Top Law Schools

Hello all,

This is my first post to TLS, so I apologize if this is in the wrong section to post my situation to.

I am in my second year of undergraduate studies at a major public university (think BIG 10). I currently have the option of graduating with a degree in both Finance and Accounting after my third year and I was wondering how my situation may affect my application.

Some things about me:
-White Male
-3.9 GPA
-At the time of my application, I will be 20 years old
-I haven't taken an official LSAT as of now, but I did a Kaplan practice test on a whim two years ago and scored a 156
-I am expecting to have an internship in wealth management this upcoming summer
-I also actively compete in NCAA Division III wrestling tournaments

My goal is to attend a T-14 school. While my current LSAT scores are low for this, I think I can really raise it with practice.

My question is what are the scores/GPA I should be looking for if I want to go to a top 14 (preferably 6) law school given that I will be 4-5 years younger than the typical applicant. Will there be any significant difference or should I expect to have the 3.9/170 score range?

John Rizzy can you move this?

mrhendricks wrote:Hello all,

This is my first post to TLS, so I apologize if this is in the wrong section to post my situation to.

I am in my second year of undergraduate studies at a major public university (think BIG 10). I currently have the option of graduating with a degree in both Finance and Accounting after my third year and I was wondering how my situation may affect my application.

Some things about me:
-White Male
-3.9 GPA
-At the time of my application, I will be 20 years old
-I haven't taken an official LSAT as of now, but I did a Kaplan practice test on a whim two years ago and scored a 156
-I am expecting to have an internship in wealth management this upcoming summer
-I also actively compete in NCAA Division III wrestling tournaments

My goal is to attend a T-14 school. While my current LSAT scores are low for this, I think I can really raise it with practice.

My question is what are the scores/GPA I should be looking for if I want to go to a top 14 (preferably 6) law school given that I will be 4-5 years younger than the typical applicant. Will there be any significant difference or should I expect to have the 3.9/170 score range?

This should be in the What are My Chances forum, but you're not atypical other than being a year or two younger. Generally speaking everyone is going to tell you to come back with a real LSAT score, and yes you'll need to be shooting for the 170s. Also as a White Male you are quite literally the opposite of an Underrepresented Minority in the legal profession.

MoMettaMonk wrote:

mrhendricks wrote:Hello all,

This is my first post to TLS, so I apologize if this is in the wrong section to post my situation to.

I am in my second year of undergraduate studies at a major public university (think BIG 10). I currently have the option of graduating with a degree in both Finance and Accounting after my third year and I was wondering how my situation may affect my application.

Some things about me:
-White Male
-3.9 GPA
-At the time of my application, I will be 20 years old
-I haven't taken an official LSAT as of now, but I did a Kaplan practice test on a whim two years ago and scored a 156
-I am expecting to have an internship in wealth management this upcoming summer
-I also actively compete in NCAA Division III wrestling tournaments

My goal is to attend a T-14 school. While my current LSAT scores are low for this, I think I can really raise it with practice.

My question is what are the scores/GPA I should be looking for if I want to go to a top 14 (preferably 6) law school given that I will be 4-5 years younger than the typical applicant. Will there be any significant difference or should I expect to have the 3.9/170 score range?

This should be in the What are My Chances forum, but you're not atypical other than being a year or two younger. Generally speaking everyone is going to tell you to come back with a real LSAT score, and yes you'll need to be shooting for the 170s. Also as a White Male you are quite literally the opposite of an Underrepresented Minority in the legal profession.

1. Good to know mometta wasn't interested enough in my PM to reply

2. I would recommend you aim for a 173+. That with a 3.9 will give you a chance at all of the T-6 and a chance at some money from CCN. While you expect to have a 3.9, that is not guaranteed at this point sense you will have 2-3 more semesters of grades coming in when you apply. LSAC recalculates GPAS differently that most UGs. An A- is a 3.67 A. 4.0 A+ 4.3. That may or may not (depending on your current letter grades) bring your GPA down.

If you get a high finance or management consulting gig jr summer I recommend taking the offer post-grad and making bank for 2 yrs before applying to law school. Sounds like thats the path your on, dont be distracted by the shimmering ethereal glow of six figure debt and a crippled market.

jbagelboy wrote:If you get a high finance or management consulting gig jr summer I recommend taking the offer post-grad and making bank for 2 yrs before applying to law school. Sounds like thats the path your on, dont be distracted by the shimmering ethereal glow of six figure debt and a crippled market.

I'm actually looking into management consulting as well. Law has just always interested me and I was curious if my age would be of any assistance in getting into a top tier law school.

mrhendricks wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:If you get a high finance or management consulting gig jr summer I recommend taking the offer post-grad and making bank for 2 yrs before applying to law school. Sounds like thats the path your on, dont be distracted by the shimmering ethereal glow of six figure debt and a crippled market.

I'm actually looking into management consulting as well. Law has just always interested me and I was curious if my age would be of any assistance in getting into a top tier law school.

Why do you think your age will help you?

Basically, nothing matters except your GPA and your LSAT unless your softs are phenomenal enough to get Y or S' attention. They aren't.

