Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 5:24 pm
y
Top Law Schools
Law School Discussion Forums
https://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/
Please Help - Serious Consideration Forum
https://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=119689
Page 1 of 2
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 5:26 pm
For Stanford, not much you can do here except get a 180 and pray.
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 5:36 pm
Or have/develop fantastic softs. Rhodes Scholar-level softs.
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 5:39 pm
.
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 5:40 pm
You're out at Stanford, but if you can get 170+ on the LSAT you could still get into a T14.
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 5:43 pm
Stanford is out. Get as high of an LSAT as you possibly can, and you can have a shot at Gulc, Northwestern, UVa, and maybe michigan.LSHopeful2 wrote:Hello all,
I wanted to say I have high ambitions for a tier 1 law school. The only problem is my GPA. It is low. I have a 3.2 university GPA (transferred, top 40 university), and a 2.9 community college GPA. These will I believe be factored equally by LSAC and no higher weight will be given to the university GPA.
I really truly want to attend a top tier. Stanford is my goal. At this point, it is relatively near impossible to do that, because my GPA is preventing me from the get-go. Is there any method that can possibly give me a chance other than a very high LSAT? I am wondering if anything will work because even with a high score, the GPA is the issue that is going to be preventing things from moving.
I have heard of building an alternative transcript by taking post-bac classes at a local university and doing well in them to show a new GPA set, but the rule is that will not be factored into LSAC and will be another soft factor, hardly increasing your chances.
Please help. My GPA is too low, but I truly want to get into Stanford. I know there is nothing that can be done to mitigate this, since the GPA remains 50% of the admitting game, and was wondering if anyone knows of anything peculiar that can work, despite your GPA, of increasing your chances. Thank you in advance.
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 6:11 pm
I liked my post better.
Anyway, I'm going to sling a few apps out to long shots as well. So, that's about all the hope you and I will have for t10.
Good luck.
Anyway, I'm going to sling a few apps out to long shots as well. So, that's about all the hope you and I will have for t10.
Good luck.
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 7:05 pm
^Where is your post?
I appreciate the responses. My university GPA was a 3.22 I meant, but not much of a difference. Since it is virtually out of the picture at this point, what about some others like USC, Duke, NYU, Berkeley, Cornell? Or UPenn ? Would these be of any chance?
I appreciate the responses. My university GPA was a 3.22 I meant, but not much of a difference. Since it is virtually out of the picture at this point, what about some others like USC, Duke, NYU, Berkeley, Cornell? Or UPenn ? Would these be of any chance?
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 7:17 pm
I agree with the above posters in the respect that Stanford is not likely to be a realistic option for you. You need to get a very high LSAT score &, preferably, a couple of years of work experience to make yourself into a viable Top 14 law school candidate, in my opinion.
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 8:44 pm
.
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 4:08 am
Hi,
I have not applied to LSAC yet, as I plan to apply some time next year. What would count as an awesome or astronomical soft? It is very difficult to obtain that. What is "ED" in reference to NYU that you said? For the early app, in applying to Penn, USC, and Cornell, do you mean applying February before the year you plan to attend? What do you mean exactly as I am not too familiar on when applying is ideal for early decisions? In regards to another school I would like to attend: Chicago. Is it also pretty much out of the picture? And yes, the LSAT score is to be taken, I am not taking it this year, so I am planning diligently for my case.
I have not applied to LSAC yet, as I plan to apply some time next year. What would count as an awesome or astronomical soft? It is very difficult to obtain that. What is "ED" in reference to NYU that you said? For the early app, in applying to Penn, USC, and Cornell, do you mean applying February before the year you plan to attend? What do you mean exactly as I am not too familiar on when applying is ideal for early decisions? In regards to another school I would like to attend: Chicago. Is it also pretty much out of the picture? And yes, the LSAT score is to be taken, I am not taking it this year, so I am planning diligently for my case.
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 4:34 am
.
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 6:10 am
WE-->180-->NU-->top 5%-->transfer
Probability of success: very low.
Softs matter very little unless they are cosmically awesome. So focus on acing the LSAT.
Probability of success: very low.
Softs matter very little unless they are cosmically awesome. So focus on acing the LSAT.
