Top Law Schools

Ok, I'm currently at Central Michigan University with something around a 3.3 GPA. I would have had around a 3.5 but this past year I had medical issues due to rupturing a disc in my back. I was in severe pain throughout the entire year, which was incredibly distracting and ultimately depressing because it was hard for me to do much besides lay flat. I couldn't walk without extremely bad nerve pain down my entire leg and even being in a sitting position exacerbated the pain, and thus i could hardly stand to be in class. Sorry for bitching, but I believe this could help me as far as applications to law schools. I intend to do well this last (senior) year. But the most I could pull it up to would be a 3.4.

Now, I haven't taken the LSAT yet, so I might be overestimating myself, but my goal is to get close to a 170 or hit the 170 mark. I'm very intelligent and do well on standardized tests. I had a 32 on the ACT, which i've been told shows some correlation to LSAT scores. I've started studying for the fall LSAT already so I plan to be very prepared.

I'm shooting for the lower end of Tier 1 if possible, but ultimately the amount of money I get determines where (and if) I will be going to law school. I'll likely be a classic splitter if I kill the lsat, so hopefully I can get a lot of money. My family is middle class, but we're struggling and my dad has been unemployed for a few years. My mother makes under (but close to 50k. So I don't know if I'd qualify for needs based money. I'd be willing to take out a small amount of loans but I have undergrad loans already, so when I say small I mean under 30k in loans from law school.

For those that don't want to read the above statements, here are my questions....

with a 3.3/3.4 undergrad GPA and a 167-169ish LSAT score:

1) Would I have a shot at places like BC, BU, Bloomington, Fordham, U Iowa, Washington U etc? (maybe even ND?)

2) How often are full rides given out? Would I realistically be able to get most if not all expenses paid to a Tier 2 school with these specs?

3) Do you have to apply to each school you hope to get scholarships from, or do they simply send offers out once you're lsat/gpa is compiled?

4) Since i'm realistically not going to a top 30 school, does it really make a difference If i go to a tier 2 rather than a tier 1 (30-50) school? From what i've gathered, class rank plays a much larger part than school once you get beyond T14...

thanks

Break 170 and apply to all the top 14, you should get I'm at some schools near the bottom of that cut off

3.3/169 with in-state residency got Michigan ED last cycle.

TravisBickle wrote: I'd be willing to take out a small amount of loans but I have undergrad loans already, so when I say small I mean under 30k in loans from law school.

If this is your plan then work for a few years to pay off undergrad debt and rethink things. With your GPA you won't get into a school worth attending while taking on under 30K in debt.

Honestly, I'm not even shooting for t14. I would much rather go to tier 2 very cheaply than a tier 1 at sticker

My line of thought is that the further down the rankings you go... the more money one is likely to get. Is this not valid? If I can get into a higher ranked school at sticker, then wouldn't it follow that lower ranked schools (still talking tier 1/2, not going to waste time with a 3 or 4) would offer me a good amount of money to attend?

I'm definitely going to try to kill the LSAT, and I'm banking on that score getting me as much money as possible. I know that it's important to go to an excellent school, but it comes down to money, and i'd rather go to a mid-tier school than not go to law school at all.

I also don't want to take a few years off to make money... my UG is broadcasting/film and I doubt i'll be able to find a half decent job. If i don't go to law school after UG i'm just going to try to get a graduate assistant ship which would pay for a graduate degree.

And couldn't I try to transfer up out of tier 2? I know it's a son of a bitch to rank high enough to do that..

So you're a current undergrad from Michigan? I would throw the whole T1/T2 thing out the window. There's maybe like 20-25 schools where rankings should play a big role in your decision.

You should plan on applying to law school AND do a job search. Working before, even in retail or bartending or manual labor, is nothing but a plus--going straight through is nothing but a minus.

If you get a killer LSAT score you could get significant $$ at some of the schools you mentioned. I doubt you get anything near a full ride in the BU/Fordham/ND spectrum regardless, but you can still get something.

If you're from Michigan I would just try to get a full ride or close to it from Wayne State, unless you get into a T-14 or serious $$$ in the Vandy/BU/WUSTL range. I don't think it's worth it to move and take on a lot of debt at any of the higher-ranked Midwest schools like IUB, ND, WUSTL, Wisconsin, Minnesota, etc. (it's definitely not worth it to move anywhere for a T2 school).

Ok new plan. Take out large amounts of loans. Going to shoot for half scholarship if possible.

And as far as going to an in state school, i thought the consensus was that you want to try to go to school in the law market in which you plan to work in. And if I went to Wayne St or MSU... I was under the impression that the midwest is dead. I know that NY is a tough market unless I crack Fordham, but what about the Boston area or somewhere else on the east coast? Maybe like Penn State?

The idea of getting out of michigan is pretty attractive..

Start by acing the LSAT.
Then come back with an actual score.
Until then, it's too broad a question

Splitters looking for money often end up with solid options in the midwest like WUSTL, Illinois and Minnesota. If you want to go to the Northeast for law school be prepared to dust off the wallet.

Big scholarships generally go to applicants who are above both the LSAT and GPA medians. With your GPA you won't be over any GPA medians until you get way way down the rankings. People with 3.3.-3.4 GPAs and mid 170s on the LSAT can only hope for a half ride at BC or BU. Fordham is even stingier. You'd be looking at a lot of debt in that range of schools regardless of your LSAT score.

Study like crazy for the LSAT and then apply broadly. If you can hit the LSAT out of the park you might find that Michigan with in-state tuition and a small scholarship isn't so bad.

Tiago Splitter wrote: People with 3.3.-3.4 GPAs and mid 170s on the LSAT can only hope for a half ride at BC or BU. Fordham is even stingier.

It is possible to get a half-ride at Fordham based on LSAT alone, but it's not a given (especially without excellent softs)