What are my chances of getting into Northwestern? Forum

[GoGoldy1212]

Hi I am going to be a senior at the University of Minnesota Twin-Cities. I am an honors student majoring in Finance and MIS and currently have about a 3.7 GPA.

In addition, I have had a lot of internship/work experience. 1 summer running a product implementation in 6 different grocery stores another one doing competitive research for a Pharmaceutical company. In December I will take off school for my spring semester to work for IBM full-time for 8 months.

Provided I do well on my LSAT 165-174, will I be able to get into Northwestern.

(Don't know if this will help, but my Grandpa got a Masters degree from there...)

[mallard]

It depends entirely on your LSAT.

[094320]

..

[im_blue]

You'll have a chance with a 170+.

[NewLobo]

Provided I do well on my LSAT 165-174, will I be able to get into Northwestern.

That is a wide range. Lower end of the spectrum would be a no. The higher end would be a yes.

[romothesavior]

Every year it seems like they take fewer and fewer people w/o job experience. 8 months is likely not enough time. I think they say they want a minimum of two years. If you can get a high enough LSAT, you'll have a shot, but I think you have an uphill battle in front of you.

And unless you grandpa has a building or an endowment named after him, it won't matter, especially since he didn't even go there for law school.

[quickquestionthanks]

in before DF

[romothesavior]

in before DF

Nice. I'll add that to my list of IBs... We've got:

IBTL
IBOS
IBDR
IBDF

[Scallywaggums]

Every year it seems like they take fewer and fewer people w/o job experience. 8 months is likely not enough time. I think they say they want a minimum of two years. If you can get a high enough LSAT, you'll have a shot, but I think you have an uphill battle in front of you.

+1
"95 percent of our entering students have had one or more years of full-time work experience; more than 80 percent have had at least two years, and approximately 60 percent worked 3 or more years before entering NorthwesternLaw."
From http://www.law.northwestern.edu/admissions/

Puts around on here for alternatives: http://schools.lawschoolnumbers.com/
Or wait a cycle.

[TheBigMediocre]

You sound like a good candidate for one of those "full-ride but get some WE first" deferral packages. Granted, this is if you get on the higher end of your LSAT range.

[Illinifan05]

As everyone else has said, it definitely depends on your LSAT. However don't be discouraged if you get in the lower end of your predicted range. It's definitely true that you stand a better chance of admission with a 170+, but I was admitted with a 162 and no full time work experience and similar credentials as yours. I think just as important as the LSAT is a sharp personal statement, so be sure to put a lot of time into crafting it.

[Scallywaggums]

I was admitted with a 162 and no full time work experience and similar credentials as yours.

I hate to be un-PC, but did you apply as a URM?
I'm not trying to be nasty; I'm genuinely curious.

[09042014]

Really work to get that 3.7 to 3.75. NU's median is around 3.72, you want to be above that. This can make or break you, and might have significant impact on your scholarship.

Northwestern has a defacto work experience requirement, min a year, two is better, three + is best. The only way you'll likely get in after college, is if you get a high LSAT (I'm not sure if 170 will cut it, 172 probably will) and they offer a large scholarship to defer a year and work.

If you don't get 170, retake until you do.

If you eventually get 170+, either go to Michigan or UChi (you'll prob need 171 for UChi), or you can get a year of work experience and apply to Northwestern and probably get a decent scholarship.

If you don't get 170 shit gets complicated based on your exact GPA and what other schools offer.

Basically get a 170+, and come back.

Why do you want Northwestern so much?

[09042014]

I was admitted with a 162 and no full time work experience and similar credentials as yours.

I hate to be un-PC, but did you apply as a URM?
I'm not trying to be nasty; I'm genuinely curious.

Yes he is.

[Scallywaggums]

Yes he is.

Alright. Illinifan05, you might reconsider giving admissions advice based on LSAT/GPA & your experience, unless you know you're talking to a URM. The VAST majority of outliers on the lower end of admissions are URMs. Others might be legacy or people with ridiculous softs, but just bear in mind that your good-intentioned advice might lure someone into a false sense of security, and subsequent dream crushing.

[kman999]

Well here is the story from someone just done applying to NU. The work experience factor does not have to be full-time after college. It can be solid work experience during summers or doing whatever. Do not use those stats as cold hard facts.

With an interesting story and something unique about yourself you can get into NU with a little work on your LSAT. Even if you only end up with that 165, go ahead and apply and make sure that the rest of your application is GREAT. Work on your story, sell yourself in the interview and you got a shot.

[romothesavior]

Well here is the story from someone just done applying to NU. The work experience factor does not have to be full-time after college. It can be solid work experience during summers or doing whatever. Do not use those stats as cold hard facts.

