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I graduated in May with a 3.3 and a degree in finance (I also have about 3 years worth of credits in biology, because I switched majors junior year. Still graduated in 4 years if that makes any difference). I took the September LSAT and got a 178, which I was really happy about (duh).

I will have 2 years of work experience by the time I would start law school (assuming I apply next year), working as a leveraged loans pricing analyst at a large financial firm (along the lines of Bloomberg LP, Thomson Reuters, etc.) Not much else to say about softs in college; I was in a fraternity and did volunteer work here and there. Decent LORs but nothing extremely special.

I'm primarily choosing to work to save some money and also get a good amount of WE under my belt. I've been looking at applying to Northwestern ED to get their scholarship, but I don't know if that's possible with my numbers. What would my chances at CCN look like? Is Harvard out of the question?

mylsn.info for chances.

Very smart move getting some WE. You should come back after you've worked a little while. Maybe your job will be awesome and you can just bypass this whole shitty industry.

Also smart to distance yourself from that lowish GPA. You will probably get into some good schools. Apply broadly.

What do you want to do in the legal field? Where?

HYS is pretty much out of the picture with a 3.3, although you might as well apply. I also would be surprised if you got ED at NU, although again I'm not sure there would be harm in applying for it, given that your LSAT is high enough that I don't think you really need to ED to UVA (and might be hurt by doing so due to decreased leverage). I would advise that you essentially blanket the T14 plus maybe WUSTL (for scholarship leverage), Vandy, UT (if you want Texas), UCLA/USC (if you want So Cal), and maybe a few strong regionals in areas you would want to practice.

As for your chances at CCN: that's difficult to quantify, but I think that your LSAT gives you a chance.

Apply literally everywhere. Read Yale's admissions blog stuff. A 10% chance at HYS is a 10% chance at HYS, go for it. Higher at H, ~50% for CCN (higher at NYU).

Get paid. Enjoy your early 20's. Kill the GMATs and get an MBA. You don't want law school. Everyone I know in B-school LOVES it.

Thanks for the quick responses, guys. I'm primarily interested in corporate litigation, but all I know about the field is stuff I've read on here and other research that I've done, so I know it's probably not the most accurate embodiment of what it's like. I know my mind could change based on what I see in law school. I want NYC, but I live in Texas and don't think that would be too bad either (especially considering the living costs).

pancakes3 wrote:Get paid. Enjoy your early 20's. Kill the GMATs and get an MBA. You don't want law school. Everyone I know in B-school LOVES it.

That's also another option that I've been seriously considering. I'm good with numbers and RC, so the GMAT doesn't seem as difficult to learn as the LSAT. Not sure if you would know, but how do top B-schools look at a low GPA like mine? I work at a big firm, but nothing like i-banking or consulting - would that be "good enough" work experience for top schools?

CptnAwesome wrote:

pancakes3 wrote:Get paid. Enjoy your early 20's. Kill the GMATs and get an MBA. You don't want law school. Everyone I know in B-school LOVES it.

That's also another option that I've been seriously considering. I'm good with numbers and RC, so the GMAT doesn't seem as difficult to learn as the LSAT. Not sure if you would know, but how do top B-schools look at a low GPA like mine? I work at a big firm, but nothing like i-banking or consulting - would that be "good enough" work experience for top schools?

GPA doesn't mean nearly as much for business school as it does for law school (but you do need passably above average math skills/grades). The medians are lower and the weight given to it is less than the law school equivalents (I don't know exactly how much less but you can go to some business school forums and find out). The catch is... it only makes sense to go to a TOP rank b-school, end of discussion. None of this "strong regional" bs, or "if you're happy making 40k doing Idaho law, go to Idaho LS). You don't actually learn any skills in business school. It's 100% networking and prestige. There might be some instances where your work wants to promote you to management so they pay your way through a pt program or something to technically be an MBA so they can justifiably set you into middle management but that doesn't apply to you.

