Top Law Schools

I'm looking for some guidance on which T14 schools I legitimately have a chance at.

3.1 GPA, 176 LSAT

My 3.1 GPA is largely from a very poor first semester in college, I would have a 3.5 without that semester.

I am white, but grew up in a rural, low-income, single parent household and I am a first generation college grad.

I taught HS chemistry for a year (in a program similar to TFA) with plans to teach a few years before law school, but then decided I could do more good by being influential in a community than being a teacher.

I currently work as an information systems intern at a software company.

I will have completed an MS in financial economics (with scholarship and assistantship) the summer before I begin law school.

I'm especially interested in: Harvard, Berkeley, Duke, Michigan, Cornell, Georgetown (mostly for the universal name recognition - any thoughts on schools fitting that qualification would be welcome as well)

I would say that you legitimately have a chance at all T14 save for HYS and Berkeley. It all depends on which schools need that LSAT, and they'll only really know that until later in the cycle, so be prepared to wait. Make sure you ask for fee waivers, and apply to ideally all of these schools unless you have really really good reasons for not being able to attend one of them. It's a numbers game, and there's not a whole lot of data out there for splitters, so the answer is always "maybe."

I'm sure you'll nab at least a few T14 acceptances, but which ones is impossible to say.

If you're looking for universal name recognition, why didn't you include Columbia or UPenn?

There's not that much data on people with your numbers, but looks like you'll probably get Georgetown.

scoobysnax wrote:If you're looking for universal name recognition, why didn't you include Columbia or UPenn?

Columbia would be great, but I'm not terribly excited about the idea of living with my family in NYC (or Chicago for that matter). I suppose it may be a sacrifice I have to make, but a smaller city or commuting from the suburbs would be preferable.

UPenn is a great university, but it seems like in the West people tend not to realize that it's an Ivy League or that it's an academic powerhouse. They hear 'University of Pennsylvania' and equate it with state universities like 'University of Colorado' or 'University of Washington'. Am I wrong about this? I would actually love to be wrong because I would highly enjoy attending UPenn.

Although I question exactly why you want universal prestige more than legal prestige/job prospects, you would have to add both Columbia and UChicago to your list for universal prestige. Both universities are renowned nationally and internationally. I see you aren't thrilled about living in either Chicago or NYC, but I still recommend you apply. I thought there was no chance in hell I would ever end up in the city I did. Things can change quickly after scholarship offers and a couple of school visits.

With regards to UPenn, no one on the West Coast really cares about the school at all. Either people think it is Penn State or if they know it then they think it is solid, but still no Berkeley. Based off my personal experiences on the West Coast with friends and family who have no knowledge about law schools, Harvard/Yale/Columbia/Chicago/Stanford/Berkeley are well known and what you are looking for.

I mean it depends on what you want the "universal name recognition" for. If you're looking to impress the people that have absolutely no influence on your career whatsoever, then you are right in saying that Penn doesn't hold a lot of weight off the east coast (speaking as a midwesterner).

If you're looking to impress actual employers, ie law firms, then Penn will be just as employable, if not moreso, than Duke or Cornell.

The notion that you should choose Harvard over Yale for lay prestige is ridiculous.

yot11 wrote:I mean it depends on what you want the "universal name recognition" for.

FinalFour wrote:Although I question exactly why you want universal prestige more than legal prestige/job prospects

I plan, at some point in the future, to run for public office, and, because I'm not particularly picky about what part of the country I end up working in, I am interested in attending a school with lay prestige to boost my running for office - wherever it may be. Given it may not be the most important aspect, but anything I can do to enhance my electability is worth doing.

skidoo1066 wrote:

scoobysnax wrote:If you're looking for universal name recognition, why didn't you include Columbia or UPenn?

Columbia would be great, but I'm not terribly excited about the idea of living with my family in NYC (or Chicago for that matter). I suppose it may be a sacrifice I have to make, but a smaller city or commuting from the suburbs would be preferable.

UPenn is a great university, but it seems like in the West people tend not to realize that it's an Ivy League or that it's an academic powerhouse. They hear 'University of Pennsylvania' and equate it with state universities like 'University of Colorado' or 'University of Washington'. Am I wrong about this? I would actually love to be wrong because I would highly enjoy attending UPenn.

Lol
The only thing you need to worry about is people mixing up Upenn and Penn state. And even when they do, they mostly think Penn state is an ivy. Maybe I hang with a different crew but Upenn automatically brings up "Wharton".

Even if it's not an ivy, Penn is a great school and has great placement (more than any other school you've named, except H). However, this depends on your goals - where do you want to practice?

You're missing other splitter friendly schools as well (UVA, NU).

Go for PLACEMENT POWER not name recognition. They go hand in hand but in the end, YOUR view of name recognition is meaningless if the rest of the nation has a different opinion (hence, affecting placement)

Columbia. That is all.

skidoo1066 wrote:

yot11 wrote:I mean it depends on what you want the "universal name recognition" for.

FinalFour wrote:Although I question exactly why you want universal prestige more than legal prestige/job prospects

I plan, at some point in the future, to run for public office, and, because I'm not particularly picky about what part of the country I end up working in, I am interested in attending a school with lay prestige to boost my running for office - wherever it may be. Given it may not be the most important aspect, but anything I can do to enhance my electability is worth doing.

What real voter is really going to vote for you because you attended Columbia instead of UPenn? I don't mean to be blunt, but you go to a prestigious law school to get prestigious jobs (like AUSA) which then lead to prestigious contacts, who then can make you someone who has a shot at being elected. People from Harvard Law don't get elected because Joe and Jane Voter respect Harvard Law, they get elected because they had stellar legal careers that make it easier to be one of the people in the running in the first place.

timbs4339 wrote:I don't mean to be blunt, but you go to a prestigious law school to get prestigious jobs (like AUSA) which then lead to prestigious contacts, who then can make you someone who has a shot at being elected. People from Harvard Law don't get elected because Joe and Jane Voter respect Harvard Law, they get elected because they had stellar legal careers that make it easier to be one of the people in the running in the first place.

I like and appreciate your point.

worth an app everywhere outside of hys and boalt
however, your list of schools is bad
bc your rationale for choosing a school is bad

also, turtles, penn is an ivy
not that that matters