Top Law Schools

Hello,
I was in the process of applying to law school this past year, but ultimately decided against it.
My gpa was not where I needed it to be in order to gain acceptance into a law school that I thought would be worth while (to put it bluntly).
I graduated from a top 5 public univ for undergrad with a 3.43 gpa.

I applied to and gained acceptance into the Masters of Accounting at a top 10 business school (I will start this year/am very excited).
I plan on successfully graduating from the program, acquiring a job, and passing the CPA exam (big assumption #1).

While thinking about law school, I studied/prepped for the lsat.
I strongly believe that I would have been able to score around a 170 based on practice exam scores.
Let's say that I am able to score a 170 (big assumption #2)

I am an asian american male (currently age 23).
Hypothetically, if I am able to make assumption 1 and 2 a reality during the next 5 or so years:

a) Would I stand a decent chance at a T-10 law school? or is my lower undergrad gpa going to be too difficult to overcome?
b) How much does which undergrad you attended influence the wiggle room of accepted gpas?
c) Would being in-state help at all for a private T-10 law school? (beginner question; i know it's a private university/would be for a graduate program, so i don't know how in-state would play into all of that...assuming (#3) that I was in-state)
d) How much would the relevant work experience/leadership positions that I have earned in undergrad/this year influence my chances in 5 years? Would I even mention them at that point?
e) Would I be better off looking into MBA programs?

I am trying to map out my future aspirations/possible options, and a t-10 law school has always been a dream of mine.

rshin30 wrote:Hello,
I was in the process of applying to law school this past year, but ultimately decided against it.
My gpa was not where I needed it to be in order to gain acceptance into a law school that I thought would be worth while (to put it bluntly).
I graduated from top 5 public univ for undergrad with a 3.43 gpa.

I applied to and gained acceptance into the Masters of Accounting at a top 10 business school (I will start this year/am very excited).
I plan on successfully graduating from the program, acquiring a job, and passing the CPA exam (big assumption #1)

While thinking about law school, I studied/prepped for the lsat.
I strongly believe that I would have been able to score around a 170 based on practice exam scores.
Let's say that I am able to score a 170 (big assumption #2)

I am an asian american male (currently age 23).
Hypothetically, if I am able to make assumption 1 and 2 a reality during the next 5 or so years:

a) Would I stand a decent chance at a T-10 law school? or is my lower undergrad going to be too difficult to overcome?
b) How much does which undergrad you attended influence the wiggle room of accepted gpas?
c) Would being in-state help at all for a private T-10 law school? (beginner question; i know it's a private university/would be for a graduate program, so i don't know how in-state would play into all of that...assuming (#3) that I was in-state)
d) How much would the relevant work experience/leadership positions that I have earned in undergrad/this year influence my chances in 5 years? Would I even mention them at that point?
e) Would I be better off looking into MBA programs?

I am trying to map out my future aspirations/possible options, and a t-10 law school has always been a dream of mine.

a) there's no such thing as a T-10 law school. 170/3.43 gives you a decent crack at schools in the lower T14.
b) depends on the school. you wrote that you attended a "top 5 public". little to no influence
c) zero influence
d) leadership positions in ug are a standard soft at top schools. working as a cpa for a while may help at the margins, but overall admissions has gotten increasingly numbers-driven, and fairly standard work experience won't make a meaningful difference. little to no influence.
e) skip the jd unless you have a good reason to become a lawyer.

Check out this site:

170 gives you a good shot at T14, but aim high because you need as much money as you can get.

State school isn't giving you a boost.

thank you for your replies

I guess what I am basically asking is, how much of a resume boost would a masters, cpa license, and work experience give me?

From the replies I've gotten so far, it would seem like a minimal boost at most?

rshin30 wrote:thank you for your replies

I guess what I am basically asking is, how much of a resume boost would a masters, cpa license, and work experience give me?

From the replies I've gotten so far, it would seem like a minimal boost at most?

The work experience will give you a boost at Northwestern. Probably negligible everywhere else.

rshin30 wrote:thank you for your replies

I guess what I am basically asking is, how much of a resume boost would a masters, cpa license, and work experience give me?

From the replies I've gotten so far, it would seem like a minimal boost at most?

Doubt it'll give you any boost for admissions. Should make it easier to find a job though than lots of your classmates (although grades will still be important)

Just worry about the LSAT, that's your ticket in.

BigZuck wrote:

rshin30 wrote:thank you for your replies

I guess what I am basically asking is, how much of a resume boost would a masters, cpa license, and work experience give me?

From the replies I've gotten so far, it would seem like a minimal boost at most?

Doubt it'll give you any boost for admissions. Should make it easier to find a job though than lots of your classmates (although grades will still be important)

Just worry about the LSAT, that's your ticket in.

This. Will have very little impact on school admissions (save Northwestern), but will provide a significant boost when actually seeking employment as a lawyer.

Also unless things have changed at Northwestern, they care about work experience in so far as lack of it will hurt you. I wouldn't expect work experience to help you transcend your numbers or get a bigger scholarship.