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I will be taking my LSAT this December.

I have a 3.75 UG GPA and will be graduating in the spring of 2012 after defending my thesis.
I have dabbled in some engineering core classes but my major is a Pre-Law one.
I have passed Calc I and Calc II for scientist and engineers.

Would it be worth it for me to seek a double major with Electrical Engineering and possibly drop to a 3.4 GPA and add an additional year?

Additional information: I am in my mid-30's and I am married with no children.

Only if you want to do IP and need the EE degree. For non-IP, I wouldn't think the drop in GPA would be worth it.

btw, Calc I and II are freshman classes that a lot of engineers skip anyway, at least at my UG. Are you really sure you know what upper division EE classes will be like? That shit is nasty.

I guess what I'm trying to ask is, what is "dabbling"? Have you just taken some freshman intro engineering classes and prereqs, or have you actually taken some of the hard stuff and know what you're getting into?

rinkrat19 wrote:Only if you want to to IP and need the EE degree. For non-IP, the drop in GPA isn't worth it.

(btw, Calc I and II are freshman classes that a lot of engineers skip anyway, at least at my UG. Are you really sure you could handle the upper division EE classes? That shit is nasty.)

I am sure I could handle the classes but not without taking a significant drop in the GPA.
My main goal is to get into the best LS possible. I am interested in many areas of law.

I also took Physics I with Calculus I and C programing. I did well in those classes but dropped mid semester due to removal of gallbladder and a swine flu (documented).

But these are core classes.

This really depends on that December LSAT score.

If you receive a 168+, a 3.4 can be a pretty sizable deterrent to getting into T14 schools. If you get a 172+, a 3.4 would bar you from HYS.*


But if you receive a low LSAT score, the employment prospects outside of T18 are exponentially worse; in this scenario, an EE degree would be very valuable because patent law would then still be reasonably attainable.




*Predictions assume that you are not URM.

igo2northwestern wrote:This really depends on that December LSAT score.

If you receive a 168+, a 3.4 can be a pretty sizable deterrent to getting into T14 schools. If you get a 172+, a 3.4 would bar you from HYS.*


But if you receive a low LSAT score, the employment prospects outside of T18 are exponentially worse; in this scenario, an EE degree would be very valuable because patent law would then still be reasonably attainable.




*Predictions assume that you are not URM.

Yes, I am not a URM.

beaker_rick_rolled wrote:

rinkrat19 wrote:Only if you want to to IP and need the EE degree. For non-IP, the drop in GPA isn't worth it.

(btw, Calc I and II are freshman classes that a lot of engineers skip anyway, at least at my UG. Are you really sure you could handle the upper division EE classes? That shit is nasty.)

I am sure I could handle the classes but not without taking a significant drop in the GPA.
My main goal is to get into the best LS possible. I am interested in many areas of law.

I also took Physics I with Calculus I and C programing. I did well in those classes but dropped mid semester due to removal of gallbladder and a swine flu (documented).

But these are core classes.

Reading this, I can't see any way you would justify tanking your GPA from above median at some T14s to below at most of the top 50.

If I get the chance later in life I may finish the EE.
Thank you all for the advice.

Don't know if you'll have time to go back and do EE if you're in your mid-30's, but I think you're making the right call by keeping your GPA up. Good luck to you!

If you want to be an engineer, then yes. If not, why bother?

If you do poorly on the LSAT and need a viable back-up plan, yes.

If you do well on the LSAT, no. The extra year of tuition and time in school when you're already in your 30s and married does not justify a degree of which you'll have little use. Not to mention that you should not screw up a good GPA.