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I'm an experienced engineer (10+ years in semiconductors) with a technical masters degree and a business masters degree. I have been continuously employed in high tech throughout the various downturns of the last decade.

Having pretty much topped out my technical career prospects in my mid-thirties, I'm now thinking about going into law. I've taken a couple of practice LSATs and scored 170 on both of them. I think I could add a couple points with prep work. My undergrad GPA (engineering) is 2.7 and my graduate GPA is 3.6. Each of my degrees is from a well respected university.

I live in the Austin TX area. I've reviewed the admissions scatterplots and see that I could get into any of the other schools in Texas, but I need to remain in Austin. Moving and/or commuting to SMU, Baylor,or Houston is not an option for me.

I'm considering working as a patent agent for a year or two to get some experience in intellectual property and also hopefully improve my admission chances. However once I step off the engineering track into patent agent work it would be difficult to switch back.

Please comment on my chances of getting into UT Austin? Are my LSAT and soft qualifications enough to overcome my low undergrad gpa from nearly twenty years ago?

Come back when you have a real score.

yam wrote:I'm an experienced engineer (10+ years in semiconductors) with a technical masters degree and a business masters degree. I have been continuously employed in high tech throughout the various downturns of the last decade.

Having pretty much topped out my technical career prospects in my mid-thirties, I'm now thinking about going into law. I've taken a couple of practice LSATs and scored 170 on both of them. I think I could add a couple points with prep work. My undergrad GPA (engineering) is 2.7 and my graduate GPA is 3.6. Each of my degrees is from a well respected university.

I live in the Austin TX area. I've reviewed the admissions scatterplots and see that I could get into any of the other schools in Texas, but I need to remain in Austin. Moving and/or commuting to SMU, Baylor,or Houston is not an option for me.

I'm considering working as a patent agent for a year or two to get some experience in intellectual property and also hopefully improve my admission chances. However once I step off the engineering track into patent agent work it would be difficult to switch back.

Please comment on my chances of getting into UT Austin? Are my LSAT and soft qualifications enough to overcome my low undergrad gpa from nearly twenty years ago?

Unfortunately, UT seems to have a GPA floor around 3.5 or so. I don't see any way you're getting in with that GPA even if you scored 180 on the LSAT. I don't even think URM will overcome a GPA that low. Sorry. UT is just not friendly to splitters. Patent work is unlikely to help your chances at UT.

Your grad degree will be a slight soft factor, but the GPA won't be considered. It the UG GPA they care about. Additional work experience is neither necessary nor sufficient. You have enough WE to get whatever boost it will give you. With regard to whether your LSAT and WE will overcome your GPA: you don't currently have an LSAT score and your GPA will hurt you... a lot. UT seems to have a hard GPA floor of about 3.45 ish. Quite a few mid 172+ <3.45s were rejected. keep working on your LSAT prep, that should be your priority.

see LSN graphs:
http://texas.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats

nonprofit-prophet wrote:Your grad degree will be a slight soft factor, but the GPA won't be considered. It the UG GPA they care about. Additional work experience is neither necessary nor sufficient. You have enough WE to get whatever boost it will give you. With regard to whether your LSAT and WE will overcome your GPA: you don't currently have an LSAT score and your GPA will hurt you... a lot. UT seems to have a hard GPA floor of about 3.45 ish. Quite a few mid 172+ <3.45s were rejected. keep working on your LSAT prep, that should be your priority.

see LSN graphs:
http://texas.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats

I think OP is wasting his time with LSAT prep unless he's willing to consider other schools.

JazzOne wrote:

nonprofit-prophet wrote:Your grad degree will be a slight soft factor, but the GPA won't be considered. It the UG GPA they care about. Additional work experience is neither necessary nor sufficient. You have enough WE to get whatever boost it will give you. With regard to whether your LSAT and WE will overcome your GPA: you don't currently have an LSAT score and your GPA will hurt you... a lot. UT seems to have a hard GPA floor of about 3.45 ish. Quite a few mid 172+ <3.45s were rejected. keep working on your LSAT prep, that should be your priority.

see LSN graphs:
http://texas.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats

I think OP is wasting his time with LSAT prep unless he's willing to consider other schools.

+1. Though 10 years WE and a 170 LSAT could probably get him into NU ED? I know a 2.7 is substantially lower than the usual 3.0 floor, but 10 years of solid WE makes him a very nontraditional applicant.

gambelda wrote:

JazzOne wrote:

nonprofit-prophet wrote:Your grad degree will be a slight soft factor, but the GPA won't be considered. It the UG GPA they care about. Additional work experience is neither necessary nor sufficient. You have enough WE to get whatever boost it will give you. With regard to whether your LSAT and WE will overcome your GPA: you don't currently have an LSAT score and your GPA will hurt you... a lot. UT seems to have a hard GPA floor of about 3.45 ish. Quite a few mid 172+ <3.45s were rejected. keep working on your LSAT prep, that should be your priority.

see LSN graphs:
http://texas.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats

I think OP is wasting his time with LSAT prep unless he's willing to consider other schools.

