What are my odds? Forum

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SecuritizeThis

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by SecuritizeThis » Sun Jul 13, 2008 8:05 pm

Here we go for a try:

UGPA: 3.3 (top 15% class, computer engineering, T1 school, ~3.65 last 2 years, minor in Business Admin)
LSAT: practice exams have lately been between 173-178, median is probably 174 or 175, though.
Softs: minor activities, worked during college, have been out of college 2.5+ years working as a 'high'-paid consultant in the financial markets

Some schools I'm considering applying to: Columbia, Northwestern, University of Chicago, Boston University, UCLA, Fordham

What do you think are my chances for them?

omghowsmyhair

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by omghowsmyhair » Tue Jul 15, 2008 2:57 pm

1). LSDAS calculated GPA: 2.57 in Political Science (began as Biology major)
Grades ranged from A-F. I have repeated two courses in which I received a D and F but it has brought my LSDAS GPA down drastically.

2). LSATs: Aiming for at least 165.

Plenty of lame excuses for GPA but they're true:
1). Focused on part-time jobs for financial reasons
Low-income family / Held two part-time jobs at once = 30-40 hours a week to pay for education.

2). Commuted 2 1/2 hours to school round-trip.
- Rejected UC acceptances to go to a state school (California State University, Fullerton) and save money.

3). ON-CAMPUS LEADERSHIP
- TSU Governing Board - appointed to serve on board among students and faculty where we drafted and voted on policies concerning the school.
- Student Academic Life Committee - one of five students to serve along with faculty members to draft and vote on policies concerning academics life.
- Scholarship Committee - appointed to grade and select qualified applicants based on academics and financial need.
- CSUF American Red Cross - Co-founded and became Treasurer
- Environmental Action Committee - committee appointed by the school to study economic impact on campus. Pushed for city council to approve the first eco-friendly housing for students.
- Sigma Kappa Sorority - Public Relations chair
- Colleges Against Cancer - liaison between Greeks and committee.
- Titan Tusk Force - create effective solutions to spread school spirit and activism to students. I go to commuter school where less than 20% of students live on campus.

4). Volunteered and raised money for various non-profits
- Interned for AIDS Walk to benefit AIDs Project
- Interned for Pasadena Marathon to benefit Pasadena Forward
- Susan G. Komen (Completed the 3-Day 60-Mile Walk breast cancer)
- Area coordinator for Kinane Events
- Etc: Alzheimer's Association, American Cancer Society, Revlon (against breast and ovarian cancer), Avon for Breast Cancer, Cure Autism, City of Hope, American Red Cross
- Have run a marathon to raise money for American Heart Association - began with no athletic background - and plan to do an ultra-marathon to raise money for support in science and math education

5). Didn't take education seriously
- I thought I would get my BA in Political Science and work for non-profits for the rest of my life / Was offered several internships that would lead to future careers.

6). Discovered affinity for law all too late
- Loved that it applies to so many aspects in life / I now know that I can combine my passion for non-profit and law and will work extremely hard in law school doing what I love.

7). Schools considered: Anything in the top 50, but would love Boulder, UCI or any school in California, and Washington.

Ub3rSlack3r

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by Ub3rSlack3r » Tue Jul 15, 2008 5:03 pm

SecuritizeThis wrote:Here we go for a try:

UGPA: 3.3 (top 15% class, computer engineering, T1 school, ~3.65 last 2 years, minor in Business Admin)
LSAT: practice exams have lately been between 173-178, median is probably 174 or 175, though.
Softs: minor activities, worked during college, have been out of college 2.5+ years working as a 'high'-paid consultant in the financial markets

Some schools I'm considering applying to: Columbia, Northwestern, University of Chicago, Boston University, UCLA, Fordham

What do you think are my chances for them?
Columbia: WL/Reject
Northwestern: In
University of Chicago: WL
Boston University: In
UCLA: WL (They HATE low GPA/high LSAT applicants but not enough to outright reject you.)
Fordham: In, possible WL if they are in a yield-protecting mood

drstumpster

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by drstumpster » Wed Jul 16, 2008 7:32 pm

/
Last edited by drstumpster on Mon Apr 05, 2010 1:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Haribo

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by Haribo » Thu Jul 17, 2008 1:24 am

drstumpster wrote:Do I still have a shot at HLS or SLS? Odds at T14? People have been saying going to HYP helps, but I always wonder why Stanford's not included in that list..

