Need suggestions Forum

[puremorning]

I watched my friends go through this whole process but didn't bother taking notes b/c I never thought I'd want to go to law school. Surprise! I do! B/c of this I didn't work super hard at my prestigious undergrad and only graduated with a 3.1. I've taken the LSAT and gotten a 154, but that was during grad school finals on no sleep, so I think after studying all summer I'll score higher this Oct. That said, where do you guys recommend I look? My grad school GPA is way better, and I'm getting an MSW from one of the top MSW schools in the country, and I'll have two internships (one as a victim advocate, one as a probation officer) under my belt. I'm from the midwest so I'm applying to some in-state schools for financial reasons, but am also looking at Pace, DePaul, Loyola Chicago, and maybe New England Law. Thoughts?

[CanadianWolf]

Indiana University--Indianapolis is worth an application. Marquette is a slight reach but possible.

[Muenchen]

I watched my friends go through this whole process but didn't bother taking notes b/c I never thought I'd want to go to law school. Surprise! I do! B/c of this I didn't work super hard at my prestigious undergrad and only graduated with a 3.1. I've taken the LSAT and gotten a 154, but that was during grad school finals on no sleep, so I think after studying all summer I'll score higher this Oct. That said, where do you guys recommend I look? My grad school GPA is way better, and I'm getting an MSW from one of the top MSW schools in the country, and I'll have two internships (one as a victim advocate, one as a probation officer) under my belt. I'm from the midwest so I'm applying to some in-state schools for financial reasons, but am also looking at Pace, DePaul, Loyola Chicago, and maybe New England Law. Thoughts?

Grad school grades don't really matter, only UG.

You should really study as much as possible and do as well as possible on the October LSAT. I mean like 165+ if at all possible. No one will be able to give you an idea of where to apply without a hard LSAT score but I can tell you that the collective wisdom of TLS is that you would be better off no going to any of those schools you listed and staying out of debt due to poor job prospects.

I know it sounds harsh, but it's sadly also very true. If you can't go to a Tier 1(meaning top 50) law school, you should only go for very specific reasons which justify the costs or if you can go for free.

[puremorning]

I watched my friends go through this whole process but didn't bother taking notes b/c I never thought I'd want to go to law school. Surprise! I do! B/c of this I didn't work super hard at my prestigious undergrad and only graduated with a 3.1. I've taken the LSAT and gotten a 154, but that was during grad school finals on no sleep, so I think after studying all summer I'll score higher this Oct. That said, where do you guys recommend I look? My grad school GPA is way better, and I'm getting an MSW from one of the top MSW schools in the country, and I'll have two internships (one as a victim advocate, one as a probation officer) under my belt. I'm from the midwest so I'm applying to some in-state schools for financial reasons, but am also looking at Pace, DePaul, Loyola Chicago, and maybe New England Law. Thoughts?

Grad school grades don't really matter, only UG.

You should really study as much as possible and do as well as possible on the October LSAT. I mean like 165+ if at all possible. No one will be able to give you an idea of where to apply without a hard LSAT score but I can tell you that the collective wisdom of TLS is that you would be better off no going to any of those schools you listed and staying out of debt due to poor job prospects.

I know it sounds harsh, but it's sadly also very true. If you can't go to a Tier 1(meaning top 50) law school, you should only go for very specific reasons which justify the costs or if you can go for free.

Yeah, the more research I do the better staying in state seems. I'll get more money, be in less debt, and probably perform better at one of these schools, as well as be able to milk the connections I've already made. I just hate being confined in this state...

[CanadianWolf]

Which state ?

[reasonable_man]

I watched my friends go through this whole process but didn't bother taking notes b/c I never thought I'd want to go to law school. Surprise! I do! B/c of this I didn't work super hard at my prestigious undergrad and only graduated with a 3.1. I've taken the LSAT and gotten a 154, but that was during grad school finals on no sleep, so I think after studying all summer I'll score higher this Oct. That said, where do you guys recommend I look? My grad school GPA is way better, and I'm getting an MSW from one of the top MSW schools in the country, and I'll have two internships (one as a victim advocate, one as a probation officer) under my belt. I'm from the midwest so I'm applying to some in-state schools for financial reasons, but am also looking at Pace, DePaul, Loyola Chicago, and maybe New England Law. Thoughts?

Grad School Does not Count. Your internships are irrelevent. Your undergrad is not "prestigious" by any measure. Your GPA is low and your LSAT is even Lower. I would advise that you study until you can score well into the high 160s. Your proposed law schools (Pace and New England), are among the very worst schools in the entire country. Most graduates leave with no job prospects and loans in the range of $200,000.00. You will receive no scholarship money (or very little - with serious string attached). Proceed with caution.

[CanadianWolf]

Grad school grades do not count (unless bad), but grad school degree is a soft factor that some schools value.

[firemed]

Definitely study and get a higher LSAT score. With a 165+ you can get a good scholly to a T2, or into a T1 at cost.

[puremorning]

Which state ?

Ohio.

[arvcondor]

I watched my friends go through this whole process but didn't bother taking notes b/c I never thought I'd want to go to law school. Surprise! I do! B/c of this I didn't work super hard at my prestigious undergrad and only graduated with a 3.1. I've taken the LSAT and gotten a 154, but that was during grad school finals on no sleep, so I think after studying all summer I'll score higher this Oct. That said, where do you guys recommend I look? My grad school GPA is way better, and I'm getting an MSW from one of the top MSW schools in the country, and I'll have two internships (one as a victim advocate, one as a probation officer) under my belt. I'm from the midwest so I'm applying to some in-state schools for financial reasons, but am also looking at Pace, DePaul, Loyola Chicago, and maybe New England Law. Thoughts?

I know it sounds harsh, but it's sadly also very true. If you can't go to a Tier 1(meaning top 50) law school, you should only go for very specific reasons which justify the costs or if you can go for free.

I'm revising this for strong regional T2s. Top 50 is an arbitrary cutoff.

[buckilaw]

A 3.1 will hinder your chances at OSU, you will probably need a 165-167 to have a good shot.

Case, Capital, Cincy, and Cleveland Marshall could be worth looking at if you get substantial scholarship money. To get a substantial scholly at any of these schools you will probably need an LSAT over a given school's 75% percentile.

Avoid Akron U, they give out tons of scholarship money, but the stips to keep it are insane. Be aware of stips at other schools as well, I would not be suprised to see Capital or Cleveland Marshal engaging in similar bait and switch practices.