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3.64/176/Fulbright/T10 undergrad

After looking at LSN it seems my GPA will keep me out at Y and S, but do I have a chance at H? I have a hard science background, MS in chemistry, NSF grad fellowship, and some internship experience in IP. Not URM but I do come from a rural background.

Also, my undergraduate grades in 'writing intensive' courses (13 total) average out to a 3.92 - I was hoping adcoms would consider this in relation to my rigorous courseload, but from what I've read on here that seems overly optimistic.

Thoughts?

I think you'll be able to get Harvard. A 3.65 in hard sciences with a fulbright and a masters degree would be a lot more impressive to me if I were an adcom than all of the 3.9+ 173+ people with useless easy majors. Maybe a few years ago you wouldn't have had as good of a chance, but I think with that LSAT and pretty impressive softs you'll get in, as you seem to be above their new GPA floor.

Agreed with above poster- definitely a reasonable shot with that LSAT. The GPA isn't terrible. Apply to Y and S too.

You have better than 50/50 odds without your softs so I would expect that you are in. Out at Yale and Stanford but they are worth apps.

I was reading through an admissions FAQ and found this quote from the Yale dean of admissions:

"I will say that a poor undergraduate record is very difficult to overcome, even with a lot of experience. However, I do not define a “poor record” by your cumulative GPA – you might have a low overall GPA, because you had a hard time adjusting at first but have a significant upward grade trend, or because you got low grades in hard science classes while getting straight A’s in writing-intensive, liberal arts courses. Things like this are taken into account and won’t be held against you. At the same time, a 4.0 with a very easy course load, or with courses that don’t really demonstrate a potential to succeed in the kind of work you’ll do in law school (like fine arts, or all science/engineering courses) may not help your application. So, we’re back to that terrible word applicants hate to hear: “holistic.”"

link: http://blogs.law.stanford.edu/admission ... questions/

Are these sorts of 'adjustments' significant? It would obviously be advantageous for me, but I'm not aware of any data indicating that math/science majors are accepted with lower GPAs than humanities people.

chymist wrote:I was reading through an admissions FAQ and found this quote from the Yale dean of admissions:

"I will say that a poor undergraduate record is very difficult to overcome, even with a lot of experience. However, I do not define a “poor record” by your cumulative GPA – you might have a low overall GPA, because you had a hard time adjusting at first but have a significant upward grade trend, or because you got low grades in hard science classes while getting straight A’s in writing-intensive, liberal arts courses. Things like this are taken into account and won’t be held against you. At the same time, a 4.0 with a very easy course load, or with courses that don’t really demonstrate a potential to succeed in the kind of work you’ll do in law school (like fine arts, or all science/engineering courses) may not help your application. So, we’re back to that terrible word applicants hate to hear: “holistic.”"

link: http://blogs.law.stanford.edu/admission ... questions/

Are these sorts of 'adjustments' significant? It would obviously be advantageous for me, but I'm not aware of any data indicating that math/science majors are accepted with lower GPAs than humanities people.

I think Yale (and Stanford to an extent) is different from most places, because there aren't really any numbers that ensure admission. That doesn't mean they will let people in with subpar numbers (except a few extraordinary exceptions), it just means that even if someone has the numbers, they still might get rejected. So they might accept someone with a 3.9 and reject someone with a 4.0, even with the same LSAT, but that doesn't mean they will dip below the numbers they normally accept just because someone took some science classes. You should still apply just in case, but I wouldn't get your hopes up for YS. As for H, you definitely have a shot, though it's not certain by any means.

Hey!

I have a 3.69 LSAC GPA and a 176 as well. I got into H this cycle. I've had some relatively prestigious work experience but you're in better shape on that end, in my opinion- given a fulbright and a master's and a hard science background. APPLY EARLY. I applied the last week of September and while probably not a deal-clincher, I imagine it helped. If you want to do some sort of IP law and can tie your masters and work experience into that in your PS, do it (I made a point of this in my PS since my work experience involves research directly relevant to the field of law I hope to enter- and I think that was a plus, although it's hard to say since what do I know?).

Anyway, good luck! Feel free to PM if you have any questions. I don't post much on here but I got a lot of helpful advice here when I applied so I'm happy to try and do the same.

I wouldn't automatically write off any school.

Start working now to put together a quality application package and apply to all three of them. Especially with test taker numbers continuing to tail spin, I don't think anyone can accurately predict next cycle.

I would be surprised if you didn't get at least one to stick (probably H).

Best of luck!