So I'm not sure if I'm a unique sort of candidate or not, but anyways - I majored in accounting and information systems (2 majors) in college and minored in poly sci - got 150 credit hours out of the way a few years ago (2006). I graduated from a top 100 business school as an undergrad, and went straight into a public accounting firm out of college. After a year, I switched over to industry and have been working in internal auditing for a "big pharma" company for the last 3 years.
As far as "softs," I have recently completed 2/4 of the CPA examination and plan on passing the other two sections before the end of the year (November - probably not before I send out my applications, unfortunately). I am the assistant national fundraising director of a national 501(c) 3, which deals with disaster relief (primarily) and urban development, and I have been involved in setting up a local walkathon for this organization the last 3 years. This year (2010) I have also begun to get involved (on the side) with a fledgling think-tank of sorts that is trying to work with Congress to push for better minority rights and protections in 3rd world countries (namely Pakistan, Indonesia, and Bangladesh). EDIT: I guess if college softs still count, I was president of a honors fraternity for a year and did 2-3 different types of volunteering (1 of which I still continue to do to this day).
Recently, after a lot of talking with people, and a lot of thinking on my own, and scouring this website as well, I have decided the next step is for me to try to take the LSAT and apply to law school, particularly to pursue the latter issue I mentioned above further, and see what happens.
So I took a diagnostic before I began studying - my cold score was 161. Now I have been studying for the last two weeks getting ready for the June date. I consider myself a pretty good test taker - I got a 31 on the ACT when I took it in high school and I am actually enjoying studying for this exam so far
. I feel pretty confident about doing well on this test (well meaning above a 165) but ideally, I would love to get a 170 or better.My problem is the 3.15 GPA. I started college when I was age 17 and had a lot of trouble adjusting to campus life, and my GPA was below a 3 for my freshman year, before I picked it back up in my sophomore year and brought it up, but it was incredibly difficult to do with the double major, as well as an internship and a part time sales job in my senior year.
Realistically, what kind of LSAT should I be aiming for if I want to get into, say, Northwestern? I know they are a T-14, but say that's the tip of the iceberg. The calculation websites say my odds are really slim unless I get a 170, and nothing is a "good chance" unless I score 173 or higher. Does my somewhat unusual/varied background have any impact on this at all? What sticks out to you positively and negatively upon reading my profile? Thanks and I hope this wasn't too long...
EDIT: Also, from what I've read I'm guessing Southeast Asian doesn't qualify as URM, but if someone wouldn't mind confirming I'd really appreciate it.
EDIT 2: I really have to thank pithypike for his guide. I love it. Hopefully I'll still love it once I get my LSAT score. OK, that's enough.
