2.68 GPA Forum

[nn1062]

First time posting in this forum. I recently graduated with a finance degree from Texas State University with a 2.68 GPA. I am considering taking the LSAT and attempting to go to law school. I have read many posts on here that state with a sub 3.0 gpa that it is not even worth going to law school. Would it be possible to attend a tier I school if I absolutely blew away my LSAT exam or would it be a waste of my time?

[isuperserial]

First time posting in this forum. I recently graduated with a finance degree from Texas State University with a 2.68 GPA. I am considering taking the LSAT and attempting to go to law school. I have read many posts on here that state with a sub 3.0 gpa that it is not even worth going to law school. Would it be possible to attend a tier I school if I absolutely blew away my LSAT exam or would it be a waste of my time?

Your GPA is by no means going to auto-deny you from all law schools in T1. It would be possible to attend a T1 school with that GPA, given a sufficiently badass LSAT. That being said, getting that high of an LSAT is going to be really fucking hard. You would really need a 170 or higher to get into most schools worth attending.

I would do some research through mylsn.info, lawschooltransparancy.com and other sites in order to decide whether or not this something you really want to do. If you don't think that being a lawyer is something you want more than anything else in the world, then I would advise you strongly against doing it.

[jaysan150]

I'm in the same boat but I just want to get into ANY law school in the state of Texas . I took the lsat already and received a 139 and I plan to retake . Can anyone else chime in ?

[isuperserial]

I'm in the same boat but I just want to get into ANY law school in the state of Texas . Can anyone else chime in ?

Getting into "any law school" is easy. Getting into a law school that will give you a reasonable chance of ever being a lawyer is another matter entirely. Getting into law school is not like getting into med school, if you graduated college, you will probably get into a law school of some fashion. The real issue is that many schools will give you a 50% or less chance of ever actually being a lawyer; Cooley for example gives you a 24.7% chance. Washington and Lee gives you a 49.2% chance. Great schools are ones like Michigan with a 82.5% chance, and Vanderbilt with a 70.9% chance. They're also infinitely harder to get into.

I would advise against trying to get into "any law school", unless your goal is to dick around for 3 years and waste your money. Seriously, if the school doesn't have at least a 50% employment rate, you probably won't be a lawyer even if you go. Your best shot for Texas is a school like South Texas College of Law: http://www.lstscorereports.com/?school=southtexas

They have a 66% employment rate, so it's not terrible. Their tuition is also not particularly horrifying. You'd still need a decent LSAT score to get in though, so I'd advise you start studying ASAP. If you think you can improve your GPA or get a really good LSAT score, look at Souther Methodist University. That school outperforms their ranking like nothing you've ever seen, but they're also a little harder to get into, especially with a very low GPA.

[jaysan150]

^^^^^^^^^^^^ Awesome input I really appreciate this information . Well I don't work and and I graduated already . I will treat lsat like my job . What range should I try to score ? I do thoroughly enjoy law it's very interesting to me .

[Nova]

Score as high as possible.

Outside the T18, most schools will at least consider you if you score at or above their median

[dowu]

Score as high as possible.

Outside the T18, most schools will at least consider you if you score at or above their median

[jaysan150]

What's T18 ? Sorry I'm a noob .

[WanderingPondering]

Score as high as possible.

Outside the T18, most schools will at least consider you if you score at or above their median

What's T18 ? Sorry I'm a noob .

Anti-WUSTL (#19) trolling.

Northwestern would probably take you if you have WE and hit 172+.

[Nova]

I wouldn't make the distinction if it didn't exist.

umn/wustl accept sub3 GPA/median LSAT applicants without batting an eye

[TheSpanishMain]

^^^^^^^^^^^^ Awesome input I really appreciate this information . Well I don't work and and I graduated already . I will treat lsat like my job . What range should I try to score ? I do thoroughly enjoy law it's very interesting to me .

I don't want to be a downer, but TLS can be really unrealistic in my opinion with regards to retake advice. I'm not saying it's impossible for you to get into a decent law school, but just know that the odds of you improving enough from a 139 are really, really slim. It's really easy to say "Oh, just retake until you hit 170" but the number of people who have ever made that kind of jump can probably be counted on one hand.

I guess what I'm saying is study, and if you don't have a massive ephipany where everything makes sense and you start scoring in the 160s, you should probably explore other career fields.

