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Hello! I'm a long time reader, but first time poster. I want to take a moment to thank this community. I attribute a large portion of my success on the LSAT to the advice and tips garnered from these forums. I highly recommend the system advocated here. I studied less than I wanted (8 weekends and 2 weeks full time) because of my full-time job as a professional accountant but still got what I consider to be a good score by getting the LG and LR bibles and doing a good amount of PTs.

Objective
Looking for my chances at all T14 with a particular focus on Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, NYU, Cornell and Chicago.

Other Info
- Only one LSAT score.
- Bachelors + Masters degrees.
- I'm not a URM.
- I have decent softs (full-time professional job, student government president for my department of ~1,500 students, led a significant change in student government at my school, among others).
- Strong reference letters from a prof and the director of my department who both know me well. I will be getting one from work too, which should speak very highly of me.

I have two concerns that I think may potentially have a debilitating effect on my chances:

1. I am Canadian and my school lists my grades as percentages on my transcript
In Canada, 80%+ is generally considered an "A", whereas that would still be in the "B" range in the US. The GPA posted above is the GPA computed by the Ontario Law School Application Service. I am concerned (based on posts I have seen elsewhere) that LSAC may not convert my grades in the same manner as OLSAS. Is this a legitimate concern?

2. My prior schooling was not "theoretically-oriented"
I majored in accounting and finance in university. However, I know that some schools have concerns about technically-oriented majors (for instance search "major" at the following link where the Stanford admissions dean Faye Deal outlines her concerns about the writing skills of engineering majors: http://blogs.law.stanford.edu/admission ... questions/). I took about 12 of 40 undergraduate courses in more traditional "Arts" classes.

How much will this hurt me and which schools will care?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts you can provide.

This is how they convert.
80-84% in Canada (An A-) - 3.67 GPA
85-89% in Canada (An A) - 4.00 GPA
90%-100% in Canada (An A+) - 4.33 GPA

Btw, LSAC converts Canadian grades by letter grade.
So getting a 80% is no different from getting a 84% seeing as they both convert to 3.67 GPA in the end.
And most likely in at all, but of course Harvard and Stanford are not sure things.

This is how they convert.
80-84% in Canada (An A-) - 3.67 GPA
85-89% in Canada (An A) - 4.00 GPA
90%-100% in Canada (An A+) - 4.33 GPA

Btw, LSAC converts Canadian grades by letter grade.
So getting a 80% is no different from getting a 84% seeing as they both convert to 3.67 GPA in the end.
And most likely in at all, but of course Harvard and Stanford are not sure things.

+1

OLSAS places A+=4.0, A=3.9 and A- 3.7 for the majority of Canadian undergraduate programs (column 7 on the conversion chart). While your GPA is certainly impressive in terms of the OLSAS scale, the conversion may hurt you. But you don't really know until you get your transcript processed, so do that ASAP. Since you don't have a processed LSAC GPA, I'm assuming you haven't gotten those transcripts to them yet. If this post is about trying to get in this cycle, the standard response is to wait another year and apply given the rolling admissions, but there's no harm blanketing the schools listed if you have the money to spare.

As a fellow Canadian, I think it's worth saying that you also have to be consider about the transferability of your degree. If you're aiming to practice in the United States, then you're on the right track with the T14 - if your goal, however, is to return to Canada you also have to consider the cumbersome NCA process that you'll have to go through (which may mean taking more courses back home).

Thank you both for taking the time to answer.

I converted my GPA using the scale you provided and my GPA increased from 3.90 (OLSAS) to 4.07 (LSDAS).

I appreciate the note about the transferability of a US degree in Canada. I already applied to all of the Canadian schools that I am considering and this was more to see my eligibility for the top schools in the US. That is also why I haven't applied yet. I would only go to the US if it were a T14, which depended heavily on my LSAT score (released on Wednesday). I have all of my docs lined up and plan on applying over the weekend/early next week. My transcript is on its way to LSAC as we speak. I know that the rolling admissions process will reduce my chances, but I am hoping that I still have a shot. Any thoughts on that are appreciated too.

Does anyone think my accounting background will hurt me?

With a 4.07 and 174, you're in solid territory for T14 acceptances - again, the main thing is that you're applying so late in the cycle. However, with your numbers there definitely isn't any harm in applying, but do so ASAP - make sure that once everything has been processed, you're ready to submit. You're applying late but with your numbers you'll get bites from the T14 for sure. With those numbers though, I can't see you not getting into all the Canadian schools you've applied to based solely on GPA/LSAT scores. My main concern when raising up NCA accreditation is that while you are eligible to obtain a degree from the US, you might not necessarily want to given the legal climate down south. Keep in mind where you want to work long-term and any ties you have back home. And finally, I personally don't think your accounting background will hurt you at all - you've already shown, via the LSAT, that you're capable of doing well in law school. Applicants come from a wide array of backgrounds and you've shown with your transcript that you've taken courses from other non-major fields.