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Hey folks, I would like to have a general idea on what I would need to get to go to various law schools. Here are my credentials:

I attend Cleveland State University, which is not the most esteemed. However, I am in their Urban Affairs department, which is one of the highest ranked in the country.

My GPA should end up being at a 3.95, with a 4.0 in my major. I will be able to graduate a full year early.

I am a member of Model United Nations (I plan on winning a medal at nationals), write weekly for the school newspaper, hold down 2 internships simultaneuously, am in 2 other student organizations, and also volunteer with a few activist organizations in Cleveland. Note: I did not become involved with these until my last year.

I can likely get very strong recommendations, as I have made friends with many professors. My writing skills are elite, so my personal statement should be superlative.

I was raised by a single mother, although I did not grow up in an area condemned to poverty. I may be as high as 25 percent Native American (this has never been confirmed, though I would like to do so in the near future)

Also, I am willing to devote plenty of time to LSAT preparation.

What should I expect and what should be my plan of attack? Does attending Cleveland State become a hindrance to attending major law schools? Should I perhaps wait a few years?

Thanks!

People are going to jump all over you. Some tips:

1. TLS hates hypotheticals with no LSAT score.
2. Always aim for a 180 LSAT. When you've gotten as close as you possibly can, then see where you are.
3. Undergrad prestige matters about as much as your favorite color.
4. http://www.lawschoolnumbers.com to see what you'd need to get into a school and http://www.lawschooltransparency.com to see if it's worth going.
5. Softs (extracurriculars, LORs) matter very little. They can be tiebreakers, but won't let you outperform your numbers.
6. URM status IS a big deal, and being Native American is a good bump. But you may run into issues if you've never identified as NA on forms before now. (I don't know if actually being registered with a tribe is necessary.)

Score 170+ on LSAT is what everyone is going to say

Oh, also, I'd be entering law school just a tick over 21. I turn 21 in June.

If that is the only answer, then what course of action do I take to ensure that? My SAT score translates to a 160 but I barely prepared for the SAT and feel I have really grown intellectually. I also did really poorly on the math portion (only 570), which hurt my overall score.

derekdissell wrote:If that is the only answer, then what course of action do I take to ensure that? My SAT score translates to a 160 but I barely prepared for the SAT and feel I have really grown intellectually. I also did really poorly on the math portion (only 570), which hurt my overall score.

I should have also pointed you toward the search function.

Look for Pithypike's study plan in the LSAT forum. Start there.

Thank you! I have never identified as Native American because I am really not sure just how much blood I have. I know a lot is there, but I wasn't raised in a tribe or with much tribal influence. I do plan to get tested, though.

derekdissell wrote:Thank you! I have never identified as Native American because I am really not sure just how much blood I have. I know a lot is there, but I wasn't raised in a tribe or with much tribal influence. I do plan to get tested, though.

There is a section of the forum for URM. You should go there and ask people who know more than I about the issues with identifying as NA on your applications.

Wouldn't OP have to be affiliated with a tribe to get any kind of URM boost to his/her app?

Adcomms dont care what your Major GPA is.
Adcomms dont care about the rank of your undergrad deptartment.
Adcomms dont care where you went to undergrad.
Your age is irrelevent and so is the fact you will graduate early.
Saying your writing skills are elite makes you sound like a douche.

Awesome GPA. Nothing is off table.

http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... ?f=6&t=396
http://Mylsn.info

derekdissell wrote: I can likely get very strong recommendations, as I have made friends with many professors. My writing skills are elite, so my personal statement should be superlative.

Troll.

It's probably worth the 300 bucks to get a blood test done and figure out how much NA you have so C&F doesn't give you shit.

2014 wrote:It's probably worth the 300 bucks to get a blood test done and figure out how much NA you have so C&F doesn't give you shit.

DNA test may or may not come up with anything if you are less than half. Assuming your family knows nothing of its history, the only real good way to figure it out is to track backwards on your family's birth certificates, until one of your grandparents is on a tribal roll.

Either way, don't expect a boost for being an NA box-checker, from what I gather they really like to see some sort of tribal affiliation/involvement to get a substantial boost, which you can convey with a tribal enrollment # or in your DS