3.9/159 with masters degree Forum

[Berkelberkel]

Sorry for typos.. I am writing with the phone.. And in chaos and need for help.

I have 3.91 ugpa and 159 lsat this december
I have two masters from berkeley and stanford
Where. My gpa is 3.9 and 3.7.

I am an engineering girl and have no work experience except research assistant and teaching assistant

English is not my first language and have a hard time to prepare lsat..
Usually i have 165+ pt..

I have graduated this december...

I have no idea which one is better, wait another year to retake lsat or apply now with my scores..


Becaus i really love berkeley life, berkeley is my top priority school..
Can you guys help me to figure out what my chances are?

Thanks!

[Ti Malice]

Absolutely retake. Do not waste that 3.9. You will not get into Berkeley or any other T14 with a 159. Study hard and retake in June and, if necessary, October.

[TripTrip]

Retake

[Nova]

wait another year to retake lsat

[Aawaldrop]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the difficulty that you have expressed with the English language. It will only be more intensive as you go to Law school as most of the exams will be long form essays. Considering your prior degrees I wonder what is motivating you to go to law school and how do you think you will succeed if you don't have the necessary language skills.

[dr123]

Don't go to law school if you have a masters degree in engineering from a top school with a GPA over 3.5

[delarge3]

Don't go to law school if you have a masters degree in engineering from a top school with a GPA over 3.5

I'm sorry, but this is bullshit advice. What if she re-took, got 175, then got full ride to T6 school?

[curious66]

Absolutely retake. Do not waste that 3.9. You will not get into Berkeley or any other T14 with a 159. Study hard and retake in June and, if necessary, October.

Exactly. 159 is a non-starter for T14.

[suralin]

Don't go to law school if you have a masters degree in engineering from a top school with a GPA over 3.5

I'm sorry, but this is bullshit advice. What if she re-took, got 175, then got full ride to T6 school?

dr123 said what he said because a master's degree in engineering from a top school with a high gpa has much better employment prospects than a J.D. from a top law school; this is true even if OP got into a T6 (which will be extremely difficult and rather unlikely given the language barrier; it's just the nature of the test).

Additionally, OP has much higher opportunity costs than the average 22-year-old with a humanities degree applying straight to law school, and has not even expressed interest in actually becoming a lawyer.

[dr123]

Don't go to law school if you have a masters degree in engineering from a top school with a GPA over 3.5

I'm sorry, but this is bullshit advice. What if she re-took, got 175, then got full ride to T6 school?

dr123 said what he said because a master's degree in engineering from a top school with a high gpa has much better employment prospects than a J.D. from a top law school; this is true even if OP got into a T6 (which will be extremely difficult and rather unlikely given the language barrier; it's just the nature of the test).

Additionally, OP has much higher opportunity costs than the average 22-year-old with a humanities degree applying straight to law school, and has not even expressed interest in actually becoming a lawyer.

Yup. IMO, at the very least OP should try working as an engineer for a bit. I mean, OP already invested a fair bit of time preparing to become an engineer and excelled at it. Might as well at least give it a shot while you're still young.

[nebula666]

You are going to pay a ton of money to make less than you would with your current degree.

[09042014]

You are going to pay a ton of money to make less than you would with your current degree.

Probably not. Patent Attorney's make more than engineers do.

OP, the big thing though, is do NOT pay a cent for law school. Find the best school that will give you a full ride scholarship. Bonus points if you can find one to do part time.

You should be able to get a patent prosecution job.

[20141023]

.

[delarge3]

Yup. IMO, at the very least OP should try working as an engineer for a bit. I mean, OP already invested a fair bit of time preparing to become an engineer and excelled at it. Might as well at least give it a shot while you're still young.

That is different from saying don't go to law school if you have an MS in engineering from top school.

I took it as "don't go to law school (ever) if you have an eng. MS from top school with GPA>3.5"

While I agree that generally speaking you should give a real shot to something you spent years obtaining (an engineering degree), each case is different. She might HATE engineering and did a lot of research on patent law, finds fascinating, and wants nothing more than to pursue it. I see nothing wrong with that 1) because it's her real desire, and 2) because:

Patent Attorney's make more than engineers do.

