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Hi, I'm currently studying Law (which is an undergraduate degree in the UK) and seriously considering the prospect of law school in the US after I finish. Ideally I would apply to as many T14 schools as possible. I'm really just wondering if my degree will have any weighting on my application, assuming I do well on the LSAT and graduate with a first class degree (the highest mark available).

Any advice would be appreciated, I know this is somewhat of a unique situation.

What sucks for you is that your first class degree doesn't really mean anything to admissions folks in the US. Pretty much all the weight of your application will be in your LSAT score, so definitely work really hard on that. Also, you're going to have a difficult time getting loans for law school if you're an international student.

You're definitely going to be fighting an uphill battle, and your first class degree will mean something in the UK, clearly.

Are you coming to the US for a JD, or an LLM?

Are you expecting to be able to find a job in the US when you graduate? Unless your LLB is from Oxford and your LLM or JD from Harvard... and even then, this isn't likely to happen. However, if your plan is to work for a UK firm, on US issues, this could make sense.

Do you have the funds to pay for your US legal education? You won't qualify for US loans or most forms of financial aid out of the US, so you'd need to fund this from the UK.

I do not agree with the above poster. My family lives in the UK (my father practices law in London), and I have a younger sibling who is considering law in the US.

While there is no doubt that you are better positioned for the top tier UK law schools than you are for US law schools. However, that being said, US law schools get plenty of UK applicants, and they all know what the "first class" means. If you rock the LSAT, get 170+, I do not see you having a problem getting into everything below HYS.

Above poster is correct on the financial aid situation however - many US law schools will toss small scholarships your way, especially on the low end of the T14, but I doubt you'll get big money.

There isn't a ton of info about grade conversion, but my brother and I found this from the University of Edinburgh: --LinkRemoved--

Just my 2 cents, but I think you'll be fine at many T14 schools if you score well on the LSAT.

twentypercentmore wrote:What sucks for you is that your first class degree doesn't really mean anything to admissions folks in the US.

Is that the case? I'd hate to think that was the case. A first is a pretty big deal.

Steveloblaw wrote:I do not agree with the above poster.

I don't believe you were referring to what I posted, correct; but to the poster above me?

A first class is a pretty big deal, but a school protecting its medians is an even bigger deal. Which is tremendously frustrating.

For example, at NYU, your GPA would be about a 3.71. Nothing to sneeze at, sure, but that's quite a bit below the equivalent of the work involved in your first class degree.

RoaringMice wrote:

Steveloblaw wrote:I do not agree with the above poster.

I don't believe you were referring to what I posted, correct; but to the poster above me?

I was, yes. We posted at almost exactly the same time.

Yeah, the first class degree conversion blows. Should be way higher than a 3.71. On the other hand, a good LSAT, 172+, will get you into everything below HYS.

Hey I am also applying from UK. Send me a PM if you want to talk about app.

The impression I got is that for international students, LSAT is given more emphasis compared to US students. That being said, a first class honours is indeed a huge achievement.

First transfers to Superior while 2:1 normally to Above Average. You will have very limited chances in T3 if you get an above average.