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 5:18 pm
Hi, thank you for that post
xy, so if I decide to apply with ED to NYU, or UPenn or some others (provided with a high Lsat Score), would that work in my favor to a degree, and increase my chances? So promising ED does give you a slight edge? I take it that you can apply ED only once and to one school only, right? Would it be better to apply in October or November? I really need every intricate detail here because every inch matters here to really make my case strong.
Second, since I really need to ace the Lsat, as TC said, is there a rule of thumb when taking prep courses? One over the other? Would you recommend Testmasters or BluPrint? Or would self-study trump them all if you are really dedicated? At this point, I really truly want in at Cornell, Chicago, NYU, and UPenn. This truly is my goal, and I really have to do everything I can to present a solid case for myself.
TCS, I am not too sure what you mean there, but I take it Work Experience-->Northwestern-->top 5% (of class?)--> transfer (to another Ls?) Probability of success: very low. What is that probability in reference to? I am a bit confused on what you meant.
Thank you for this help that is being generated, I really appreciate it.
xy, so if I decide to apply with ED to NYU, or UPenn or some others (provided with a high Lsat Score), would that work in my favor to a degree, and increase my chances? So promising ED does give you a slight edge? I take it that you can apply ED only once and to one school only, right? Would it be better to apply in October or November? I really need every intricate detail here because every inch matters here to really make my case strong.
Second, since I really need to ace the Lsat, as TC said, is there a rule of thumb when taking prep courses? One over the other? Would you recommend Testmasters or BluPrint? Or would self-study trump them all if you are really dedicated? At this point, I really truly want in at Cornell, Chicago, NYU, and UPenn. This truly is my goal, and I really have to do everything I can to present a solid case for myself.
TCS, I am not too sure what you mean there, but I take it Work Experience-->Northwestern-->top 5% (of class?)--> transfer (to another Ls?) Probability of success: very low. What is that probability in reference to? I am a bit confused on what you meant.
Thank you for this help that is being generated, I really appreciate it.
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 5:29 pm
..
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 5:44 pm
.
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 9:01 pm
Unless you are an AA male with some seriously unique and earth-shattering life experience, you're not going to get into Stanford with that GPA. Even with a 180. Even if you apply in September. If you get a 180, still apply to Stanford on the off chance that God truly loves you, but do not count on it, do not plan for it; do not even hope fervently for it.acrossthelake wrote:I think he meant that was your only path to Stanford, barring some astronomical soft. Amazing softs are things like Rhodes/Marshall Scholar.LSHopeful2 wrote:Hi, thank you for that post
xy, so if I decide to apply with ED to NYU, or UPenn or some others (provided with a high Lsat Score), would that work in my favor to a degree, and increase my chances? So promising ED does give you a slight edge? Would it be better to apply in October or November? I really need every intricate detail here because every inch matters here to really make my case strong.
Second, since I really need to ace the Lsat, as TC said, is there a rule of thumb when taking prep courses? One over the other? Would you recommend Testmasters or BluPrint? Or would self-study trump them all if you are really dedicated? At this point, I really truly want in at Cornell, Chicago, NYU, and UPenn. This truly is my goal, and I really have to do everything I can to present a solid case for myself.
TCS, I am not too sure what you mean there, but I take it Work Experience-->Northwestern-->top 5% (of class?)--> transfer (to another Ls?) Probability of success: very low. What is that probability in reference to? I am a bit confused on what you meant.
Thank you for this help that is being generated, I really appreciate it.
For law school, applying ED always increases chances. The earlier you apply the better--so October(or, hell, September!)
I self-studied for the LSAT and even if you take a course, you still need to self-study a lot.
If you get a 175+, which should be your goal if you ever want to set foot on Stanford's campus as a student, apply early decision (or very, very early in the cycle) to a high-ranked splitter-friendly school such as Northwestern or Georgetown. Obliterate 1L exams, and be in the top 5% of your class. Attempt to transfer. Even after climbing this steep mountain you may still not reach the promised land, but it is far more likely to get you into Stanford than applying with a 180/2.9.
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 9:03 pm
Why is your GPA so low?
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 10:12 pm
.