HOWEVER... this is entirely dependent on you getting a couple of years of work experience. Nobody goes to business school straight out of school. You need at least a couple years under your belt. I also wouldn't give too much thought to a JD-MBA. Ari Gold does not exist and you don't need a JD-MBA to do what he does anyway.

Seriously, with a 178, and he got no chance at HYS? What a world is this?????????????????????????

Webpolice wrote:Seriously, with a 178, and he got no chance at HYS? What a world is this?????????????????????????

It's a USNWR Rankings world.

Splitters don't get much money from I can see, but splitters have pulled off the NU ed 150k. If you would take that over columbia sticker, it's definitely the way to go.

Webpolice wrote:Seriously, with a 178, and he got no chance at HYS? What a world is this?????????????????????????

Dem GPA floors

fwiw i was 3.42/179 and didn't apply hys

No one got a 178 on the September LSAT; the curve went from 177 to 179...

brooklynboy wrote:No one got a 178 on the September LSAT; the curve went from 177 to 179...

hmm you're right

Of course, people frequently fudge numbers for privacy purposes.

hoos89 wrote:HYS is pretty much out of the picture with a 3.3, although you might as well apply. I also would be surprised if you got ED at NU, although again I'm not sure there would be harm in applying for it, given that your LSAT is high enough that I don't think you really need to ED to UVA (and might be hurt by doing so due to decreased leverage). I would advise that you essentially blanket the T14 plus maybe WUSTL (for scholarship leverage), Vandy, UT (if you want Texas), UCLA/USC (if you want So Cal), and maybe a few strong regionals in areas you would want to practice.

As for your chances at CCN: that's difficult to quantify, but I think that your LSAT gives you a chance.

I think OP has a decent shot at everything outside of HYS. A 178 really sticks out no matter who you are. I say throw some mud on the wall at every T14 and see what sticks. OP won't have any problems at #15-30. Visit HYS and try to make an impression. It might help you to state your case in person to an admissions officer on an unofficial visit.

Sit in a class, and talk to a prof afterwards. He/she might be on the adcom this year. Get your hustle on. Far stranger things than your admission to HYS have happened. These schools have admitted convicted felons, for crying outloud! Get in front of them...it can make a difference.

Brut wrote:fwiw i was 3.42/179 and didn't apply hys

It isn't worth a lot; you SHOULD have applied. One of them might have bitten...

no, would be to negotiate
and i wouldn't have been able to leverage any more than i got
though who knows maybe i would have left ny, i won't pretend it hasn't crossed my mind
almost positive i wouldn't, but who knows how i would have felt with an acceptance letter in my hands

canadianbrother wrote:Splitters don't get much money from I can see, but splitters have pulled off the NU ed 150k. If you would take that over columbia sticker, it's definitely the way to go.

Just my two cents:

If I was looking at NU with $150K and sticker at CLS is be in Chicago camping out in the NU atrium until next fall! IMO, #4-12 are almost the same.

PDaddy wrote:

canadianbrother wrote:Splitters don't get much money from I can see, but splitters have pulled off the NU ed 150k. If you would take that over columbia sticker, it's definitely the way to go.

Just my two cents:

If I was looking at NU with $150K and sticker at CLS is be in Chicago camping out in the NU atrium until next fall! IMO, #4-12 are almost the same.

Exactly.

And Downtown Chicago >> Hyde Park, Ann Abor, Charlotteville, Philly, Durham, Ithaca, DC

Chicago COL >>>>>>>>> NYC COL

In terms of location, imo, NU beats out the rest of the T14 except S and B

canadianbrother wrote:In terms of location, imo, NU beats out the rest of the T14 except S and B

greenwich village mofo

I would apply everywhere. The costs of applications are so minimal. It is a long shot and people will tell you that softs don't matter, but if you've got a great essay, and can really sell your WE, I think you have a decent shot at money from several schools in the t14 and definitely a worthwhile shot at HYS. I got into middle of the line t14 with a far lower gpa and somewhat lower lsat, so maybe my experience is skewed, but just go for it mang.