What should I be doing now to better my chances? Forum

[DEATHBYMAGUA]

OK, I have a pretty shitless undergraduate record. I had a 3.3 GPA at an easy school for a year, then transferred to a tougher university where I have a downward trend until getting suspended for academics after my 4th year (cumulative 1.7 as of now at this institution). Before I failed out my University offered a free practice LSAT (old test, but same conditions and scored through Kaplan) and I got a 168. Once Kaplan sent me my LSAT scores I looked them up and saw that I did well and started looking at admissions for law schools.

Now that I am failed out and am pretty miserable working construction, I figured I would go back to school to finish and perhaps try to get into law school. I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I'm wondering what is the best way to give me a decent chance at a solid admission going forward. I plan on taking the LSAT in June and have already been studying like a madman for them and am consistently getting 175+ on old LSATS. I hoping that might open a few doors.

I'm trying to figure out what I should do here. Is it better to finish at my undergraduate or to start over at another local (and less prestigious) school and take more classes in an attempt to inflate my LSDAS GPA? Is working construction a big negative as a soft (sorry if this is a stupid question, but I figure I might add diversity to the class)? Should I be looking for something else that looks better for W.E.? Any other advice would be great as well.

Thanks in advance.

[mrmojojak]

I don't think working construction is a negative. Why would you think that? It could actually be a big positive if you were at all on the business side of things/running a crew/operating heavy equipment.

[Perdevise]

Do whatever you can to increase your GPA. All of your undergraduate grades will be factored into your LSDAS GPA, and since yours is going to be pretty low, you should maximize it, including going to an easier school (as long as it is accredited and not online).

With an LSAT like that, you should be able to land in a school worth going to.

[DEATHBYMAGUA]

Do whatever you can to increase your GPA. All of your undergraduate grades will be factored into your LSDAS GPA, and since yours is going to be pretty low, you should maximize it, including going to an easier school (as long as it is accredited and not online).

Is there a cutoff as to how many undergraduate semesters I can use? I've heard something like only the first 5 years and then they cut you off, but I can't confirm the veracity of that.

With an LSAT like that, you should be able to land in a school worth going to.

Not sure exactly what that means, T50, T30?

[kalvano]

Is working construction a big negative as a soft

What do you do? Labor or management?

Either way, no, it's not a negative. It won't help that much, but it will be something nice for firms to talk about with you during the job hunt.

[citykitty]

Do whatever you can to increase your GPA. All of your undergraduate grades will be factored into your LSDAS GPA, and since yours is going to be pretty low, you should maximize it, including going to an easier school (as long as it is accredited and not online).

With an LSAT like that, you should be able to land in a school worth going to.

I don't think online is bad, if it's part of offerings at a brick and mortar, respectable, accredited institution. But, otherwise this. All classes count. Take as many easy classes before you graduate to inflate your gpa and kick some ass on the lsat. Get above 170 and you've got a chance at t14, especially NU with the work experience. Good luck!

[Perdevise]

Do whatever you can to increase your GPA. All of your undergraduate grades will be factored into your LSDAS GPA, and since yours is going to be pretty low, you should maximize it, including going to an easier school (as long as it is accredited and not online).

With an LSAT like that, you should be able to land in a school worth going to.

I don't think online is bad, if it's part of offerings at a brick and mortar, respectable, accredited institution. But, otherwise this. All classes count. Take as many easy classes before you graduate to inflate your gpa and kick some ass on the lsat. Get above 170 and you've got a chance at t14, especially NU with the work experience. Good luck!

I'll agree. This is also what I meant - a 170+ and a decent GPA will make you safe odds for a T-14. As for 5 semesters, I'm not so sure - I think everything taken before your first bachelor's degree is factored into your GPA.

[Moriarty]

Regardless of where you decide to finish your BA, I would make sure to improve your grades and show that you are serious about attending law school--I imagine that the admissions committee will be making sure that you're not going to leave after x amount of years. I don't mean this in a mean way; just thinking matter-of-factly in order to improve your chances. Also, start forming an addendum that highlights your improvement beyond the downward grade trend.

I don't think that you should look for a better job outside of construction, but maybe look into interning/volunteering with a firm or getting some sort of legal experience. It's not necessary, but would boost the impression that you're making an informed decision.

I wish you all the best on your LSAT and applications!