Top Law Schools

Hey guys, I'm shooting a little high with some of these, but I'm hoping for the best. I scored a meager 158 on the LSAT and I have a LSDAS GPA of 3.36. LOR's from a professor I did research with, an Assistant State's Attorney I interned for, and the Illinois Senate President who I also interned for. Additionally, I have written an addendum for my GPA which highlights the upswing since transferring schools after my freshmen year [2.6 to 3.5-3.6]

Schools of Interest:
- Chicago-Kent [Considering ED]
- Loyola Chicago
- DePaul
- John Marshall
- Michigan State
- Rutgers-Newark
- U Denver

Don't ED to Kent. You need a good, non-stipulated scholarship to make these schools worth it.

I appreciate the response. The Chicago schools would be nixed if I had to pay living expenses. However, I should be able to commute from my parents' home and save about $20K/year. Its still not cheap at $40K/year in tuition, but most Illinois law schools are pricey. Even our one decent public law school, U of I, charges $35K/year for residents. I figure with most Illinois law students receiving little or no scholarship money, we're all in the same boat. On the bright side, employment and salary figures are strong; even more so for the city schools than for U of I [minus JMLS]. Its still a ~$120K investment, but I'm confident that I could manage it in the long run. I'm also interested in government work, which, if I can land a job in, will qualify me for a number of loan repayment and forgiveness programs.

Michigan State and JMLS may be the only ones to offer up money. I'm hesitant to attend either due to their reputations. Rutgers is a solid choice, I would be leaving friends, family, and connections behind though. Nevertheless, its in my top 3. U Denver is pricey, but I probably would not have to pay much in terms of living expenses because of family out there. I just worry about both CU and U Denver's employment/salary figures. They both seem extremely low. Denver would be a phenomenal place to live though.

It's strange that Denver's not a stronger market.

Is a retake out of the question?

minnbills wrote:It's strange that Denver's not a stronger market.

Is a retake out of the question?

Unfortunately it is. I know people are bound to hound me about it, but I'm looking to make a decision this cycle.

mrtoren wrote:Unfortunately it is. I know people are bound to hound me about it, but I'm looking to make a decision this cycle.

Yeah, why not take in October though? You can still send in your apps early.

minnbills wrote:

mrtoren wrote:Unfortunately it is. I know people are bound to hound me about it, but I'm looking to make a decision this cycle.

Yeah, why not take in October though? You can still send in your apps early.

The level of improvement I would need to get scholarship money out of any of these schools is beyond what I can do in a month and a half with school full time. I don't want to waste the $140 when things are as tight as they are.

Well I hate to be the one to push this, but is there anything really holding you back from waiting a year?

I was disappointed with my Oct 2010 score and re-took in june, I jumped from 162 to 168 and I'm definitely glad I did it.

minnbills wrote: I was disappointed with my Oct 2010 score and re-took in june and I'm definitely glad I did it.

mrtoren, you seem to have spent enough time on these boards to know how tough life will be with those numbers. If you aren't willing to put in the time for a re-take, just forget law school for now. It will always be there.

michigan state should offer you a decent scholarship. Enough to justify it for you to go there? that is up to you to decide

Tiago Splitter wrote:mrtoren, you seem to have spent enough time on these boards to know how tough life will be with those numbers. If you aren't willing to put in the time for a re-take, just forget law school for now. It will always be there.

At the same time though, I also know that the atmosphere is one of extreme caution on these boards. I've met a lot of law grads in the state's attorney's offices and in the political organizations I've interned with. I can't even count on one hand the number of them who earned a scholarship to one of the schools I'm looking at attending. Yet all of them are living a decent life. I'm not chasing the big money fellas. I have a passion for law and politics and I'm willing to roll the dice here. These aren't TTT or TTTT schools. The job and salary prospects are very respectable out of, at the very least, Chicago-Kent/Loyola/DePaul/Rutgers.

I appreciate that you guys are looking out for me. I'm not trying to be bullheaded because I do realize that life would be a lot easier with free money tossed at me. However, most law students don't enjoy that perk and they still make it out there.

I don't know man, I have a friend who graduated median from UIUC and still can't find work.

Ultimately it's your life but I'd advise you to retake and wait, even if just for schollys.

minnbills wrote:I don't know man, I have a friend who graduated median from UIUC and still can't find work.

Ultimately it's your life but I'd advise you to retake and wait, even if just for schollys.

Absolutely and I respect that. On a side note, UIUC actually doesn't place as well as its ranking would suggest. I think Loyola, DePaul, and Chicago-Kent have a step up on the Chicago market. Of course, Northwestern and U Chicago will always top them..but the salary and employment numbers are still very good for those three.

Mods - You can lock this thread. I don't think I'm going to get any real benefit out of it.