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 11:01 pm
Just clarifying. You pretty much summarized my point without the douchbaggery, though.xyzzzzzzzz wrote:TCScrutinizer wrote:Unless you are an AA male with some seriously unique and earth-shattering life experience, you're not going to get into Stanford with that GPA. Even with a 180. Even if you apply in September. If you get a 180, still apply to Stanford on the off chance that God truly loves you, but do not count on it, do not plan for it; do not even hope fervently for it.acrossthelake wrote:I think he meant that was your only path to Stanford, barring some astronomical soft. Amazing softs are things like Rhodes/Marshall Scholar.LSHopeful2 wrote:Hi, thank you for that post
xy, so if I decide to apply with ED to NYU, or UPenn or some others (provided with a high Lsat Score), would that work in my favor to a degree, and increase my chances? So promising ED does give you a slight edge? Would it be better to apply in October or November? I really need every intricate detail here because every inch matters here to really make my case strong.
Second, since I really need to ace the Lsat, as TC said, is there a rule of thumb when taking prep courses? One over the other? Would you recommend Testmasters or BluPrint? Or would self-study trump them all if you are really dedicated? At this point, I really truly want in at Cornell, Chicago, NYU, and UPenn. This truly is my goal, and I really have to do everything I can to present a solid case for myself.
TCS, I am not too sure what you mean there, but I take it Work Experience-->Northwestern-->top 5% (of class?)--> transfer (to another Ls?) Probability of success: very low. What is that probability in reference to? I am a bit confused on what you meant.
Thank you for this help that is being generated, I really appreciate it.
For law school, applying ED always increases chances. The earlier you apply the better--so October(or, hell, September!)
I self-studied for the LSAT and even if you take a course, you still need to self-study a lot.
If you get a 175+, which should be your goal if you ever want to set foot on Stanford's campus as a student, apply early decision (or very, very early in the cycle) to a high-ranked splitter-friendly school such as Northwestern or Georgetown. Obliterate 1L exams, and be in the top 5% of your class. Attempt to transfer. Even after climbing this steep mountain you may still not reach the promised land, but it is far more likely to get you into Stanford than applying with a 180/2.9.
I think we can let this go. OP seems to understand he's not getting S, and most of T14 is iffy with such a low GPA.
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 6:20 pm
.
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 6:33 pm
Look, it sounds like you're panicking. There's no need for that (at least, not right now).
Read these articles: http://www.top-law-schools.com/admissions-articles.html. Seriously, it will give you a much better picture of the admissions process than the random (albeit solid) advice that you're getting from the posters in this thread. Once you read all of the articles, get a 180. After all of that, come back to the forums with your LSAT score and basic knowledge of the admissions game. People on here will totally help you out, will walk you through your options and strategies, and will provide emotional support. However, there is no point "planning" for anything without working knowledge and a score. Good luck.
Read these articles: http://www.top-law-schools.com/admissions-articles.html. Seriously, it will give you a much better picture of the admissions process than the random (albeit solid) advice that you're getting from the posters in this thread. Once you read all of the articles, get a 180. After all of that, come back to the forums with your LSAT score and basic knowledge of the admissions game. People on here will totally help you out, will walk you through your options and strategies, and will provide emotional support. However, there is no point "planning" for anything without working knowledge and a score. Good luck.
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 5:34 am
LSAC does not average the two schools equally. They simply take the average of all your grades, weighted by semester hours. So if you have 60 semester hours each from the CC and university, then your GPA would be (60*3.2 + 60*2.9) / 120 = 3.05.LSHopeful2 wrote:Also, I said my university GPA was a 3.2, and community college gpa a 2.9. So, I believe they will be averaged equally by LSAC when applying, so it most likely won't be a 2.9 total if that was what you said. *LSAC doesn't calculate the university GPA more favorably than the cc one, is this right? I find that disheartening since the academic rigor at a cc is just not there and is not as credible as it is at a university. That's the odd part for me.
With such a low GPA, you would need well over a 170 LSAT to have any shot at a T14. HYS are definitely out even with a 180 LSAT.
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 6:03 am
.
Re: Please Help - Serious Consideration
Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 7:33 am
Nothing much you can really do besides get a 170+ LSAT, or maybe take a year or two off to get some work experience.LSHopeful2 wrote:I was also wondering what else I can possibly do to really mitigate my GPA. This is a huge issue for me. As horrific as it is, I just want to prove to the Admissions Committee at a top 14 that it truly is not reflective of my motivation and determination to succeed or do well in law school.