Law school is in my future...i think Forum

[world24]

hey guys

i'm a college junior. I go to a state school in Washington and im thinking about going to law school. I never graduated from high school, but i did get a GED, and i started off by getting an AA degree from my local community college before transferring to my state university. I'm majoring in History and i have pretty solid grades, and will graduate with either a 3.7 or a 3.8. I've taken a few practice tests and have scored between 169-171. I'm originally from Africa, somalia to be exact, i'm note sure if that would qualify me for diversity programs, but i hear there's talk about aa being struck down anyway so i dont have much faith in that. I can write a pretty decent diversity statement/sob story and i'm wondering what schools I have a decent shoot at being admitted into.

thanks

[spleenworship]

hey guys

i'm a college junior. I go to a state school in Washington and im thinking about going to law school. I never graduated from high school, but i did get a GED, and i started off by getting an AA degree from my local community college before transferring to my state university. I'm majoring in History and i have pretty solid grades, and will graduate with either a 3.7 or a 3.8. I've taken a few practice tests and have scored between 169-171. I'm originally from Africa, somalia to be exact, i'm note sure if that would qualify me for diversity programs, but i hear there's talk about aa being struck down anyway so i dont have much faith in that. I can write a pretty decent diversity statement/sob story and i'm wondering what schools I have a decent shoot at being admitted into.

thanks

Assuming this is not a troll post, then my answer is:

Get a real LSAT score and come back then. But if you score 168 or better you are likely to get into most of the T6, because you are african american.... unless you are somehow white and from somalia.

[Ludo!]

How did you do in community college? Those grades will be counted towards your LSAC GPA even if your university didn't count them.

Also the best thing to do is to come back with a real LSAT score. People can't give you good advice with just a hypothetical. But if you have an LSAC GPA of 3.7 and you actually score ~170 on the LSAT AND you're a URM you'll probably get into a top 6 law school at least.

Affirmative action is not getting 'struck down' because there are no official affirmative action programs in place in law schools. Schools take URM into account as one of many factors they look at and studying lawschoolnumbers you can clearly see that certain minorities get a 'bump' but schools don't take in a quota of URMs or anything.

Study hard for the LSAT, do as well as you possibly can, retake if necessary, then come back and you can get more specific advice.

[snehpets]

hey guys

i'm a college junior. I go to a state school in Washington and im thinking about going to law school. I never graduated from high school, but i did get a GED, and i started off by getting an AA degree from my local community college before transferring to my state university. I'm majoring in History and i have pretty solid grades, and will graduate with either a 3.7 or a 3.8. I've taken a few practice tests and have scored between 169-171. I'm originally from Africa, somalia to be exact, i'm note sure if that would qualify me for diversity programs, but i hear there's talk about aa being struck down anyway so i dont have much faith in that. I can write a pretty decent diversity statement/sob story and i'm wondering what schools I have a decent shoot at being admitted into.

thanks

Assuming this is not a troll post, then my answer is:

Get a real LSAT score and come back then. But if you score 168 or better you are likely to get into most of the T6, because you are african american.... unless you are somehow white and from somalia.

is that true? if they're born in somalia aren't they international? i have no idea, just asking.

[rinkrat19]

hey guys

i'm a college junior. I go to a state school in Washington and im thinking about going to law school. I never graduated from high school, but i did get a GED, and i started off by getting an AA degree from my local community college before transferring to my state university. I'm majoring in History and i have pretty solid grades, and will graduate with either a 3.7 or a 3.8. I've taken a few practice tests and have scored between 169-171. I'm originally from Africa, somalia to be exact, i'm note sure if that would qualify me for diversity programs, but i hear there's talk about aa being struck down anyway so i dont have much faith in that. I can write a pretty decent diversity statement/sob story and i'm wondering what schools I have a decent shoot at being admitted into.

thanks

Assuming this is not a troll post, then my answer is:

Get a real LSAT score and come back then. But if you score 168 or better you are likely to get into most of the T6, because you are african american.... unless you are somehow white and from somalia.

is that true? if they're born in somalia aren't they international? i have no idea, just asking.

"international" means they went to college somewhere else, not were born somewhere else.

