Top Law Schools

Hi all. I was wondering:

1. What are my chances at top 5 (specifically Harvard and Yale) if I have a 178 LSAT, 3.70 gpa (humanities major), a thesis, and three published papers? The three published papers are articles I have co-authored with three separate professors.

2. Would these kinds of softs and the high LSAT be enough to outweigh my 3.70? Is 3.70 too low or is it okay?

3. Is there anything else I can do to increase my chances of getting into a top 5 law school with a lower gpa?


Thanks in advance!

alee12 wrote:Hi all. I was wondering:

1. What are my chances at top 5 (specifically Harvard and Yale) if I have a 178 LSAT, 3.70 gpa (humanities major), a thesis, and three published papers? The three published papers are articles I have co-authored with three separate professors.

2. Would these kinds of softs and the high LSAT be enough to outweigh my 3.70? Is 3.70 too low or is it okay?

3. Is there anything else I can do to increase my chances of getting into a top 5 law school with a lower gpa?


Thanks in advance!

You have a good shot at HY. Your softs will help but are probably not as important as you think they are.

I think Harvard and Columbia w/ $$ are definitely in play. Yale is still a stretch.

Post removed.

Isn't Harvard pretty stingy with scholarships?

Clyde Frog wrote:Isn't Harvard pretty stingy with scholarships?

Not really. Their need based grants are a little smaller than SY but not by a lot, and it depends on your circumstances

I applied this past cycle with the exact same LSAT (1st time) and a gpa that is almost the same (3.72 ugpa and 3.67 LSDAS gpa). I did not apply to Y or S due to location preference, but I got into Columbia with a Butler Fellowship (half tuition ~$90k) and Chicago with $75k. I am currently waitlisted at Harvard.

I am straight from undergrad (just graduated last month) and had no published work or research thesis, though I had some unique extra curricular/summer work experience.

I'm sure you'll have no trouble getting into a top 5 and I bet you'd have a great shot at H with your softs, especially if you take a year off!

Hope this helps

MistakenGenius wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:I think Harvard and Columbia w/ $$ are definitely in play. Yale is still a stretch.

This. YMMV is wrong. I'd expect you to get Harvard with that.

He asked "specifically Harvard and Yale," which is the part of his post I was obviously addressing. And yes, while his Harvard chance is much higher, he definitely has enough of a shot at Yale to make it worth applying.
http://yale.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats/1314

Obviously he should apply broadly and anticipate competitive scholarship offers from several T14s. He will have leverage when it comes time to choose.

Maybe apply to be a Furman Scholar. That would suit your background pretty well.

That is, if you didn't mind going to a school outside of the "Top 5".

..

MistakenGenius wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:I think Harvard and Columbia w/ $$ are definitely in play. Yale is still a stretch.

This. YMMV is wrong. I'd expect you to get Harvard with that. The softs are solid but aren't really impressive (most applicants have a thesis, I had three) and the thing about your published papers is it seems the professors did most of the work (I know it's not probably true, but that is the issue when coauthoring a paper). However, you've got a stellar LSAT, and Harvard needs those high numbers desperately to preserve their class profile (with their diploma mill 600 person class, they need high LSATs to keep medians.)

You should also get money at CC. You might get Yale or Stanford, but I expect your cycle will look like your numbers for the most part.

at the bolded.

OP, the biggest advice I can give you is to apply EARLY-if you already have your LSAT squared away, ask for letters of recommendation now and start working on your essays. Submit the day apps open. Note: this won't help you at Yale (they're the only T14 with non-rolling admissions), but will definitely help you at Harvard and at CCN. However, there is a possibility you could get yield protected at Columbia if they do the same rampant "holding" and subsequent waitlisting of high-numbered people that they did this year.

Furthermore, apply to all (or at least most) of the T14 for negotiation purposes.

Are you K-JD? Do you have any work experience? That would probably help you at Harvard more than your thesis, especially if GPA is your concern.

ETA: Also, I wouldn't say things like "top 5" on here. It rubs people the wrong way (for good reason). Just apply to the top-14, and narrow it down from there, once you get actual offers.