Top Law Schools

Hi,

I've been through these forums and LSN many times but I'd like to get a hypothetical-definitive answer(as contradictory as that sounds ).

I'm wondering about my chances at the top schools(HYSCCN + Boalt). Any scholarship predictions would be great also. I'll be applying next cycle for 2012.

LSDAS GPA: 3.8x
Major: Electrical Engineering
LSAT(once): 175+
WE: 4 Years in IT Consulting(Mainly programming work); 2 yrs in NYC, 4 months in Dubai, 2 yrs in Toronto
Other Notes: Non URM(Asian-Canadian), Not many softs, I race karts as hobby but I doubt that counts for anything .

Thanks in advance for your replies.

rotaxkarter wrote:Hi,

I've been through these forums and LSN many times but I'd like to get a hypothetical-definitive answer(as contradictory as that sounds ).

I'm wondering about my chances at the top schools(HYSCCN + bloat). Any scholarships predictions would be great also.

UG GPA: 3.81
Major: Electrical Engineering at UofWaterloo(Canada)
LSAT(once): 177
WE: 4 Years in IT Consulting(Mainly programming work)
Other Notes: Not many softs, I race karts as hobby but I doubt that counts for anything .

Thanks in advance for your replies.

lolcakes at Bloat.

sorry typo.

Boalt

Should only apply at beginning of next cycle at HYSCC, maybe UM since they may just throw a Darrow at you.

Given Boalt's volatility and the glut of people going for SF, you got it right with Bloat.

Anyone have any ideas with my stats and info?

Thanks.

I'd really like to know where I may receive merit scholarships. Think I can get a full ride anywhere?(Doesn't have to be the schools listed, anything in T14). Given the responses I may apply to more than the ones I listed so this is greatly appreciated.

If you are looking for a full ride I'd blanket the T14 down to about Duke - I'd bet you'll get at least one full ride and lots of $ everywhere...

I'd think you have a shot at Harvard as well but your GPA is a little low for Stanford and Yale...then again with a hard major like engineering and work experience in the field you never know...

Your best bets for full ride are the Hamilton (full ride at Columbia), Rubenstein (Chicago), Levy (not quite a full ride but a lot of $), Darrow (Michigan), Mordecai (Duke) and whatever that rare one at UVA is called...all very possible with your #s

Unless you want to do a named public interest (or one of the other) scholarships that have a seperate application I don't know of too many full rides offered at NYU. Berkeley also seems not to give many full rides to non URMs.

You will have a great cycle, just make sure everything is polished and get your apps in as early as possible.

Congrats and good luck

Perhaps a full ride at UM, Penn, Cornell. Chances EVERYWHERE!

Thanks.

I've been trying to figure out if Eng gives a gpa boost at all, and if yes, to what degree. From what I can tell from combing through the forum is that it does not give a boost but instead may be used in tie-breaker scenarios.

Anyone want to elaborate?

rotaxkarter wrote:Thanks.

I've been trying to figure out if Eng gives a gpa boost at all, and if yes, to what degree. From what I can tell from combing through the forum is that it does not give a boost but instead may be used in tie-breaker scenarios.

Anyone want to elaborate?

I think you're thinking about it right. There's no boost. It's more of a soft, and schools either care about that soft or not. In the lofty heights where you are roaming, I have no idea what schools do and what schools don't care.

Stanford is going to love your EE major, especially if you apply to do the joint MSEE degree here. You've got a very, very strong shot here with those numbers.

Bumi wrote:

rotaxkarter wrote:Thanks.

I've been trying to figure out if Eng gives a gpa boost at all, and if yes, to what degree. From what I can tell from combing through the forum is that it does not give a boost but instead may be used in tie-breaker scenarios.

Anyone want to elaborate?

I think you're thinking about it right. There's no boost. It's more of a soft, and schools either care about that soft or not. In the lofty heights where you are roaming, I have no idea what schools do and what schools don't care.

I was really hoping that it wasn't true and that I would get a non-negligible boost .

Kretzy wrote:Stanford is going to love your EE major, especially if you apply to do the joint MSEE degree here. You've got a very, very strong shot here with those numbers.

Hope you're right but I'm also wary not to get hopes up, can't wait for next cycle to start...and then wait half a year for the schools to get back to me lol

Do you have softs other than WE?
It will mostly depend on how the schools look @ your WE and other softs. I had similar stats (3.88/177), econ major, public accounting W/E (and was done with the CPA exams reqs at the time of app, waiting for the license paperwork) but no good softs otherwise (no EC). Got into H but not S/Y. Half ride at Col/NYU.

Hattori Hanzo wrote:Do you have softs other than WE?
It will mostly depend on how the schools look @ your WE and other softs. I had similar stats (3.88/177), econ major, public accounting W/E (and was done with the CPA exams reqs at the time of app, waiting for the license paperwork) but no good softs otherwise (no EC). Got into H but not S/Y. Half ride at Col/NYU.