[spleenworship]

hey guys

i'm a college junior. I go to a state school in Washington and im thinking about going to law school. I never graduated from high school, but i did get a GED, and i started off by getting an AA degree from my local community college before transferring to my state university. I'm majoring in History and i have pretty solid grades, and will graduate with either a 3.7 or a 3.8. I've taken a few practice tests and have scored between 169-171. I'm originally from Africa, somalia to be exact, i'm note sure if that would qualify me for diversity programs, but i hear there's talk about aa being struck down anyway so i dont have much faith in that. I can write a pretty decent diversity statement/sob story and i'm wondering what schools I have a decent shoot at being admitted into.

thanks

Assuming this is not a troll post, then my answer is:

Get a real LSAT score and come back then. But if you score 168 or better you are likely to get into most of the T6, because you are african american.... unless you are somehow white and from somalia.

is that true? if they're born in somalia aren't they international? i have no idea, just asking.

I am assuming OP is either perm. resident or naturalized. If not, you are correct, OP would be international.

Also, to the poster before you: good point. OP- if your CC grades lower your overall GPA my advice re: T6 may well be incorrect.

[spleenworship]

"international" means they went to college somewhere else, not were born somewhere else.

I don't know. If I was from England and went to college at say, NYU, wouldn't I still be applying as international, despite that?

[world24]

my CC grades will not lower my GPA and may in fact make my GPA even higher
and while i was born in Somalia, I have since become a naturalized citizen and went through all my schooling in the states

[Gail]

hey guys

i'm a college junior. I go to a state school in Washington and im thinking about going to law school. I never graduated from high school, but i did get a GED, and i started off by getting an AA degree from my local community college before transferring to my state university. I'm majoring in History and i have pretty solid grades, and will graduate with either a 3.7 or a 3.8. I've taken a few practice tests and have scored between 169-171. I'm originally from Africa, somalia to be exact, i'm note sure if that would qualify me for diversity programs, but i hear there's talk about aa being struck down anyway so i dont have much faith in that. I can write a pretty decent diversity statement/sob story and i'm wondering what schools I have a decent shoot at being admitted into.

thanks

Somalia is a pretty good personal statement/diversity statement topic

Agree though. Real LSAT. Then come back. You have an interesting background though, so I hope it goes well for you.

[rinkrat19]

"international" means they went to college somewhere else, not were born somewhere else.

I don't know. If I was from England and went to college at say, NYU, wouldn't I still be applying as international, despite that?

Mmm, yeah, I guess the other explanation (non-naturalized/perm resident) is better. OP has at least partially grown up here and gone through most(?) of the educational system--I was assuming he has permanent status of some kind by now. (Confirmed by OP)

[spleenworship]

my CC grades will not lower my GPA and may in fact make my GPA even higher
and while i was born in Somalia, I have since become a naturalized citizen and went through all my schooling in the states

Get us a real LSAT score. If you score above 160 with your AA and diversity status you could very well be looking at going to a very good school. Good luck.

I highly recommend the LSAT prep/study advice on this board. That and Powerscore Bibles got me nine points above my initial practice test.

[20130312]

you are african american.... unless you are somehow white and from somalia.

African American means an American that is from Africa. Skin color is irrelevant.

[spleenworship]

you are african american.... unless you are somehow white and from somalia.

African American means an American that is from Africa. Skin color is irrelevant.

Wait, R U srs?

[20130312]

you are african american.... unless you are somehow white and from somalia.

African American means an American that is from Africa. Skin color is irrelevant.

Wait, R U srs?

...Yes.

[spleenworship]

you are african american.... unless you are somehow white and from somalia.

African American means an American that is from Africa. Skin color is irrelevant.

Wait, R U srs?

...Yes.

Both the US Census Bureau and LSAC list "Black or African American" as the same category, and the Census defines it as "A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa." So while you might technically be correct in some way, the common usage of the term in America is to refer to Blacks as African Americans, and for instance a white South African who became a permanent resident who checked that box would almost certainly be considered dishonest and unethical.

[20130312]

What about Haitians? Are they African American?

[spleenworship]

What about Haitians? Are they African American?

If they are permanent residents or citizens of the US then yes according to the Census and LSAC.

ETA: as I said earlier- the Census defines it as "A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa." This would include Haitians who were brought to the island as slaves from Africa.

[20130312]

But not white people who were born and raised in Africa. Interesting analysis.

[spleenworship]

But not white people who were born and raised in Africa. Interesting analysis.

I am just applying the current definitions. Calling this an interesting analysis is like calling a divorced person's checking the "single" box on their 1040 an interesting analysis of their relationship status.