Top Law Schools

Just a disclaimer please do not answer with "you should not apply to law school." I am applying to law school and would just like some opinions on where I can get in.

I graduated in 2010 from a top-50 private university where I majored in business. I have a significant upward trend in my GPA - went from a 2.7 freshman year to a 3.8 both junior and senior years.

I took the LSAT 3x, twice in 2009 (scoring 161 both times). I recently took the October 2011 test and scored a 159. My average lsat score on practice exams before this latest test was a 168 and I attribute this severe drop to a panic I had the morning of. I know I should have cancelled but I thought based on my strong practice scores and the fact that I didn't have time issues during the exam that I didn't do as bad as I feared, which was clearly wrong.

I work at a top 10 law firm where I am working on huge cases and have gone to trial. I have been here for a year as a paralegal. Not sure how much work experience counts but if it does I have a strong resume and good recs.

I want to go to law school in NY. Was initially planning on applying ED to Fordham. Still worth it? What are my chances at Fordham, Cardozo, Brooklyn, BU, GW, American and any other comparable schools you can think of. Does it make sense to apply early to Cardozo? Any constructive input is appreciated.

do you have a job at your firm after law school?

Not getting ED Fordham.

If you want statistics describing where you can waster your money, enjoy:

http://www.lawschoolnumbers.com

No, I'm a paralegal. But I have a good relationship with the people I've worked with. It's a huge firm they aren't exactly making promises on jobs.

Grizz - I know how to read statistics. Do you have anything constructive to say other than to direct me towards a website that I already know of?

jlb24 wrote: Grizz - I know how to read statistics. Do you have anything constructive to say other than to direct me towards a website that I already know of?

Not really. You're a pretty vanilla applicant (just like everyone else), so you're almost assuredly gonna get in right where your numbers say you are. I could read LSN for you to figure that out, but you can do it.

So work experience doesn't matter at all?

jlb24 wrote:So work experience doesn't matter at all?

Not in the way that you want it to. It's nice, but tons of people have it and it's not gonna overcome your 161 to an appreciable degree.

Fordham part-time might be an option. Same with respect to GWU.

Work experience matters, especially regarding the level of schools you can get into with those scores. Reason being: those are the people who will be able to set you up for interviews with their colleagues and friends. My best advice, depending on where you live, is to go part time. You will be able to maintain your working relationships, pay for some of your schooling, and (the best part) be able to get a degree from a more prestigious school because the admissions standards for part time programs are quite a bit more lenient.

And Disregard anything that Grizz says, with as many posts as he/she wastes their time on, they have no other constructive input other than being a pure absolutist.

Do we really think Grizz is wrong here? I don't. The work experience is fine, but it's not going to matter. It's 1 year, just one year, and he's a paralegal. Sure, it's better than the work experience most people come in with, but it's not a game changer. I think that you will get in where you numbers say you will get in and be denied admission within the T-40, maybe the whole first tier.

Incubateus wrote: And Disregard anything that Grizz says, with as many posts as he/she wastes their time on, they have no other constructive input other than being a pure absolutist.

lol y u mad though?

They're both incomplete. Work experience matters because you make connections and network. This is why work experience matters. This will get you the opportunities for the jobs that the others do not have. That is why you can go to higher T2 schools and not have to worry as much. It is not a huge admissions factor but it will eek you over most others straight out of Undergrad (even with just a year). It matures people and they know it (that is why Northwestern places such a huge emphasis on it).

Incubateus wrote:They're both incomplete. Work experience matters because you make connections and network. This is why work experience matters. This will get you the opportunities for the jobs that the others do not have. That is why you can go to higher T2 schools and not have to worry as much. It is not a huge admissions factor but it will eek you over most others straight out of Undergrad (even with just a year). It matures people and they know it (that is why Northwestern places such a huge emphasis on it).

1. What are my chances is an admissions forum.
2. For large NYC firms (like the one OP works at ) the networking won't save you if you can't make grade cutoffs (which will be VERY high from Dozo/Brooklyn).

It's one year right now. It will be two. Besides the experience I have gotten in one year is more than a lot of people will get in 5 years even at this firm.

I am also hard pressed to agree that top-50 is out of the question. I would get in at Tulane and schools like that. Unless your strictly talking about the NY area.

Is Fordham evening likely?

jlb24 wrote: Is Fordham evening likely?

Nope.

Fordham part-time is likely & their adcomms will value your work experience. The best way to find out the answer, however, is to apply.

P.S. lawschoolnumbers.com is a helpful website, but it is not definitive--especially so for part-time programs.

Right. Just debating on whether it makes more sense to apply ED to Cardozo. Do you think RD at Cardozo is likely?

jlb24 wrote:Right. Just debating on whether it makes more sense to apply ED to Cardozo. Do you think RD at Cardozo is likely?

http://cardozo.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats/1011/

I love how you go strictly off this when you have no idea of how representative the sample is. This tells me nothing.

jlb24 wrote:I love how you go strictly off this when you have no idea of how representative the sample is. This tells me nothing.

Well, it's that or random people on this board can pull shit out of their ass. There's enough data points to see the trend. Use your head.

Well based on that chart I don't know.