Ugrad: Stanford
GPA: 3.67 (Phil/Econ minor/Honors)
LSAT: 172
URM? Asian Male (Non-Engineer)

Softs: Strong recommendation from former dean of SLS (research assistant after graduation for a book) and thesis advisor, been working in philanthropic sector (foundations and consulting) for about a year, repetitive stress injuries (partially explains drop of GPA over time), unique research interests in corporate governance and social enterprise.

Been considering retaking the LSAT if that would help (practice tests were 174-176 and on the real test I missed six questions on the RC and only 1 each on each of the LR sections and none on the games). Wondering also what I could do to boost my application if I waited a year to apply.
It's worth the application to H,Y,S in my opinion. Your chances are low, but every year a few non-URMs accepted with similarish stats (almost all from HYPS.) Going to Stanford will help - people say HYP because it's easier, but I think Stanford gets a similar boost. Nail your personal statement (this makes a huge difference!) and letters of recommendation.

I don't think a retake is worth it for HYS unless you get your score up consistently above 177, and even then it will be far from a guarantee. Your GPA is the problem for Yale and Stanford (accept almost no one below a 3.75) and at Harvard with that GPA you'd need to outscore your practice tests considerably to even get a 50/50 shot. It might still be worth it to retake for the T6 or scholarships, of course.

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sba314159254

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by sba314159254 » Thu Jul 17, 2008 2:35 am

Should have posted here instead of making a new thread.

UGPA: 3.17 (Sport Management)
LSAT: October. 172-175 range in my most recent practice tests.
Work Experience: 1 year full-time

Other factors:
Took four grad school classes after being away from school for a year and got A's in all of them
Unique work experience with significant responsibility
A few softs (volunteering, part-time undergrad work, etc.)
White male

Cornell, Georgetown and Northwestern seem like the most likely T14 if I do well enough on the LSAT. Also planning on applying to WUSTL, ND, Michigan, UVA.

Gators08

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by Gators08 » Thu Jul 17, 2008 2:50 am

sba314159254 wrote:Should have posted here instead of making a new thread.

UGPA: 3.17 (Sport Management)
LSAT: October. 172-175 range in my most recent practice tests.
Work Experience: 1 year full-time

Other factors:
Took four grad school classes after being away from school for a year and got A's in all of them
Unique work experience with significant responsibility
A few softs (volunteering, part-time undergrad work, etc.)
White male

Cornell, Georgetown and Northwestern seem like the most likely T14 if I do well enough on the LSAT. Also planning on applying to WUSTL, ND, Michigan, UVA.
I'd send apps the way of Vandy and Texas as well.

BrentZ10

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by BrentZ10 » Fri Jul 18, 2008 11:49 am

I'm going to be a UG junior this coming year so these numbers aren't finalized but what I'm aiming to have by next summer. I'm starting LSAT review fairly soon, as well as taking prep courses so I should be prepared for the test next June. I just wanted to get an idea of what I should be looking to get in order to go certain places.

UGPA: 3.46 Accounting Major
LSAT: ~170 Probably low to mid 170s is a realistic goal with the amount of work I plan to put in

Worked in small, civil defense attornies office last summer and had some real experience (attended depositions, jury selection, trials, etc.)
College co-op in large Fortune 500 company Financial Accounting Department this summer
Likely working in mid-size law firm during this coming school year
Will also be accounting tutor at my university this year
College intern at same Fortune 500 company next year

My GPA freshman year was less then stellar. I had a 2.7 Freshman year due to lack of work but recovered with a 3.85 sophomore year. I'm aiming to do the same, if not better this year, which would bring my GPA to what I posted above. Sorry for all the hypotheticals but I'm trying to prepare myself for what I need to do this year.

I would like to go to somewhere in the mid-range of the T14 but that will require a lot of work this year. I'd just like to know what people think I may have in store next summer if I achieve what I posted. Chicago, Boston, New York, and possibly out west would be places I would like to go to school.

drstumpster

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by drstumpster » Fri Jul 18, 2008 5:32 pm

So I've been doing a little more research on the GPA thing, and apparently LSDAS GPAs calculate all undergraduate curriculum at any schools you've attended as part of the GPA they send to law schools. I think this gives me a slight boost (I took maybe a year and a half's worth of language classes at the community college level in high school and got As in them that aren't reflected in my university's GPA calculation, though I get dinged because of how my university calculates GPA; my university calculates an A- as a 3.7 and a B+ as a 3.3 whereas LSDAS GPA uses an A- as a 3.66 and a B+ as a 3.33 and I had way more minuses than +s in my GPA). That being said, one of the ways you could improve your GPA (I wish I knew this before graduating) is to take a bunch of community college classes to inflate your GPA.