[jaysan150]

I was very ill and had a passing in my family . Hence my low performance . Also I had an epiphany .

Also do y'all have a sticky for acronyms ? I'm Hispanic and my English is mediocre .

[Nova]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... =2&t=18478

dont hesitate to ask either

[TheSpanishMain]

I was very ill and had a passing in my family .

Sorry to hear that. I think the main thing is just to be realistic about your prospects: it's definitely possible to have a fine career coming out of a second tier, regional school, but you need to careful with debt. Best of luck on your retake.

[jaysan150]

Yes I am being realistic . I don't expect a 170 + however I am being more thorough the second time around . I can honestly say I took the lsat and wasn't able to focus on it like I should have . In my PT's I was scoring higher .

[Youppi!]

Yes I am being realistic . I don't expect a 170 + however I am being more thorough the second time around . I can honestly say I took the lsat and wasn't able to focus on it like I should have . In my PT's I was scoring higher .

What were your PT scores?

[jaysan150]

145-151

[hephaestus]

145-151

With that low of a GPA, you really need to get a 168+ for law school to be worthwhile. Less than that and you'll likely end up at a school that is either too expensive or that offers substandard employment options.

[jaysan150]

Awesome thank you for your input . ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... &start=550

I have read 10 pages of this so far

[kalvano]

The only schools worthwhile in Texas are UT, UofH, and SMU, with Tech as a maybe, depending on where you want to be and what you want to do.

STCL, as suggested earlier, is terrible. Your GPA will keep you out of UT, even with a 180. UofH and SMU are possible, but you'd need 165+ to get in / make it worthwhile.

[BigZuck]

The only schools worthwhile in Texas are UT, UofH, and SMU, with Tech as a maybe, depending on where you want to be and what you want to do.

STCL, as suggested earlier, is terrible. Your GPA will keep you out of UT, even with a 180. UofH and SMU are possible, but you'd need 165+ to get in / make it worthwhile.

This doesn't really pertain to anyone in this thread, but: Considering their employment score do you really think STCL would be terrible if it was free and someone was content working at a small firm in Houston?

Although I'm too lazy to check and see how many "employed" are solos so maybe you're right

I tend to agree with you re: worthwhile schools in Texas but I guess considering their employment score I always lumped STCL with Tech in the "maybe" category. Baylor in a vacuum looks ok but it sounds like hell and if you can get in there you can go to either SMU or UH most likely so no reason to go to Baylor.

[jaysan150]

Keep the information coming gracias everyone . I will work very hard for 165 +

[kalvano]

The only schools worthwhile in Texas are UT, UofH, and SMU, with Tech as a maybe, depending on where you want to be and what you want to do.

STCL, as suggested earlier, is terrible. Your GPA will keep you out of UT, even with a 180. UofH and SMU are possible, but you'd need 165+ to get in / make it worthwhile.

This doesn't really pertain to anyone in this thread, but: Considering their employment score do you really think STCL would be terrible if it was free and someone was content working at a small firm in Houston?

Although I'm too lazy to check and see how many "employed" are solos so maybe you're right

I tend to agree with you re: worthwhile schools in Texas but I guess considering their employment score I always lumped STCL with Tech in the "maybe" category. Baylor in a vacuum looks ok but it sounds like hell and if you can get in there you can go to either SMU or UH most likely so no reason to go to Baylor.

I guess. I loathe Houston with every fiber of my being, so I can't really recommend STCL, especially with another school like UofH feeding the same market. Maybe if STCL was totally free and OP is OK with about a $30K job.

[outsidethescope]

I suggest working as a paralegal or assistant for a solo practitioner for at least a year before you decide whether or not you want to go to law school.

With the range of schools that you're looking at, it's more likely than not that you will be hanging out your own shingle upon graduation. A lot of potential applicants believe that they like "The Law"; few have practical experience about legal practice. Without some first-hand experience with the day-to-day work, it's hard to really know much about "The Law" and whether or not you'd find it suitable.

Running a small firm requires skills that some folks don't really enjoy/were trying to avoid by going to law school in the first place. That's why I think it's important to test drive the profession before spending $$ on the education.

If, after a year or two of work, you still love "The Law," then study for the LSAT and go into law school! In the meantime, you lose little by spending a year with lawyers.