Top Law Schools

So here are the stats:

Caucasian male, 27 (28 at matriculation)

3.45 from top 30 undergrad

4 years work experience, mostly in entertainment and most recently as a talent agent w/small firm

Currently enrolled in top 20 MBA program, current GPA 3.53

Anticipate high 160s LSAT; have been getting 163s on pretty much every practice w/practice-only, only now starting to study technique which I believe will add at least 5

Taking LSAT in December, will have rest of application done w/in a few weeks of now

Expect good LOR from current MBA professor(s) as well as former employer

Know I can kill the personal statement

Ok, so thoughts on whether there's something in there that a T-14 will find particularly compelling? What are the adcoms going to make of a profile like mine? I have compelling reasons (to me) for wanting to go back for a JD on top of an MBA but am really not sure it's worth the tuition and lost income for a lesser school, given my current educational/time away from work status.

What are these compelling reasons you speak of?

MrPapagiorgio wrote:What are these compelling reasons you speak of?

Honestly, I'd always thought of myself as a sales/business development guy and throughout business school recruiting I've come to realize that it wasn't a drive to sell that propelled me through my career, it was a desire to be an advocate, specifically with regard to structuring transactions (which is why the MBA is so helpful) and to effectively do that I think law school is a necessary step.

dgp wrote:

MrPapagiorgio wrote:What are these compelling reasons you speak of?

Honestly, I'd always thought of myself as a sales/business development guy and throughout business school recruiting I've come to realize that it wasn't a drive to sell that propelled me through my career, it was a desire to be an advocate, specifically with regard to structuring transactions (which is why the MBA is so helpful) and to effectively do that I think law school is a necessary step.

Yeah, they don't care. Hit a 170, and you're golden.

There's nothing compelling in there at all. Sorry bro.

Kring345 wrote:There's nothing compelling in there at all. Sorry bro.

I said compelling to me (vs. hey, why not try law school) in that it was a logical part of a larger plan. And unless my mother had another child I don't know about, who's managed to find me on an internet forum, save the "bro" for your frat buddies.

SilverE2 wrote:

dgp wrote:

MrPapagiorgio wrote:What are these compelling reasons you speak of?

Honestly, I'd always thought of myself as a sales/business development guy and throughout business school recruiting I've come to realize that it wasn't a drive to sell that propelled me through my career, it was a desire to be an advocate, specifically with regard to structuring transactions (which is why the MBA is so helpful) and to effectively do that I think law school is a necessary step.

Yeah, they don't care. Hit a 170, and you're golden.

Yea, it wasn't so much about having a "must admit" reason as opposed to someone wondering "Why the hell is this guy going back to law school right after getting out of business school, does he have absolutely no direction in life?!?!"

Personal statements, letter of recommendation, graduate work and work experience will not get you in to any of the top 14 schools by themselves. You need to have at least a high enough GPA or LSAT to be above a school's median to have a shot. At that point, the rest of your application might bridge the gap for you. It's not a pipe dream but it won't happen with a low to mid 160s LSAT. You need at least high 160s and I would even say low to mid 170s.

dgp wrote:

Kring345 wrote:There's nothing compelling in there at all. Sorry bro.

I said compelling to me (vs. hey, why not try law school) in that it was a logical part of a larger plan. And unless my mother had another child I don't know about, who's managed to find me on an internet forum, save the "bro" for your frat buddies.

Wow.

Anyways, his point is that your potentially legitimate personal reasons will have no bearing on your admissions process. Look at your UGPA and LSAT and you will have most, if not all, of the picture.

dgp wrote:

Kring345 wrote:There's nothing compelling in there at all. Sorry bro.

I said compelling to me (vs. hey, why not try law school) in that it was a logical part of a larger plan. And unless my mother had another child I don't know about, who's managed to find me on an internet forum, save the "bro" for your frat buddies.

dgp wrote:Ok, so thoughts on whether there's something in there that a T-14 will find particularly compelling?

Ohhhh, so then you didnt ask if t-14 schools would find your application compelling? Oh my bad, I thought I read that some where in your initial post. ::cough::lookup::cough::

Also, sorry about the "bro." I should have realized that you'd be offended by an everyday word that people often use in jest to lighten the mood after crushing the pipe dreams of going to a t-14. Sorry bro...

ps, Im not in a frat. But I am in the Marine Corps. Does that count?

When it comes to getting in to a law school, literally the only things that matter are your undergrad GPA and your LSAT. Don't worry about the picture you're sending. It's a one dimensional process; numbers only.

Now that story you have may serve you well in job interviews once you're in law school. So keep thinking about it, investigating it etc. but it is totally irrelevant for the purposes of getting into a law school. Just study for the LSAT 20-30 hours a week and bang out a 170+ and you'll be just fine for the lower t14.

Kring345 wrote:

dgp wrote:

Kring345 wrote:There's nothing compelling in there at all. Sorry bro.

