174 LSAT and either 2.9/3.0 GPA Forum

[utdallaskid]

Currently trying to calculate my GPA and due to dual credit courses which are hard to find and couple retakes its hard to tell what it'll be. Pretty much what happened was this past semester I took courses which the advisor said were Credit / No Credit and practically bombed them and turns out (surprise!) they're actually graded.

So I have a 174 LSAT and a roughly 3.0 GPA.
URM for Native American.

I'm really looking at top tier 2 schools where I can focus on certain metro areas specifically to work in depending where I land.
A couple I'm considering:

1. SMU
2. ASU
3. University of Houston
4. Vandy
5. Georgetown

I have two years of experience in risk management (insurance and legal compliance) which ties very well into my story as well as 2 years in a insurance analysis position.

Any suggestions to which schools have become more splitter friendly and general discussion on whether its a good idea to go to a T2 in a metro area and aim for top 1/4 to top 10%?

[wiz]

UVA and Northwestern are known for being especially splitter friendly. In addition to those + Michigan/Georgetown, you might also have a chance at NYU (though it's possible you're below their GPA floor?).

I would blanket the bottom half of the T14 + UT/Vandy/WUSTL and see how much money you get. Maybe UH/SMU, but that depends on your goals, and I wouldn't go there unless you basically get a full ride. It's not a good idea to go to a T2 and aim for a high class rank. Everybody goes to law school wanting to be top 10%, and 90% of students end up disappointed. There's no guarantee you'll finish high enough in your class for a desirable job outcome, but you can maximize your chances of getting a good job by going to a top school.

T14 will allow you to go back to the metro areas you're interested in (which from your list looks like Dallas/Houston). Your risk management experience will help for on campus interviews with firms, but law school admissions is pretty much a numbers game.

[utdallaskid]

UVA and Northwestern are known for being especially splitter friendly. In addition to those + Michigan/Georgetown, you might also have a chance at NYU (though it's possible you're below their GPA floor?).

I would blanket the bottom half of the T14 + UT/Vandy/WUSTL and see how much money you get. Maybe UH/SMU, but that depends on your goals, and I wouldn't go there unless you basically get a full ride. It's not a good idea to go to a T2 and aim for a high class rank. Everybody goes to law school wanting to be top 10%, and 90% of students end up disappointed. There's no guarantee you'll finish high enough in your class for a desirable job outcome, but you can maximize your chances of getting a good job by going to a top school.

T14 will allow you to go back to the metro areas you're interested in (which from your list looks like Dallas/Houston). Your risk management experience will help for on campus interviews with firms, but law school admissions is pretty much a numbers game.

Thanks wiz.

I didn't know about NYU being a possibility. That would definitely be up on my radar.
I will apply all over. $$$ for applications isn't exactly an issue so I'll probably blanket the lower end of the T14.
I'm a resident for UT and U of H so definitely will be hitting those.

Are there any specific T2's which you think might be worthwhile applying to which place well into biglaw pretty heavily? I have roughly 60K saved up from working and will have closer to 90K when I get done and actually matriculate (it'd be Fall of 2017) so I can subsidize a bit of the cost of a T2 without a full scholly and only a half.

How did you pull that up report? Which website is it..?

[lymenheimer]

Thanks wiz.

I didn't know about NYU being a possibility. That would definitely be up on my radar.
I will apply all over. $$$ for applications isn't exactly an issue so I'll probably blanket the lower end of the T14.
I'm a resident for UT and U of H so definitely will be hitting those.

Are there any specific T2's which you think might be worthwhile applying to which place well into biglaw pretty heavily? I have roughly 60K saved up from working and will have closer to 90K when I get done and actually matriculate (it'd be Fall of 2017) so I can subsidize a bit of the cost of a T2 without a full scholly and only a half.

How did you pull that up report? Which website is it..?

Reading comprehension is a valuable tool in a lawyer's arsenal

PLEASE READ BEFORE ASKING YOUR CHANCES: http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 9&t=245107

[utdallaskid]

Thanks wiz.

I didn't know about NYU being a possibility. That would definitely be up on my radar.
I will apply all over. $$$ for applications isn't exactly an issue so I'll probably blanket the lower end of the T14.
I'm a resident for UT and U of H so definitely will be hitting those.

Are there any specific T2's which you think might be worthwhile applying to which place well into biglaw pretty heavily? I have roughly 60K saved up from working and will have closer to 90K when I get done and actually matriculate (it'd be Fall of 2017) so I can subsidize a bit of the cost of a T2 without a full scholly and only a half.

How did you pull that up report? Which website is it..?

Reading comprehension is a valuable tool in a lawyer's arsenal

PLEASE READ BEFORE ASKING YOUR CHANCES: http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 9&t=245107

Sorry, read that.
Figured since I felt that I had decent softs, an URM and a super splitter it was okay to make a thread.
My apologies.

[lymenheimer]

How did you pull that up report? Which website is it..?

Reading comprehension is a valuable tool in a lawyer's arsenal

PLEASE READ BEFORE ASKING YOUR CHANCES: http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 9&t=245107

Sorry, read that.
Figured since I felt that I had decent softs, an URM and a super splitter it was okay to make a thread.
My apologies.