Study hard, get a 173+.

edit> I sound a bit brutal, but the tone of your posts seem pretty special-snowflakey.

ImNoScar wrote:

mrhendricks wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:If you get a high finance or management consulting gig jr summer I recommend taking the offer post-grad and making bank for 2 yrs before applying to law school. Sounds like thats the path your on, dont be distracted by the shimmering ethereal glow of six figure debt and a crippled market.

I'm actually looking into management consulting as well. Law has just always interested me and I was curious if my age would be of any assistance in getting into a top tier law school.

Why do you think your age will help you?

I have really no idea how the law admissions standards work. I was not sure if something like this would be considered a significant soft factor.

twentypercentmore wrote:Basically, nothing matters except your GPA and your LSAT unless your softs are phenomenal enough to get Y or S' attention. They aren't.

Study hard, get a 173+.

edit> I sound a bit brutal, but the tone of your posts seem pretty special-snowflakey.

No worries. Bluntness is probably the best way to go about it. I don't have any idea how law admissions work and what is considered a significant soft factor. This seemed to be (in my eyes) to be my biggest one. I'm just happy to know where I need to go from here.

mrhendricks wrote:

twentypercentmore wrote:Basically, nothing matters except your GPA and your LSAT unless your softs are phenomenal enough to get Y or S' attention. They aren't.

Study hard, get a 173+.

edit> I sound a bit brutal, but the tone of your posts seem pretty special-snowflakey.

No worries. Bluntness is probably the best way to go about it. I don't have any idea how law admissions work and what is considered a significant soft factor. This seemed to be (in my eyes) to be my biggest one. I'm just happy to know where I need to go from here.

This is where you need to go from here:
http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=6

Also keep your GPA up and you will be just fine.

mrhendricks wrote: I have really no idea how the law admissions standards work. I was not sure if something like this would be considered a significant soft factor.

If anything it will hurt, because law schools and employers will wonder if you are mature enough to handle the work. It is not going to help you outperform your numbers and you probably shouldn't call any attention to it.

You may consider PM'ing Monochromatic Oeuvre in regard to your age. He was a younger applicant, albeit judging by his post history seems to be quite mature, and when he has responded to other posts similar to this he was pretty blunt about the realities he has experienced as a younger law student/applicant - I believe he is a 1L at Columbia.

Travis12 wrote:You may consider PM'ing Monochromatic Oeuvre in regard to your age. He was a younger applicant, albeit judging by his post history seems to be quite mature

twentypercentmore wrote:

Travis12 wrote:You may consider PM'ing Monochromatic Oeuvre in regard to your age. He was a younger applicant, albeit judging by his post history seems to be quite mature

That may have come off wrong.. Haha I have nothing negative to say about him. His contributions are invaluable. I think mono is great and will have lots of good insights. Nothing but love, Mono.

I like Mono too, and he's made a ton of great contributions for sure -- he's just very young.

I'm 20 and applying this cycle. Not that weird, although if you end up meeting up with other TLSers you will prevent them from giong to bars and stuff.

phillywc wrote:I'm 20 and applying this cycle. Not that weird, although if you end up meeting up with other TLSers you will prevent them from giong to bars and stuff.

i was wondering when you would find this thread.

If I were you I would work for a few years. I think looking very young could possibly hurt you when it comes to OCI, but I could be wrong on this point - (anyone?).

As a 30-something, I had two 20 year-olds in my 1L section -- very much 20 as they turned 21 in April and May of 1L -- and though I knew their age (it was an issue in picking where folks went out), they were not distinguishable from the rest of the K-JD 1Ls.

I feel that K-JD are at a disadvantage as a result of lack of experience, but many schools don't feel that way and lots of employers (especially those with the infrastructure to train their hires as part of a program) like the raw material aspect. As far as being young hurting you at OCI, the OP and other posters here aren't Doogie Howser or anything. They'll be 21 or 22 by the time they OCI. Unless they put their DOB on their résumé, I wouldn't expect interviewers to pick up on the difference between them and their 23-24 year-old fellow K-JD classmates.

scoobers wrote:

phillywc wrote:I'm 20 and applying this cycle. Not that weird, although if you end up meeting up with other TLSers you will prevent them from giong to bars and stuff.

i was wondering when you would find this thread.

hey bb

mrhendricks wrote:

ImNoScar wrote:

mrhendricks wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:If you get a high finance or management consulting gig jr summer I recommend taking the offer post-grad and making bank for 2 yrs before applying to law school. Sounds like thats the path your on, dont be distracted by the shimmering ethereal glow of six figure debt and a crippled market.

I'm actually looking into management consulting as well. Law has just always interested me and I was curious if my age would be of any assistance in getting into a top tier law school.

Why do you think your age will help you?

I have really no idea how the law admissions standards work. I was not sure if something like this would be considered a significant soft factor.

You're 20, not 12. Being 20 just means your parents enrolled you in kindergarten a little early or you took some AP credits and summer school. It's extremely common. If you were under 16 it might be impressive.