You should be able to get a patent prosecution job.

Edit: I still think a retake is in order though. Would be a waste of GPA

[Berkelberkel]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the difficulty that you have expressed with the English language. It will only be more intensive as you go to Law school as most of the exams will be long form essays. Considering your prior degrees I wonder what is motivating you to go to law school and how do you think you will succeed if you don't have the necessary language skills.

Thanks for your advice.

I major in environmental engineering and minor in economics and statistics at my undergraduate.

While I have studied environmental engineering, I became to be interested in environmental law and policy. There are a lot of on going research and discussion on optimal pathway towards sustainable society. However, I found a big gap between law and current research. Many engineering background students are studying policy. I believe that there should be more engineering background students in law to solve the problem.

My first motivation of studying law is very naive.. I want to study more on law. I hope that I can contribute both sides.. The second motivation is J.D degree will be useful to work in international organization.

I have completed graduate level economics, statistics and environmental engineering classes. I would like to utilize my quantitative ability to study law..

[Berkelberkel]

Any chance the OP is a URM? That could really help her chances if she is truly set on going to law school at all, and this cycle in particular.

I don't think I am qualified as URM.

[dingbat]

dr123 said what he said because a master's degree in engineering from a top school with a high gpa has much better employment prospects than a J.D. from a top law school; this is true even if OP got into a T6 (which will be extremely difficult and rather unlikely given the language barrier; it's just the nature of the test).

That's an oversimpification.

An MS in engineering has a better chance of getting a job, but the pay for a JD is significantly higher (biglaw tends to start higher than where many engineering jobs cap out)

[20141023]

.

[rad lulz]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the difficulty that you have expressed with the English language. It will only be more intensive as you go to Law school as most of the exams will be long form essays. Considering your prior degrees I wonder what is motivating you to go to law school and how do you think you will succeed if you don't have the necessary language skills.

Thanks for your advice.

I major in environmental engineering and minor in economics and statistics at my undergraduate.

While I have studied environmental engineering, I became to be interested in environmental law and policy. There are a lot of on going research and discussion on optimal pathway towards sustainable society. However, I found a big gap between law and current research. Many engineering background students are studying policy. I believe that there should be more engineering background students in law to solve the problem.

My first motivation of studying law is very naive.. I want to study more on law. I hope that I can contribute both sides.. The second motivation is J.D degree will be useful to work in international organization.

I have completed graduate level economics, statistics and environmental engineering classes. I would like to utilize my quantitative ability to study law..

Chard?

[suralin]

dr123 said what he said because a master's degree in engineering from a top school with a high gpa has much better employment prospects than a J.D. from a top law school; this is true even if OP got into a T6 (which will be extremely difficult and rather unlikely given the language barrier; it's just the nature of the test).

That's an oversimpification.

An MS in engineering has a better chance of getting a job, but the pay for a JD is significantly higher (biglaw tends to start higher than where many engineering jobs cap out)

True, I was equating employment prospects with chances of getting a decent job, not with starting salary. I don't know which way the EV leans though (i.e., maybe the lower chances of getting a job that pays very well outweighs the higher chances of getting a job that pays only decently, or maybe not).

ETA: Over a lifetime, from a purely financial perspective, I guess the JD would win out.

[suralin]

Thanks for your advice.

I received a major in environmental engineering and a minor in economics and statistics at my undergraduate institution.

While I have studied was studying environmental engineering, I became to be interested in environmental law and policy. There are is a lot of on going ongoing research and discussion on the optimal pathway towards a sustainable society. However, I found a big gap between the law and the current research. Many engineering background students students with engineering backgrounds are studying policy. I believe that there should be more engineering background students students with engineering backgrounds involved with the law to solve the this problem.

My first motivation of studying law is very naive.. I want to study more on law. I hope that I can contribute to both sides.. The second motivation is J.D degree will be useful to work in an international organization.

I have completed graduate level economics, statistics and environmental engineering classes. I would like to utilize my quantitative ability to study law.

I totally don't mean to sound like an ass....... but I honestly think that law school will be very difficult for you if the above is a good indication of your true writing ability.

Agreed, sorry OP. Law school does not require much, if any "quantitative ability."