With an interesting story and something unique about yourself you can get into NU with a little work on your LSAT. Even if you only end up with that 165, go ahead and apply and make sure that the rest of your application is GREAT. Work on your story, sell yourself in the interview and you got a shot.

If you are applying to NU with <1 year of post-graduate WE and your numbers are not over their 75%iles, your odds of acceptance are very, very low. Is it possible? Yes. But highly, highly unlikely.

[GoGoldy1212]

Thank you so much everyone! This has really given me some terrific motivation to get a high score on the LSAT. By the sounds of it I think it would be best to work a couple years before applying to NU and other schools. Hopefully I will get hired on full time after my internship... and then I will apply with a better application ( and some money in my pocket ).

[romothesavior]

Thank you so much everyone! This has really given me some terrific motivation to get a high score on the LSAT. By the sounds of it I think it would be best to work a couple years before applying to NU and other schools. Hopefully I will get hired on full time after my internship... and then I will apply with a better application ( and some money in my pocket ).

Great strategy. Good luck!

[Scallywaggums]

Thank you so much everyone! This has really given me some terrific motivation to get a high score on the LSAT. By the sounds of it I think it would be best to work a couple years before applying to NU and other schools. Hopefully I will get hired on full time after my internship... and then I will apply with a better application ( and some money in my pocket ).

From what I gather, this extreme emphasis on work experience is not equally applicable to most schools. Considered, yes, but generally not to the degree that NU considers it. If you don't want to wait an entire year, do not despair: do the best you can on an LSAT retake, and apply to a bunch of good schools plus a couple safety's.

If you're absolutely set on Northwestern, and it seems like you are, then from what Desert Fox & theBigMediocre say, it can't hurt to apply this cycle: If your work experience is the only thing that's holding you back, you'll be notified as such with a deferral letter.

Either way, if you're set on law school, I don't think you need to wait this cycle out... unless the money in your pocket is a significant factor.
Cheers, good luck!

[im_blue]

Every year it seems like they take fewer and fewer people w/o job experience. 8 months is likely not enough time. I think they say they want a minimum of two years. If you can get a high enough LSAT, you'll have a shot, but I think you have an uphill battle in front of you.

+1
"95 percent of our entering students have had one or more years of full-time work experience; more than 80 percent have had at least two years, and approximately 60 percent worked 3 or more years before entering NorthwesternLaw."
From http://www.law.northwestern.edu/admissions/

Puts around on here for alternatives: http://schools.lawschoolnumbers.com/
Or wait a cycle.

That number is up to 98% of students with 1+ years of WE, for the Class of 2009, which means basically all but 5-6 people.

[Scallywaggums]

That number is up to 98% of students with 1+ years of WE, for the Class of 2009, which means basically all but 5-6 people.

Wow. This is really interesting. Thanks.
Considering NU destroyed the economic downturn, in terms of NLJ250 placement, I think they may begin to set a trend, in terms of an admissions model. I wouldn't be surprised if legit work experience becomes a distant 3rd place "hard" within 10 years. But I have a tendency to ramble...
2020: LSAT>>>>>>>>>GPA>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>WORK EXP
??? hyuckles.

[romothesavior]

That number is up to 98% of students with 1+ years of WE, for the Class of 2009, which means basically all but 5-6 people.

Wow. This is really interesting. Thanks.
Considering NU destroyed the economic downturn, in terms of NLJ250 placement, I think they may begin to set a trend, in terms of an admissions model. I wouldn't be surprised if legit work experience becomes a distant 3rd place "hard" within 10 years. But I have a tendency to ramble...
2020: LSAT>>>>>>>>>GPA>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>WORK EXP
??? hyuckles.

No evidence of that.

[09042014]

That number is up to 98% of students with 1+ years of WE, for the Class of 2009, which means basically all but 5-6 people.

Wow. This is really interesting. Thanks.
Considering NU destroyed the economic downturn, in terms of NLJ250 placement, I think they may begin to set a trend, in terms of an admissions model. I wouldn't be surprised if legit work experience becomes a distant 3rd place "hard" within 10 years. But I have a tendency to ramble...
2020: LSAT>>>>>>>>>GPA>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>WORK EXP
??? hyuckles.

You mistake 1 year of data for a trend. The 2009 NLJ250 data was for students who did their OCI in 2007, before the crash. The reason the schools fell in job placement was that Summer Associates were no offered by their firms. This disproportionately effected NYC, and the data shows it. Northwestern, Mich, Duke and UVA place less in NYC that other T13's and that is why their placement data held up better. However, while NYC no offered more than other markets, that won't last.

Most rumors have Northwestern placing about as well as Mich, Duke, Virginia, in OCI2009.

Though rumors also say work experience was a bigger factor in firm hiring at OCI 2009, but we won't see NU with better NLJ data that UChi, Columbia and NYU in the future.

[romothesavior]

I have a tendency to ramble...

This.