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Finance Undergrad: 3.55 cumulative/3.89 major
Computer Science Masters: 3.83
LSAT: 175
4 years of work experience in derivatives trading

What are my chances at Columbia(ED?), Chicago, and Harvard? If my chances aren't favorable, what schools should I target?

BBB1 wrote:Finance Undergrad: 3.55 cumulative/3.89 major
Computer Science Masters: 3.83
LSAT: 175
4 years of work experience in derivatives trading

What are my chances at Columbia(ED?), Chicago, and Harvard? If my chances aren't favorable, what schools should I target?

Law schools do not focus on your masters GPA so your stats should really be 3.55/175.

I would say you have a good chance at Columbia and maybe Chicago.
As for Harvard, its a reach because of your GPA but I wil still throw an app just in case your work and life experiences impress the admissions committee.

They don't care about masters at all? I didn't know that. Do you think they would give any credit to my application if my masters was from the same school? Thanks for your reply.

Assuming you're a non-URM, your chances at Harvard are essentially zero. You would need some really prestigious academic/professional awards on your CV. Law schools don't care about your grad GPA, so the 3.55 uGPA is what kills you here. HLS has a pretty hard 3.7 GPA floor. Chicago, with its small class size, is less predictable than others; you have a decent shot, but they give a little more weight to uGPA than their peers. You are in strong shape for Columbia. Your graduate degree and work experience mean your odds are probably even a bit better than what you see here:

http://myLSN.info/dispresults.php?sk=m5iyd

Decent shot at Columbia and Chicago even without ED (and I wouldn't ED because you'd just be leaving money on the table). No shot at Harvard.

BBB1 wrote:They don't care about masters at all? I didn't know that. Do you think they would give any credit to my application if my masters was from the same school? Thanks for your reply.

I dont know if they don't care about it but they do not put a lot of weight on it. I think should take your masters degree as a minor soft (someone correct me if I am wrong). Schools only report undergraduate GPA and LSAT score, so master's GPA isn't going to help them boost their stats.

Ok I thought the masters would help my lower ugrad gpa but oh well. Do adcoms look at how one's ugrad gpa trends or break it down into first 2 years vs last 2 years or something of the like? My gpa over the final two years was much higher(3.78) than my the cumulative i ended with due to not being focused the first 2 years.

BBB1 wrote:Ok I thought the masters would help my lower ugrad gpa but oh well. Do adcoms look at how one's ugrad gpa trends or break it down into first 2 years vs last 2 years or something of the like? My gpa over the final two years was much higher(3.78) than my the cumulative i ended with due to not being focused the first 2 years.

No. They care about your cumulative because that's what they report to USNWR.

All that matters is your LSAC GPA.

BBB1 wrote:Ok I thought the masters would help my lower ugrad gpa but oh well. Do adcoms look at how one's ugrad gpa trends or break it down into first 2 years vs last 2 years or something of the like? My gpa over the final two years was much higher(3.78) than my the cumulative i ended with due to not being focused the first 2 years.

They say they look at grade trend, and it's possible it'll give you a slight boost, but it won't overcome your 3.55. It doesn't really matter though, it's worth applying to H and CCN on down (YS too if you don't care about the money) and they'll either accept you or they won't. You have an excellent shot at getting into Columbia, which has absurdly good placement stats, so it's not like you're in a bad place.

BBB1 wrote:Ok I thought the masters would help my lower ugrad gpa but oh well. Do adcoms look at how one's ugrad gpa trends or break it down into first 2 years vs last 2 years or something of the like? My gpa over the final two years was much higher(3.78) than my the cumulative i ended with due to not being focused the first 2 years.

I don't think grade trends (upwards and downwards) make that much of a difference (if they do at all). From my friend's experiences it didn't make a difference.

BBB1 wrote:They don't care about masters at all? I didn't know that. Do you think they would give any credit to my application if my masters was from the same school? Thanks for your reply.

They don't care about the Masters GPA; that doesnt factor in at all. But I'm sure an Masters degree will be viewed as a real solid soft factor. Good luck!

Thanks, guys. I guess I have to just suck it up and realize there is nothing to do about my ugrad gpa, but that I can still get accepted to some great schools.

BBB1 wrote:Thanks, guys. I guess I have to just suck it up and realize there is nothing to do about my ugrad gpa, but that I can still get accepted to some great schools.

Exactly!! Good Luck!

Like others have said, with a 3.5x it's going to be pretty tough to get into HYS, though I would still throw in an app or two just for good measure.

In the long run, it might also be for the better that you attend one of CCN. Assuming you've been able to save up a good chunk of change from your 4 years of trading, you wouldn't be able to get much if any scholarship support from HYS; you will from CCN. You'd be able to graduate with less debt, and with your stellar WE and science-related graduate degree, I don't think you'll have much trouble finding a job from CCN.