Top Law Schools

UGPA 2.8
LSAT 178
White Male
Mid-20's

My undergrad was a top 30 liberal arts college. I also attended an elite Master's program in humanities (broad studies in ethics/philosophy/theology) with what would calculate to a 3.2 GPA (school does not calculate Graduate GPA). I have worked for poverty legal services through AmeriCorps and was a paralegal for a respected high profile litigator with connections to one of the schools to which I plan on applying.

Chances at:

Harvard
New York University
Boston University
Boston College
Fordham
Georgetown
Northeastern


I know some of these might be long shots, but I am still interested in your thoughts, especially concerning wide gap in GPA/LSAT.

Thank you.

I would say no shot at Harvard and NYU, small to no shot at Georgetown, no idea about the others.

Why no Northwestern? Especially given your WE, that would probably be your best option.

I've heard Harvard has a pretty hard GPA floor, so you're out there. Georgetown is, from what I hear, pretty splitter friendly, so you're probably good. You're basically above every schools 75% LSAT, and below the 25% GPA. Your cycle is going to be really unpredictable.

When you said Northeastern, did you mean Northwestern? Cause...uh...hopefully you did.

There's simply not a lot of historical data for "super-splitters" here or on LSN, especially if you consider that the current application cycle and last year's cycle have been very applicant-friendly due to the decreased number of LSAT takers and law school applications.

Your uGPA is below every school's 25th percentile, but your LSAT is well above every school's 75th, so you're not in a totally unworkable situation. Honestly, I'd spend the money to apply everywhere you're interested, and force them to tell you 'no'.

I honestly had not considered Northwestern. Maybe I will now, even though my goal is to stay in the Northeast. I just came back to Massachusetts after 3 years in Chicago and I don't know if I want to move back so soon. Boston College would be my ideal choice.

I did mean NorthEASTern. I wanted to know if it was viable as a safety, since its in my geographical range and would be good for my interests.

I guess I'll just have to apply and see what happens. Thanks to all of you who have responded so far.

GraceBay88 wrote:I honestly had not considered Northwestern. Maybe I will now, even though my goal is to stay in the Northeast. I just came back to Massachusetts after 3 years in Chicago and I don't know if I want to move back so soon. Boston College would be my ideal choice.

I did mean NorthEASTern. I wanted to know if it was viable as a safety, since its in my geographical range and would be good for my interests.

I guess I'll just have to apply and see what happens. Thanks to all of you who have responded so far.

Northeastern is a TTTTT.. don't go there

Northwestern could totally get you a decent job in the Northeast.

Northeastern could totally bring you to the point of roasting a rat over a trash can fire under a bridge.

Northwestern is most likely the best school you could get in to. Maybe UVA but unlikely. So that is why people will suggest it as default.

Unless BC/BU will offer you legit merit aid, I dont think staying in new England is TCR in the short term. Doesnt mean you cant return after LS: They say UVA grads do decently in Boston. Id also hit up Penn and even NYU (although its basically unheard of).

Best I can tell, ties to New England are the best ticket back to Boston. Because you have work experience in Boston, I would recommend going to a t-14 or BC/BU with significant money. All of the big firms here are still stocked with many associates from BU/BC so I think they are still worth a look for the right price if destination is important to you.

Don't worry overly about where you're living for the next three years; worry about how the school you go to will affect your chances of getting a job that will allow you to live comfortably in New England for the rest of your life.

Aka, apply to Northwestern.

Chances are staying in Boston for law school will be a bad decision. Really polish up that app and you might have a shot at NYU.

I think the consensus is, of the t14, GULC, Northwestern, UVA, and NYU are the most friendly to super splitters. I think you can probably get the first three given how fabulous your LSAT score is. NYU might be a bit of a harder sell. I think there was a 2.9X/179 who got in a couple of cycles ago, so it's worth a shot. However, I don't think they tend to accept many sub-3.0s regardless of LSAT score.

IMO, any of those schools would be much better for your career prospects than attending any school in Boston that isn't Harvard.

Best of luck.

Do you have an addendum/reason for your academic performance? Your graduate GPA isn't much higher, which doesn't help. Also, how do you get into an "elite" masters program with a 2.8 GPA?

thewaves wrote:Do you have an addendum/reason for your academic performance? Your graduate GPA isn't much higher, which doesn't help. Also, how do you get into an "elite" masters program with a 2.8 GPA?

I plan on submitting an addendum. I had a family issue in my final semester of college and had to take a few F's in classes I didn't need in order to graduate. My major GPA was a 3.9 and that's the same subject I went to grad school to study (the school was UChicago) and I don't think they cared I had sub-par grades in biology or math classes (which are not what I was applying for). As for the grad GPA, 2 w's turned to F's.

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teampeeta wrote:I think the consensus is, of the t14, GULC, Northwestern, UVA, and NYU are the most friendly to super splitters. I think you can probably get the first three given how fabulous your LSAT score is. NYU might be a bit of a harder sell. I think there was a 2.9X/179 who got in a couple of cycles ago, so it's worth a shot. However, I don't think they tend to accept many sub-3.0s regardless of LSAT score.

IMO, any of those schools would be much better for your career prospects than attending any school in Boston that isn't Harvard.

Best of luck.

yes, that seems to be the consensus.

Thanks again to everyone for your thoughts!

GraceBay88 wrote:

thewaves wrote:Do you have an addendum/reason for your academic performance? Your graduate GPA isn't much higher, which doesn't help. Also, how do you get into an "elite" masters program with a 2.8 GPA?

I plan on submitting an addendum. I had a family issue in my final semester of college and had to take a few F's in classes I didn't need in order to graduate. My major GPA was a 3.9 and that's the same subject I went to grad school to study (the school was UChicago) and I don't think they cared I had sub-par grades in biology or math classes (which are not what I was applying for). As for the grad GPA, 2 w's turned to F's.

I would also add to this that it was probably a poor decision for me to go to grad school right out of college without reflecting on why I was going, and unfortunately I discovered this too late. Having worked in the legal field for over 2 years now I'm hoping I can spin all this positively, and maybe even have a shot at Northwestern.

I'd pick a school that is splitter friendly to ED (I'd lean toward NU for that $$$) then blanket the top 14, add in schools in the top 25 that offer big scholarships to high LSAT scores (WUSTL, UMN etc.) if nothing else for scholarship negotiation leverage. See what happens and be willing to ride out waitlists until late summer if necessary.

Cellar-door wrote:I'd pick a school that is splitter friendly to ED (I'd lean toward NU for that $$$) then blanket the top 14, add in schools in the top 25 that offer big scholarships to high LSAT scores (WUSTL, UMN etc.) if nothing else for scholarship negotiation leverage. See what happens and be willing to ride out waitlists until late summer if necessary.

I don't think splitters have much luck on the NU ED, because of the scholarship.