But assuming you got the scores that you did, I'd probably apply to the following in the T14:

UChicago, UPenn, Northwestern, UMich, UVA, Cornell, and Georgetown

So basically, the T14 excluding the T6 and Duke. Because your expected GPA is lower than the lower quartile and your LSAT just around the upper quartile, I don't think you should apply only to the T14 if you're committed to going to law school (you mentioned you're an accounting major, so you could always do something else). But to improve your chances, I'd find some way of boosting that GPA (and remember, if your institution removed from calculation a class that you failed in but repeated, the LSDAS GPA will calculate both classes as part of its calculation).

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SecuritizeThis

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by SecuritizeThis » Sat Jul 19, 2008 1:42 am

drstumper, to my understanding you needed to be attending there seeking a degree-- not merely taking courses. In other words, if you went to school for 2 years at University X, then decided to continue your studying at University Y for you UG... you add them together, you don't get to just go with Y. However, if you go to school Z for two classes during the summer between X and Y, well, you wouldn't count that.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

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Haribo

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by Haribo » Sat Jul 19, 2008 1:56 am

SecuritizeThis wrote:drstumper, to my understanding you needed to be attending there seeking a degree-- not merely taking courses. In other words, if you went to school for 2 years at University X, then decided to continue your studying at University Y for you UG... you add them together, you don't get to just go with Y. However, if you go to school Z for two classes during the summer between X and Y, well, you wouldn't count that.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
You're wrong :P

I took one summer class in high school (wasn't reported on my college transcript though) and it was counted in my LSAC GPA. Any college courses taken before graduated are included in the GPA calculations.

drstumpster

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by drstumpster » Sat Jul 19, 2008 2:13 am

To echo malena and quote verbatim from the LSAT & LSDAS Information Book:

Transcripts are required for the following
schools:
law/medical/professional schools
schools attended for summer or evening
courses
schools attended even though a degree
was never received
schools from which you took college-level
courses while in high school even though
they were for high school credit
Transcripts must be sent from schools even if
credit was transferred from a school and it
appears on another school’s transcript;
the school is closed;
(These transcripts are usually maintained by
the department of higher education or by
another school in the state in which the school
was located, so you will need to contact the
state’s department of higher education.)
“withdraw,” “incomplete,” etc., are the
only grades listed; or
you have just enrolled.
(Request that the registrar’s office send a
transcript of courses “in progress” or a statement
of current enrollment. The documentmust bear
the official registrar’s seal.)
A copy of these transcripts along with a
summarization of all undergraduate work
will be forwarded with the LSDAS Law
School Report to the law schools to which
you apply. Transcripts representing work
completed after the first four-year undergraduate
degree (considered graduate
work by LSAC) will not be summarized,
but copies will be sent with the LSDAS Law
School Report. This includes law
school/professional school work.
Work done at a graduate/law/professional
school prior to the granting of a four-year
undergraduate degreewill be included in the
LSDAS summary as undergraduatework.

Some people on other forums:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/law ... s-gpa.html
http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thr ... forum_id=2

SecuritizeThis

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by SecuritizeThis » Sat Jul 19, 2008 10:58 am

Such a horrible idea on the part of LSDAS ... however, I think this bumps up my GPA. Yay.

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dbt

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by dbt » Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:07 am

LSDAS GPA: 3.70
LSAT: 170 (retaking in October, but evaluate me on this one)

Worked throughout undergrad in various somewhat fulfilling jobs
Volunteer math tutor
President of Student Gov at CC
Couple other leadership positions in school orgs
First to college, first to grad school in family
Transferred to top 10 LAC after 2 years at community college

What are my odds at Harvard, Columbia, NYU (ED and RD), Berkeley, Penn, Chicago, Michigan, Northwestern, Virginia, Duke, Cornell, Georgetown, Vandy, UT, UCLA, BU?

