of extracurricular activity should I take?(Quite silly maybe. But I simply have no idea.)

Though silly questions, they really upset me
Thank you for reading!

[lakerfanimal]

I'm obviously a 0L but I don't think your chances are all that high for HYS because your GPA is under their 25th and your lsat isn't low for Stanford, but they go for high GPA's from what I have seen.. EC wise I don't advocate anyone doing them to boost their resume, I think you should find something you really care about and do that but that's just my 2 cents.

[tomwatts]

...

What's with the persistent negativity around here? That's a really good LSAT score and a pretty solid GPA. If you're still a sophomore, make sure you get really, really good grades for the rest of the time until you apply, and if you want to pick up one extracurricular, do something that you like and get deeply involved. You want to show commitment to something and have a story to tell.

I mean, top-ranked schools are reaches for anybody. Nobody's guaranteed an admit, no matter what the numbers. But if you do those two things, and write a good app and so on, there's no reason to think you'll be turned down without thought.

[nixxers]

Hey, I got in to H on the first round of acceptances and my numbers are similar to yours (175 and LSAC 3.78). I'd say you're definitely in the running...and you have time to bump that GPA up in the next two years. I'm not expecting acceptances at YS because my GPA is low for both and I don't have groundbreaking softs, but maybe if I hit 'em with a 4.0 semester they'll give me a second glance, we'll see

As for extracurriculars, I would say that since you are only a sophomore, you still have time to get involved in something you enjoy, show commitment to it, and get a leadership position. That was what I did for 3 clubs...nothing "law related" (though I did talk about one of them in my PS), just things I enjoyed and stuck with. one of them was a club sport for crying out loud, not exactly earth shattering. If you like radio, do student radio; if you like theater, do theater; if you like intramural basketball, do that; if you like prelaw club, become president. Just think about what you like to do for fun or what you are interested in, find a club that fits, and if there isn't one start it

Also do something productive with your summers. I was lucky enough to get to do internships (again, nothing extremely original or prestigious), but from what I can tell, summer work is just as good. as long as you aren't sitting around playing xbox live all summer I think you will be set.

I don't think study abroad will make you stand out because so may people do it. However, if you haven't spent time in the US, it might give you a sense of what studying here is like....your english is already quite good, but it will also help with that.

anyway I too am just a lowly 0L but those are my thoughts. hit me with a PM if you have any follow up questions or thoughts. 加油！

[lakerfanimal]

Didn't see that you were a sophomore.. If you keep getting 4.0's you'll be golden. And the getting involved thing- people above hit it on the head, find something you like.

[gf4939]

Didn't see that you were a sophomore.. If you keep getting 4.0's you'll be golden. And the getting involved thing- people above hit it on the head, find something you like.

Yeah, I think 4.0 will help. But it's simply impossible here....
The highest possible GPA is 4.0(I suppose in the US it's 4.33?). That means you're the best student in every single course.
And the top 1 student in our department has a 3.83....
Anyway, I'll try my best.

[gf4939]

I'm obviously a 0L but I don't think your chances are all that high for HYS because your GPA is under their 25th and your lsat isn't low for Stanford, but they go for high GPA's from what I have seen.. EC wise I don't advocate anyone doing them to boost their resume, I think you should find something you really care about and do that but that's just my 2 cents.

Well, I know the chance is tiny......So I'm seeking ways to increase it.
Thanks for replying

[gf4939]

...

What's with the persistent negativity around here? That's a really good LSAT score and a pretty solid GPA. If you're still a sophomore, make sure you get really, really good grades for the rest of the time until you apply, and if you want to pick up one extracurricular, do something that you like and get deeply involved. You want to show commitment to something and have a story to tell.

I mean, top-ranked schools are reaches for anybody. Nobody's guaranteed an admit, no matter what the numbers. But if you do those two things, and write a good app and so on, there's no reason to think you'll be turned down without thought.

What you said really delighted me!
Well HYS is my wildest dream, and I'll try my best to pursue it. After all, I think I've got a good chance for T14, and that is already pretty good for Chinese students.

[madcherrylimas]

I think studying abroad would be a very good idea. It shows that you can successfully study amongst American students and that you know what the American education system is like, and I think this can help you a lot. If you got a really good GPA while studying in an American uni it also helps the adcomms put your Chinese GPA into perspective.

I don't know if you should do an extra curric just to do it, but I would recommend interning with some law related organization...

[rw2264]

you should volunteer, and possibly get some summer work experience in a legal context. get really good grades. its good you're thinking of this early, you should apply as early as you can in the 2010-2011 cycle.

your numbers are excellent, stop posting sad emoticons. you have a very good chance of getting into harvard.

[GeePee]

Who cares what his GPA is?!? It doesn't matter! Why are people making such a big deal out of this... It will not be counted by LSAC. Likely, OP's high class rank will get him a "superior" on his evaluation. As such, his LSAT score will be an asset.

OP, if you can manage an exchange program and do very well, you're going to be in great shape. If you can manage a reportable 3.9 (with grade inflation at NYU or Columbia, it's not terribly difficult if you already have the skills to do well in China. And, you seem to speak English pretty well) then I think you're in great shape.

Good luck to you in your endeavors.