I said compelling to me (vs. hey, why not try law school) in that it was a logical part of a larger plan. And unless my mother had another child I don't know about, who's managed to find me on an internet forum, save the "bro" for your frat buddies.

dgp wrote:Ok, so thoughts on whether there's something in there that a T-14 will find particularly compelling?

Ohhhh, so then you didnt ask if t-14 schools would find your application compelling? Oh my bad, I thought I read that some where in your initial post. ::cough::lookup::cough::

Also, sorry about the "bro." I should have realized that you'd be offended by an everyday word that people often use in jest to lighten the mood after crushing the pipe dreams of going to a t-14. Sorry bro...

ps, Im not in a frat. But I am in the Marine Corps. Does that count?

nice soft

also, OP, you have a good enough reason to go to law school for them to not think you're completely directionless, but it's not one of those "wow" reasons, i.e. my LGBT friend who wants to overturn shitty military stigmas in the wake of the repeal of don't ask don't tell

I don't think your friend's situation is necessarily better than being in the Marine Corps. I'm sure what s/he wants to do is valuable work, but it's all hypothetical. I've got a lot of respect for people who have served, especially in the Marine Corps. That's a soft that commands immediate respect IMO.

And yeah, OP, get into the 170's and then you can break into the T14, good luck!

JamMasterJ wrote:

Kring345 wrote:

dgp wrote:

Kring345 wrote:There's nothing compelling in there at all. Sorry bro.

I said compelling to me (vs. hey, why not try law school) in that it was a logical part of a larger plan. And unless my mother had another child I don't know about, who's managed to find me on an internet forum, save the "bro" for your frat buddies.

dgp wrote:Ok, so thoughts on whether there's something in there that a T-14 will find particularly compelling?

Ohhhh, so then you didnt ask if t-14 schools would find your application compelling? Oh my bad, I thought I read that some where in your initial post. ::cough::lookup::cough::

Also, sorry about the "bro." I should have realized that you'd be offended by an everyday word that people often use in jest to lighten the mood after crushing the pipe dreams of going to a t-14. Sorry bro...

ps, Im not in a frat. But I am in the Marine Corps. Does that count?

nice soft

also, OP, you have a good enough reason to go to law school for them to not think you're completely directionless, but it's not one of those "wow" reasons, i.e. my LGBT friend who wants to overturn shitty military stigmas in the wake of the repeal of don't ask don't tell

163/5 3.45 puts you much more in the Cardozo/BLS/American range than it does anything else. I would think any school thats attainable for you without knocking the LSAT out of your current range would be a step down from your current career. I would not go to LS honestly unless you do much better than you predict.

Compelling softs (which yours aren't, sorry) would carry you farther if you had a good UG GPA.

Kring345 wrote:

dgp wrote:

Kring345 wrote:There's nothing compelling in there at all. Sorry bro.

I said compelling to me (vs. hey, why not try law school) in that it was a logical part of a larger plan. And unless my mother had another child I don't know about, who's managed to find me on an internet forum, save the "bro" for your frat buddies.

dgp wrote:Ok, so thoughts on whether there's something in there that a T-14 will find particularly compelling?

Ohhhh, so then you didnt ask if t-14 schools would find your application compelling? Oh my bad, I thought I read that some where in your initial post. ::cough::lookup::cough::

Also, sorry about the "bro." I should have realized that you'd be offended by an everyday word that people often use in jest to lighten the mood after crushing the pipe dreams of going to a t-14. Sorry bro...

ps, Im not in a frat. But I am in the Marine Corps. Does that count?

Perhaps I owe you an apology; I thought you were referring to my second use of the word compelling (as in the reason for law school, which a previous poster had asked about) and my first (regarding the whole package being sent to admissions). If I was mistaken, sorry.

I still find "bro" patronizing and kind of douchy, but that's all a matter of personal taste; to each his own.

Blindmelon wrote:163/5 3.45 puts you much more in the Cardozo/BLS/American range than it does anything else. I would think any school thats attainable for you without knocking the LSAT out of your current range would be a step down from your current career. I would not go to LS honestly unless you do much better than you predict.

Compelling softs (which yours aren't, sorry) would carry you farther if you had a good UG GPA.

Credited.

You need to work on LSAT and GPA. Anyone can knock their PS out of the park, the trouble is the schools don't care about those at all. Right now you are headed to Cardozo or American.

Working on the GPA will be a little tough; I graduated five years ago .

No shot at T14 without 170. The LSAT is not a very difficult test.

extremesplitter wrote:No shot at T14 without 170. The LSAT is not a very difficult test.

You are either wrong, or a real prick.

dgp wrote:

extremesplitter wrote:No shot at T14 without 170. The LSAT is not a very difficult test.

You are either wrong, or a real prick.

You are either stupid, or a total dick.