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badfish

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by badfish » Sat Jul 19, 2008 3:19 pm

drstumpster wrote:So I've been doing a little more research on the GPA thing, and apparently LSDAS GPAs calculate all undergraduate curriculum at any schools you've attended as part of the GPA they send to law schools. I think this gives me a slight boost (I took maybe a year and a half's worth of language classes at the community college level in high school and got As in them that aren't reflected in my university's GPA calculation, though I get dinged because of how my university calculates GPA; my university calculates an A- as a 3.7 and a B+ as a 3.3 whereas LSDAS GPA uses an A- as a 3.66 and a B+ as a 3.33 and I had way more minuses than +s in my GPA).
Same with me ... this sucks!!

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vidhartha

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by vidhartha » Sat Jul 19, 2008 3:34 pm

I guess I'll take a shot in this thread also.
LSAC GPA: 3.2
LSAT: 171 (June 08)

Few EC's, nothing too great tho, intern at local da's office, have had several jobs, worked pt during school. GPA is that low bcuz I was a physics major for a year, that did not work out too well for me freshman year. After that year it has been around a 3.5 overall.

What are my chances for NW, GULC, Cornell. I'd love to make it into the t14 but i feel that my GPA is holding me back. I think I'm gonna canvas the lower t14 with apps and see what pans out, also lookin at USC, UCLA, Fordham, Texas.

zonda1

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by zonda1 » Mon Jul 21, 2008 1:41 pm

Im looking at IP schools in the Eastcoast I have a 3.3 ( possibly 3.5 if LSDAS adds my transfer school to McGill's gpa) comin out of Electrical Eng ...

I have a 166 ..

Have 4 years of top internships ( prob doesnt help a whole lot)
Have some other good factors

How am I looking for BU BC GW Fordham?
Where else should I look at?

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seraph11

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by seraph11 » Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:59 am

Purely hypothetical

LSAT: 172
GPA: 2.5

International student. What would be reasonable?

MCBarger

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by MCBarger » Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:21 pm

Reasonable for what? For any law school? Yes. One of my friends (the biggest slacker I know) got into Hastings, San Diego, and Cal Western with a 2.9/169. And he's domestic. Granted, he had a low 2.0s GPA at the end of his first year-and-a-half and graduated UCSD in 3 years. Your LSAT score should make up for your weak GPA for most law schools except the top 50.

Ub3rSlack3r

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by Ub3rSlack3r » Fri Jul 25, 2008 11:07 am

These stats are somewhat hypothetical.

GPA: 3.22 (big upward trend)
LSAT: 177

Extracurriculars include being active in fraternity (holding an officer position), being part of a quiz bowl team, and doing a community service project in Durham, North Carolina over the summer.

Major: Political Science

What would my cycle be like?
Where would I get money?
Georgetown
Harvard
NYU
Chicago
Michigan
U-Penn
UVA
Northwestern
Vanderbilt
Cornell
Columbia
Stanford
UC-Berkeley
Duke
George Washington
Wash U

MCBarger

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by MCBarger » Fri Jul 25, 2008 11:45 am

I would think for the T14 picks you put down, your LSAT and GPA matter. It all depends on how dramatic your upward trend is, and how you turn your softs into a kick-ass personal statement.

But with a 177 you basically have a pretty decent shot anywhere. If I had that score I'd apply everywhere... the worst they could say is no.

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junelsatonmonday

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by junelsatonmonday » Fri Jul 25, 2008 11:38 pm

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Last edited by junelsatonmonday on Sat Apr 18, 2009 6:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Haribo

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by Haribo » Sat Jul 26, 2008 12:16 am

junelsatonmonday wrote:UGPA: 3.5
LSAT: 171
Undergrad institution: Berkeley

graduated berkeley at age 19, been working for 2 years - 1 year in the california state senate and 1 year as a congressional aide

hoping for harvard, i know my numbers are low but i think i have a good story to tell. how much does this kinda stuff matter?
Unless you're a URM, Harvard won't happen.

junelsatonmonday

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by junelsatonmonday » Sat Jul 26, 2008 11:39 am

not urm, but gay...dont really feel a need to talk about it in my personal statement though, as i havent really been involved in gay activism or groups and living in a big city and having only come out after college i dont feel like ive really been discriminated against or that it's been much of a life struggle, just kinda who i am...

does that count?

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vasiok

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Re: What are my odds?

Post by vasiok » Sat Jul 26, 2008 12:01 pm

junelsatonmonday wrote: does that count?
No.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

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