Need some guidance, any help would be appreciated!
Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 2:30 am
Hi there! I have been browsing these forums occasionally but this is my first time posting so please forgive me if I am in the wrong forum.
As the subject states I need some guidance regarding what kind of law school I can reasonably expect to get into, if I should even bother applying, etc.
The situation:
-UCLA Political Science Graduate
-Film Minor
-4.0 GPA from UCLA
-3.8 GPA from community college
-Graduated with College Honors
-No significant work exp.
-Member of Alpha Lambda Delta
-Not URM, Asian/white female
-Married, "older" student (late 20s)
-Have not taken the LSAT, but have scored consistently between 170-175 on practice tests
Problems:
-I have 5 withdrawals from my CC, they were from 2007/2009 and were due to financial hardship and family obligations
-I have 3 withdrawals from my first two terms at UCLA because of a serious illness, with medical documentation
-Neither school considers these Ws punitive
-I have one "F" from my CC (which was the result of a semester I didn't completely withdrawal from) which was replaced with an "A" via academic renewal. I know that LSAC does not support academic renewal and that this will lower my GPA.
With all of this in mind, I am just hoping to get an idea of:
-What schools are reasonable to aim for
-How badly these withdrawals will impact my admission
-How I should handle/adress the issue of my Ws in an application
-If I can get into a top 20 school
-Any other advice.
I would greatly appreciate any constructive feedback. I am a realist and would love to go to law school but I won't go if I cannot get into a decent school because the cost is just too great.
Thank you in advance!
As the subject states I need some guidance regarding what kind of law school I can reasonably expect to get into, if I should even bother applying, etc.
The situation:
-UCLA Political Science Graduate
-Film Minor
-4.0 GPA from UCLA
-3.8 GPA from community college
-Graduated with College Honors
-No significant work exp.
-Member of Alpha Lambda Delta
-Not URM, Asian/white female
-Married, "older" student (late 20s)
-Have not taken the LSAT, but have scored consistently between 170-175 on practice tests
Problems:
-I have 5 withdrawals from my CC, they were from 2007/2009 and were due to financial hardship and family obligations
-I have 3 withdrawals from my first two terms at UCLA because of a serious illness, with medical documentation
-Neither school considers these Ws punitive
-I have one "F" from my CC (which was the result of a semester I didn't completely withdrawal from) which was replaced with an "A" via academic renewal. I know that LSAC does not support academic renewal and that this will lower my GPA.
With all of this in mind, I am just hoping to get an idea of:
-What schools are reasonable to aim for
-How badly these withdrawals will impact my admission
-How I should handle/adress the issue of my Ws in an application
-If I can get into a top 20 school
-Any other advice.
I would greatly appreciate any constructive feedback. I am a realist and would love to go to law school but I won't go if I cannot get into a decent school because the cost is just too great.
Thank you in advance!