3.88vs3.81 is quite different no?

Honestly I don't have any softs really. finished CFA level 1. Been attempting a software startup with a few individuals the past few months and doesn't seem to be going far. That's about it.

rotaxkarter wrote:

Hattori Hanzo wrote:Do you have softs other than WE?
It will mostly depend on how the schools look @ your WE and other softs. I had similar stats (3.88/177), econ major, public accounting W/E (and was done with the CPA exams reqs at the time of app, waiting for the license paperwork) but no good softs otherwise (no EC). Got into H but not S/Y. Half ride at Col/NYU.

3.88vs3.81 is quite different no?

Honestly I don't have any softs really. finished CFA level 1. Been attempting a software startup with a few individuals the past few months and doesn't seem to be going far. That's about it.

It's different but I am assuming the hard science major and 4 yrs of solid WE narrows the gap.
Have you considered B-school? If you're an entrepreneur you wont like law school. Also the LSAT and the GMAT are somewhat similar (many people get the same results on both. I scored the same percentile) and your GPA will not matter nearly as much in B school.

Hattori Hanzo wrote:

rotaxkarter wrote:

Hattori Hanzo wrote:Do you have softs other than WE?
It will mostly depend on how the schools look @ your WE and other softs. I had similar stats (3.88/177), econ major, public accounting W/E (and was done with the CPA exams reqs at the time of app, waiting for the license paperwork) but no good softs otherwise (no EC). Got into H but not S/Y. Half ride at Col/NYU.

3.88vs3.81 is quite different no?

Honestly I don't have any softs really. finished CFA level 1. Been attempting a software startup with a few individuals the past few months and doesn't seem to be going far. That's about it.

It's different but I am assuming the hard science major and 4 yrs of solid WE narrows the gap.
Have you considered B-school? If you're an entrepreneur you wont like law school. Also the LSAT and the GMAT are somewhat similar (many people get the same results on both. I scored the same percentile) and your GPA will not matter nearly as much in B school.

Actually, jd/mba has crossed my mind, but bschool on its own is probably not something I'll be doing. Jd is my main goal right now.

Definitely apply everywhere. You must have a decent shot at H/S and Y is worth applying anyway. Apply early and broadly. I have done a little work for HLS admissions (giving tours, etc) and I know JR puts a little more emphasis on WE and softs in general than TS. If you come here I'll probably go karting w/u

Hattori Hanzo wrote:Definitely apply everywhere. You must have a decent shot at H/S and Y is worth applying anyway. Apply early and broadly. I have done a little work for HLS admissions (giving tours, etc) and I know JR puts a little more emphasis on WE and softs in general than TS. If you come here I'll probably go karting w/u

Haha, unfortunately, once I start law school, I'm pretty sure I won't have the funds for karting anymore...

OP: Do Canadian undergrad and US undergrad GPAs work equivalently? I'm just wondering because I thought that someone said that there were differences between the two systems and I figured you would probably know.

Thanks

rotaxkarter wrote:

Hattori Hanzo wrote:Definitely apply everywhere. You must have a decent shot at H/S and Y is worth applying anyway. Apply early and broadly. I have done a little work for HLS admissions (giving tours, etc) and I know JR puts a little more emphasis on WE and softs in general than TS. If you come here I'll probably go karting w/u

Haha, unfortunately, once I start law school, I'm pretty sure I won't have the funds for karting anymore...

It's not that expensive. I gave up auto cross when I came here and karting can be a good substitute

Sam Seaborn wrote:OP: Do Canadian undergrad and US undergrad GPAs work equivalently? I'm just wondering because I thought that someone said that there were differences between the two systems and I figured you would probably know.

Thanks

Depending on the school the grading system may be slightly different. I know that I had concerns of my gpa dropping dramatically prior to having it submitted to lsac. In the end it did drop but not by a lot, and I believe some people see their gpas go up. I think lsdas converted my percentage grades to letter grades then to 4.0 scale.

Hattori Hanzo wrote:

rotaxkarter wrote:

Hattori Hanzo wrote:Definitely apply everywhere. You must have a decent shot at H/S and Y is worth applying anyway. Apply early and broadly. I have done a little work for HLS admissions (giving tours, etc) and I know JR puts a little more emphasis on WE and softs in general than TS. If you come here I'll probably go karting w/u

Haha, unfortunately, once I start law school, I'm pretty sure I won't have the funds for karting anymore...

It's not that expensive. I gave up auto cross when I came here and karting can be a good substitute

Yes, I believe I have a slight addiction to karting lol. If I can get some kind of loan to continue karting during LS I probably would :p

I know its a really short time frame, but is there anything I can do to boost my softs in the next 6 months before the apps go in?