That wasn't my point. If that was my point, then I would have quoted your first post. I was answering your question, now condensed above. If you actually read that, then you would know where to find the chart...Also, it says directly below the chart.

[utdallaskid]

How did you pull that up report? Which website is it..?

Reading comprehension is a valuable tool in a lawyer's arsenal

PLEASE READ BEFORE ASKING YOUR CHANCES: http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 9&t=245107

Sorry, read that.
Figured since I felt that I had decent softs, an URM and a super splitter it was okay to make a thread.
My apologies.

That wasn't my point. If that was my point, then I would have quoted your first post. I was answering your question, now condensed above. If you actually read that, then you would know where to find the chart...Also, it says directly below the chart.

Understood. Thank you.

[lymenheimer]

Understood. Thank you.

NP. gl with your cycle.

[wiz]

UVA and Northwestern are known for being especially splitter friendly. In addition to those + Michigan/Georgetown, you might also have a chance at NYU (though it's possible you're below their GPA floor?).

I would blanket the bottom half of the T14 + UT/Vandy/WUSTL and see how much money you get. Maybe UH/SMU, but that depends on your goals, and I wouldn't go there unless you basically get a full ride. It's not a good idea to go to a T2 and aim for a high class rank. Everybody goes to law school wanting to be top 10%, and 90% of students end up disappointed. There's no guarantee you'll finish high enough in your class for a desirable job outcome, but you can maximize your chances of getting a good job by going to a top school.

T14 will allow you to go back to the metro areas you're interested in (which from your list looks like Dallas/Houston). Your risk management experience will help for on campus interviews with firms, but law school admissions is pretty much a numbers game.

Thanks wiz.

I didn't know about NYU being a possibility. That would definitely be up on my radar.
I will apply all over. $$$ for applications isn't exactly an issue so I'll probably blanket the lower end of the T14.
I'm a resident for UT and U of H so definitely will be hitting those.

Are there any specific T2's which you think might be worthwhile applying to which place well into biglaw pretty heavily? I have roughly 60K saved up from working and will have closer to 90K when I get done and actually matriculate (it'd be Fall of 2017) so I can subsidize a bit of the cost of a T2 without a full scholly and only a half.

How did you pull that up report? Which website is it..?

http://mylsn.info/r/pre-law/admissions/search/

T2s don't really place well into biglaw. If you're not going to a T14, then you should go to a school in the region where you want to end up (ideally with as much scholarship money as possible). In your case, that would be UT for anywhere in TX, UH for Houston, or SMU for Dallas. No other school in TX is really worth going to since the chances of a good outcome are so slim.

About 45-50% of UT grads get biglaw or a federal clerkship; it's closer to 20% for UH and SMU. You can check out employment stats here: http://www.lstscorereports.com/state/TX/

SMU and UH place decently into Dallas and Houston, respectively, if you're in the top quarter of your class, but with your LSAT you should really be targeting UVA, Northwestern, or at least UT (which seems like a strong option since you're in state and they have one of the cheapest cost of attendances among top schools). Having 60k saved up will definitely make the financial aspects of attending law school easier, but you should still look for the best scholarship you can get at a school that will enable you to meet your goals. UVA has a strong name in the South and places well in TX, for instance, and UT can get you TX biglaw if you're median or above. Other regional schools outside of TX probably aren't going to help you meet your career goals, assuming you want Dallas/Houston.

[wiz]

Also, feel free to PM me if you have any questions about Houston, Dallas, or the TX legal market in general. I know a decent amount about it since I'm from TX and researched/interviewed with TX firms.

[cbbinnyc]

URM for Native American.

It seems that this has been overlooked so far. This should give you a serious boost. GPA is probably too low to have a realistic shot at HYS, but I would think every T14 below that is worth a shot, especially with that LSAT score.

[wiz]

URM for Native American.

It seems that this has been overlooked so far. This should give you a serious boost. GPA is probably too low to have a realistic shot at HYS, but I would think every T14 below that is worth a shot, especially with that LSAT score.

I think he edited that into his post later, but yeah, that's a gamechanger. OP can probably crack CCN or get UVA with $$$ in that case.

[utdallaskid]

URM for Native American.

It seems that this has been overlooked so far. This should give you a serious boost. GPA is probably too low to have a realistic shot at HYS, but I would think every T14 below that is worth a shot, especially with that LSAT score.

I think he edited that into his post later, but yeah, that's a gamechanger. OP can probably crack CCN or get UVA with $$$ in that case.

I just edited because I wasn't sure of whether to include it or not.
I'm do not have a tribal citizenship card (in the process past year of doing so but stonewalled because my great-grandmother was born on a reservation without a birth certificate so not sure how to prove it with the tribe) but have been involved in the culture heavily throughout my childhood and only recently (going off to undergrad) lost touch with a lot of the members.

I'll definitely take the advice and focus on T14 especially the bottom half and maybe a couple safeties of SMU / ASU / U of H.

Thanks y'all.