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Will graduate in December, so it will take me 2.5 yrs to get my B. A. Will being too young hurt my application?

I checked my scores on 7sage and several other predictors which all tell me I have a 30-40% chance in H or CCN. But will my scores get me some sort of half-ride scholarship in those schools? I am extremely debt averse due to my recent credit card debts blast, my parents would provide 120k if I get in to something higher than UCLA, so I probably gonna need another 120k. (Plus, I want to practice in biglaws, preferably securities or corporate fields, will applying Northwestern’s ED 120k program put my mind at ease earlier? Is anyone familiar with Skadden’s 1L summer associate program? What kinda of stuff I need to acquire to get into those 1L associate positions except for badass first semester grades?

International, Chinese, male, 20yrs old, passed CFA I exam, two LORs currently accessible from two distinguished diplomats.
Please forgive my questions if it sounds naive and stupid.

Fentryic wrote:Will graduate in December, so it will take me 2.5 yrs to get my B. A. Will being too young hurt my application?

I checked my scores on 7sage and several other predictors which all tell me I have a 30-40% chance in H or CCN. But will my scores get me some sort of half-ride scholarship in those schools? I am extremely debt averse due to my recent credit card debts blast, my parents would provide 120k if I get in to something higher than UCLA, so I probably gonna need another 120k. (Plus, I want to practice in biglaws, preferably securities or corporate fields, will applying Northwestern’s ED 120k program put my mind at ease earlier? Is anyone familiar with Skadden’s 1L summer associate program? What kinda of stuff I need to acquire to get into those 1L associate positions except for badass first semester grades?

International, Chinese, male, 20yrs old, passed CFA I exam, two LORs currently accessible from two distinguished diplomats.
Please forgive my questions if it sounds naive and stupid.

This probably isn't far off, but be aware that the number of splitters in your range is very small, so you may do better or worse:



Apply early to maximize available scholarship dollars. Don't be afraid to go lower in the T-13 if it means more dollars. It will have little impact on the accessibility of biglaw. For example, if you did get an offer of $140k to attend UVA, that's probably better for someone who's debt adverse and looking for biglaw, than going to school in NYC with a scholarship of $70k.

CFA exam won't mean anything during admissions. I guess some employers might like it. Others might wonder if you're unsure about being a lawyer. LOR's are unlikely to help unless they happen to be from alumni. If you have a real relationship with these people, use them. If they don't _really_ know you then find someone who does. It's easy to spot a letter of recommendation from someone who doesn't really know the applicant.

Don't assume you'll land paid 1L summer employment. It's very unusual.

In addition to what was already said, be aware that coming to law school at your age is a bad idea. Generally, it's best to have some work experience between undergrad and starting school (for various reasons), but a lot of firms are going to be unsure about taking you on. You may have the required intelligence and potential to do well as a lawyer, but starting law school when you're barely of drinking age is a bad call.

Thanks guys, your posts are very helpful.