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Thanks for your thoughts!

bump to get any thoughts-I am hoping to gauge the impact of a PhD (from previous searches I can see there is no clear consensus, though I know not to bank on it giving me a huge boost or anything). Thanks!

lmi wrote:bump to get any thoughts-I am hoping to gauge the impact of a PhD (from previous searches I can see there is no clear consensus, though I know not to bank on it giving me a huge boost or anything). Thanks!

Aggrigation of many poasts I have read on the subject, it is worth about 1 LSAT point. You'll probably skor at MVP on down.

Having a Ph.D. that is in a related field (e.g., political science, philosophy) from a department that is strong in that field is a huge advantage in law school admissions (law school deans who have taken questions in this forum have said this). I assume the vast majority of posters at TLS do not have a Ph.D. and do not know how to gauge its impact. Hence, you have no consensus. When one looks at the increasing number of joint Ph.D./J.D. programs at the top law schools and recent hiring trends in legal academia, it's hard not to get the sense that a Ph.D. earned prior to or during law school can have a big pay-off. Since you already have a Ph.D., which demonstrates a level of scholarly ability that those fresh out of undergrad cannot, you have a great shot at every school you listed provided that your Ph.D. is in a related field from a solid department. Aside from the occasional prof or dean who posts, the best people to ask about this are not in this forum (hence, someone blithely told you that a Ph.D. is worth 1 LSAT point, which is ridiculous). You may want to talk to some admissions people and even law professors who have Ph.D.'s rather than waste your time here.

Thanks very much for the thoughtful response. While my degree is from a public university, my research area is one that I feel I could have more impact on if I practiced law, rather than conducting research in the area (this is my link to law). Anyway, thanks again, and I will definitely be expanding these discussions outside of TLS in the coming months, but I know some people on here have been through this or may have heard some helpful stories.

Discipulus Iustitiae wrote:Having a Ph.D. that is in a related field (e.g., political science, philosophy) from a department that is strong in that field is a huge advantage in law school admissions (law school deans who have taken questions in this forum have said this). I assume the vast majority of posters at TLS do not have a Ph.D. and do not know how to gauge its impact. Hence, you have no consensus. When one looks at the increasing number of joint Ph.D./J.D. programs at the top law schools and recent hiring trends in legal academia, it's hard not to get the sense that a Ph.D. earned prior to or during law school can have a big pay-off. Since you already have a Ph.D., which demonstrates a level of scholarly ability that those fresh out of undergrad cannot, you have a great shot at every school you listed provided that your Ph.D. is in a related field from a solid department. Aside from the occasional prof or dean who posts, the best people to ask about this are not in this forum (hence, someone blithely told you that a Ph.D. is worth 1 LSAT point, which is ridiculous). You may want to talk to some admissions people and even law professors who have Ph.D.'s rather than waste your time here.

Sorry about your tiny pink stats bro.

OP, you may want to speak with the mod who styles herself Amyalchamist (I may be spelling this wrong) "Princess of Berkeley", she applied with a PHD in a hard science from UCLA and realized no boost at all.

hmm, I see there is reason for the lack of consensus. I will probably shoot for the top and hope for the best. I will have to think a bit about if/where an ED may be a good idea. Thanks again for the discussion, it's much appreciated.

any thoughts about ED at either NYU or Columbia? Just wondering if there are any other opinions out there.

lmi wrote:any thoughts about ED at either NYU or Columbia? Just wondering if there are any other opinions out there.

You have very slim chances at Columbia and NYU, but ED would help a bit.

Thanks for your response. Your GPA was much more impressive than mine! I guess it will just be interesting to see what role the social science phd does, in fact, play (if any). Obviously I can see what LSP is predicting with my numbers, and it isn't entirely encouraging-but still worth a try, without a doubt. Thanks again.