Top Law Schools

I have 3.36 GPA.
went to an LAC, not so highly ranked. I'm an international (Asian, female).

What LSAT score should I get in order to get into GULC? with the declining applicant pool.

Also, I did get accepted to Columbia for grad school (SIPA), which is my backup plan.
Which do you think is a better option SIPA or law school(if it is possible)?

Depends on whether you want to be an attorney.

I think a 169 should get you into GULC. Its not worth sticker debt though.

If you hit over 175 you may have a chance as a splitter at Columbia. They will take a few extremely high LSAT/3.3-3.4 each year. Then you could dual-degree it w/SIPA.

Thanks for the reply. I've been learning a lot from your comments.

169 is higher than I expected, especially with the declining applicant pool and also given all the articles I've read which scream not to go to law school.

I forgot to mention that I'm an international (Asian).
Does that make any difference?

In all likelihood, youll need to score at least median (168).

soyeonjeon wrote: I forgot to mention that I'm an international (Asian).
Does that make any difference?

Not really

Take a look at lawschoolnumbers.com. From the graph of last year's applicants, it looks like you'll need a 168 at the very least, likely higher.

http://gulc.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats/1213

soyeonjeon wrote:Thanks for the reply. I've been learning a lot from your comments.

169 is higher than I expected, especially with the declining applicant pool and also given all the articles I've read which scream not to go to law school.

I forgot to mention that I'm an international (Asian).
Does that make any difference?

You could potentially get in with 168, but with your grades, you typically need to beat median. Depends on whether Gtown takes a small class size again, or admits more 168s.

International would only matter if you didnt have US grades. Then you basically need 170+ for any T14. And a top school is especially critical here considering that only large firms will be able to sponsor your visa, and those firms recruit from a small selection of schools.

The real question here again seems to be, do you want to be an attorney?

Thanks for all the replies.

jbagelboy, I do want to be a lawyer, although at one point I desired the law school education more than becoming a lawyer. Now I've grown up and want the job more.

I picked GULC as a dream/target school because I thought they require the lowest scores from the T14 and given the difficult job market and the fact that I'm an international, I knew I had to be good enough to break into T14 to get hired at at least mid-size law firms. I assumed I would have lower or no chance at NU or Cornell or UVA since they are ranked higher.
I assume I need to score higher than 169 or may not have a shot at other lower T14 schools, right?

Given that SIPA costs nearly the same as a JD per year, I think law school is a better alternative IF I can get in.
But increasing LSAT score seems to require incredible amount of effort and actually am beginning to wonder whether it's improvable beyond certain point. I'm beginning to think that it's not improvable. Preps in the 60s left me in despair.

Is there a reason you want to practice law in the US and not in your home country?

I did realize few weeks ago that I should've studied for my country's version of lsat, but it seems too late.
Believe it or not law schools at my home country has a tendency to select young people only and the job market also prefers young people.

I am at a disadvantageous position to aim for my home country's law schools because I went to a not-so-highly ranked LAC and I am 27. Also, they started law school just four years ago and the system is unstable at the moment.
I chose LSAT because it seemed like something in which putting in effort works.

If I get to go to law school in the US, I was going to go to law school in my home country in my late thirties with more credentials.