Top Law Schools

hi guys, i just joined this forum & i absolutely love it.

I just took the Dec 2010 LSATs.
My gpa in my major field is 3.54
BUT cumulative is a 3.05 =\
all my practice lsats & diags ranged from 162-168. highest being 168, and lowest, 162, clearly.



what the hell are my chances..


Do you think my work experience, (i work for defense attorneys on wall st.) can potentially help my chances?
Same with PS?

or am i screwed?


Just wondering, i've been going up and down this site and a lot of you seem like you know what the hell you're talking about ! lol

thanks guys.

Well you're not "screwed". Working on wall street is nice but won't be a major deal, remember every applicant literally has amazing softs. GPA will hurt you, but with a higher LSAT you can try to be a splitter, a 168 would accomplish that but a 162 would not. A lot of people will say wait until you get your LSAT score back, and having written the LSAT in December I will agree, because for someone taking this administration their first time it could have gone poorly compared to PT averages. Assuming the middle of 165 given your range, you have a good shot at quite a few schools, but not for the top T1 schools.

162-168 is a massive range, particularly with that GPA (which is a 3.05, not a 3.54). If you hit at the top of that range, you stand a decent shot at the Midwestern splitter-friendly schools (WUSTL, Illinois, Minnesota); if you hit at the bottom, well, retake and try again next year. If you're shooting for the elite schools, your best bet is to hit 170+ and ED to NU or UVA.

I forgot to mention like beachbum said, the LSAC GPA system is unforgiving. I have a 3.48 overall (91 credits) despite the fact that 78 of those credits were at my graduating institution with an overall of 3.67. It doesn't matter to them, your overall is what they look at, they'll notice the grade trends when they view your app in detail but on first glance they'll see a 3.05...

kkklick wrote:Well you're not "screwed". Working on wall street is nice but won't be a major deal, remember every applicant literally has amazing softs. GPA will hurt you, but with a higher LSAT you can try to be a splitter, a 168 would accomplish that but a 162 would not. A lot of people will say wait until you get your LSAT score back, and having written the LSAT in December I will agree, because for someone taking this administration their first time it could have gone poorly compared to PT averages. Assuming the middle of 165 given your range, you have a good shot at quite a few schools, but not for the top T1 schools.

yeah, that makes a lot of sense. it was my first time taking it, and i was pretty confident until the games section where i panicked a bit. i definitely registered for the feb 1. and am hoping to try to break 170.

the law schools.. are t1, but not top 25.
top 100, is what im shooting for. lol

beachbum wrote:162-168 is a massive range, particularly with that GPA (which is a 3.05, not a 3.54). If you hit at the top of that range, you stand a decent shot at the Midwestern splitter-friendly schools (WUSTL, Illinois, Minnesota); if you hit at the bottom, well, retake and try again next year. If you're shooting for the elite schools, your best bet is to hit 170+ and ED to NU or UVA.

New York Law
St Johns Law
Uconn Law
& Brooklyn Law

are my choices.

yeah the 3.05 is a KILLER.

thanks 4 the comment =)

Are you asking your chances of getting into one of those law schools or getting a job after going to one of those law schools? Both should be asked.

thecilent wrote:Are you asking your chances of getting into one of those law schools or getting a job after going to one of those law schools? Both should be asked.

The job market is a pile of crap in the US, but a law degree can be used in many ways. Of course the cream of the crop will get automatic jobs, but some from lower ranked schools can accomplish a lot. My sister graduated from John Marshall which is a T4 school, she's working at a firm making $52,000 a year while studying for the bar and has been guaranteed an articling position and job where her pay will jump. I think it is wrong for most people to assume that jobs will by flying from the sky once they get a law degree. However those from lower ranked schools can get jobs.

kkklick wrote:

thecilent wrote:Are you asking your chances of getting into one of those law schools or getting a job after going to one of those law schools? Both should be asked.

The job market is a pile of crap in the US, but a law degree can be used in many ways. Of course the cream of the crop will get automatic jobs, but some from lower ranked schools can accomplish a lot. My sister graduated from John Marshall which is a T4 school, she's working at a firm making $52,000 a year while studying for the bar and has been guaranteed an articling position and job where her pay will jump. I think it is wrong for most people to assume that jobs will by flying from the sky once they get a law degree. However those from lower ranked schools can get jobs.

I agree, somewhat. How much did she pay to go there? It's just hard for me to justify paying $40,000/year (while foregoing lost income) to have a shot at a job paying $50k. And your sister did good, bc there are plenty from those type of schools who do not get those jobs.

thecilent wrote:

kkklick wrote:

thecilent wrote:Are you asking your chances of getting into one of those law schools or getting a job after going to one of those law schools? Both should be asked.

The job market is a pile of crap in the US, but a law degree can be used in many ways. Of course the cream of the crop will get automatic jobs, but some from lower ranked schools can accomplish a lot. My sister graduated from John Marshall which is a T4 school, she's working at a firm making $52,000 a year while studying for the bar and has been guaranteed an articling position and job where her pay will jump. I think it is wrong for most people to assume that jobs will by flying from the sky once they get a law degree. However those from lower ranked schools can get jobs.

I agree, somewhat. How much did she pay to go there? It's just hard for me to justify paying $40,000/year (while foregoing lost income) to have a shot at a job paying $50k. And your sister did good, bc there are plenty from those type of schools who do not get those jobs.

I agree, she did pay a ton of money, about 38K because she was a out of state resident. I guess it depends on how much she will get paid when she starts working as an attorney. I think the US should have adopted a style similar to Canada, there is only 20 law schools or so there so the competition is high but job prospects are great regardless of the law school. In the US its all about money.