+1. Though 10 years WE and a 170 LSAT could probably get him into NU ED? I know a 2.7 is substantially lower than the usual 3.0 floor, but 10 years of solid WE makes him a very nontraditional applicant.

I'm guessing he has a family in the UT area. If he can't commute to SMU, I doubt he would move to Chicago.

Basically the short answer is, because schools typically publish 25/75 and median GPA and LSAT, they could EASILY let in 2.5's 2.0's 140's w/e...etc if they wanted or had a reason to.... for some reason they don't want to.... even for a career-professional with a high LSAT.

A GPA floor of 3.5 is absurd. Given your work experience you should be a good candidate...although like above, I'm not sure it will make a difference.

Yes, I've got family in the area. If I went elsewhere in TX, I would be commuting back to Austin on the weekends. Frankly the family time is more important to me than the career options.

I'm curious about the comment that patent agent work would not help me get into UT. I had thought it would show aptitude as well as interest, and hopefully get a good letter of recommendation. Is this not likely to help?

What is NU ED?

Are there any other options for me?

JazzOne wrote:

nonprofit-prophet wrote:Your grad degree will be a slight soft factor, but the GPA won't be considered. It the UG GPA they care about. Additional work experience is neither necessary nor sufficient. You have enough WE to get whatever boost it will give you. With regard to whether your LSAT and WE will overcome your GPA: you don't currently have an LSAT score and your GPA will hurt you... a lot. UT seems to have a hard GPA floor of about 3.45 ish. Quite a few mid 172+ <3.45s were rejected. keep working on your LSAT prep, that should be your priority.

see LSN graphs:
http://texas.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats

I think OP is wasting his time with LSAT prep unless he's willing to consider other schools.

This. http://lawschoolnumbers.com/FutureJAG/jd

I had a similar experience. Got rejected by UT quick, ended up attending T14. UT just does not like splitters, even ones with significant WE. I would still recommend that OP apply, but OP should realize he has much, much better odds at lower T14 than he does at UT.

http://officialguide.lsac.org/Release/S ... AC6882.pdf


scroll down to the bottom of the page.
3 people out of around 500 applicants below 3.0 were admitted.

yam wrote:Yes, I've got family in the area. If I went elsewhere in TX, I would be commuting back to Austin on the weekends. Frankly the family time is more important to me than the career options.

I'm curious about the comment that patent agent work would not help me get into UT. I had thought it would show aptitude as well as interest, and hopefully get a good letter of recommendation. Is this not likely to help?

What is NU ED?

Are there any other options for me?

Unfortunately, because of the USNWR rankings, law schools are primarily concerned with GPA and LSAT. Work experience and recommendation letters will not make up for a GPA that is so far below their floor. NU ED refers to the early decision application at Northwestern.

I think your best bet is SMU. It's close enough to Austin to come home on the weekends, and SMU places well in Texas.

txadv11 wrote:http://officialguide.lsac.org/Release/S ... AC6882.pdf


scroll down to the bottom of the page.
3 people out of around 500 applicants below 3.0 were admitted.

Probably URMs

I just love what the schools say on websites/lsac.org

UT "As a general rule, there are no presumptive numbers. Every application completed and submitted is reviewed in its entirety. Each applicant must take the LSAT and have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum grade-point average of 2.2 as calculated by the...."

JazzOne wrote:

txadv11 wrote:http://officialguide.lsac.org/Release/S ... AC6882.pdf


scroll down to the bottom of the page.
3 people out of around 500 applicants below 3.0 were admitted.

Probably URMs

Yep, or family of Perry or something lol.

txadv11 wrote:

JazzOne wrote:

txadv11 wrote:http://officialguide.lsac.org/Release/S ... AC6882.pdf


scroll down to the bottom of the page.
3 people out of around 500 applicants below 3.0 were admitted.

Probably URMs

Yep, or family of Perry or something lol.

George Bush got rejected from UT Law, so I'm not sure Perry has a enough clout to push his relatives in.

JazzOne wrote:

txadv11 wrote:

JazzOne wrote:

txadv11 wrote:http://officialguide.lsac.org/Release/S ... AC6882.pdf


scroll down to the bottom of the page.
3 people out of around 500 applicants below 3.0 were admitted.

Probably URMs

Yep, or family of Perry or something lol.

George Bush got rejected from UT Law, so I'm not sure Perry has a enough clout to push his relatives in.

That is crazy. I have a close relative that transfered there from a TTTT4 Texas school in the 1970's....
Times have changed.

If you want the best school you can get into, get that 170+ and apply Early Decision to Northwestern next year.

If you absolutely must stay in Texas, UT is 100% out with your low GPA regardless of LSAT, work experience, LORs, or whatever. I'd look into SMU/UH/Baylor.

If even those 3 are too far, then your only option for law school is St. Mary's in San Antonio.