WAMC? Transitioning from pre-vet to law Forum

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toji

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WAMC? Transitioning from pre-vet to law

Post by toji » Tue Aug 02, 2022 12:58 pm

Hi all!

I graduated with a B.S. in Animal Science (originally on the path to vet med) but recently discovered my passion for law. I graduated with a fairly low GPA (oof) but have been in a pre-health post-bac program for the past year taking upper div science courses with straight A's and raised my cGPA up to 3.1. I know a high LSAT can help offset my low cGPA a bit but will that even help? I was also wondering if law schools would consider my STEM background when looking at my GPA. Also, do I even have a shot at a t14 school even with a 170+ LSAT score? Other than my stats, I'm confident that I can write a compelling personal statement and garner strong LORs.

I'm also still in the midst of finishing up with my post-bac program and haven't taken the LSAT yet. A friend in law school told me that I could apply by February 2023 the latest but I read that submitting your app earlier is better. Is this true? I would rather take my time studying for the LSAT for a few months and working on all my essays instead of trying to cram everything to fit into this application cycle.

Sorry if this post is super long!! Thanks for reading this far and any advice is appreciated!

talons2250

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Re: WAMC? Transitioning from pre-vet to law

Post by talons2250 » Tue Aug 02, 2022 2:53 pm

Take your time to study properly for the LSAT, because you'll need a high score to get into a decent school.
With a 3.1 GPA, it's unlikely (but not impossible) that you'll get into a T14, even with a very high LSAT score. (Unless you're a URM, in which case your chances are significantly improved.) A STEM major can provide some cushion at the margins, but not in a situation where the UGPA is significantly below a school's middle 50% range for admitted students (which a 3.1 is for all the T14 schools).

That said, many (if not most) successful lawyers in the country did not go to a T14 school, so it's not the end all be all. Good luck!

nixy

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Re: WAMC? Transitioning from pre-vet to law

Post by nixy » Tue Aug 02, 2022 3:28 pm

Keep in mind that your cumulative GPA is set in stone when you graduate with your first degree; the post-bac classes won’t count to raise your GPA. So it sounds like your LSAC GPA will be less than 3.1, I’m afraid.

johndooley

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Re: WAMC? Transitioning from pre-vet to law

Post by johndooley » Tue Aug 02, 2022 5:38 pm

If you have a passion for law and your GPA and LSAT prevent you from reaching your goals, consider becoming an expert witness in cases surrounding veterinary malpractice. If you network among attorneys specializing in this (maybe equine law) you can be on their witness roster and make a good living that way, especially when so little work is involved.

toji

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Re: WAMC? Transitioning from pre-vet to law

Post by toji » Wed Aug 03, 2022 2:53 pm

nixy wrote:
Tue Aug 02, 2022 3:28 pm
Keep in mind that your cumulative GPA is set in stone when you graduate with your first degree; the post-bac classes won’t count to raise your GPA. So it sounds like your LSAC GPA will be less than 3.1, I’m afraid.
Oh my gosh I didn’t even realize this. Thank you for letting me know!! I recalculated my GPA without post-bac work and it puts me at closer to a 2.8.. do I still have a shot at lower tiered schools if I can score higher on the LSAT? (I’m a California native and my friends in law school recommended that I apply to USF and Santa Clara). Also is it safe to build my school list on the median GPA/LSAT scores? The reason I ask is because with vet apps, even if you’re in the accepted students GPA range it’s still a wild card at times

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toji

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Re: WAMC? Transitioning from pre-vet to law

Post by toji » Wed Aug 03, 2022 6:39 pm

talons2250 wrote:
Tue Aug 02, 2022 2:53 pm
Take your time to study properly for the LSAT, because you'll need a high score to get into a decent school.
With a 3.1 GPA, it's unlikely (but not impossible) that you'll get into a T14, even with a very high LSAT score. (Unless you're a URM, in which case your chances are significantly improved.) A STEM major can provide some cushion at the margins, but not in a situation where the UGPA is significantly below a school's middle 50% range for admitted students (which a 3.1 is for all the T14 schools).

That said, many (if not most) successful lawyers in the country did not go to a T14 school, so it's not the end all be all. Good luck!
I just realized that my post-bac work won't be calculated so my GPA will be lower than a 3.1 and closer to a 2.8 :') Do I still have a shot at lower tiered schools where my GPA falls below the 25th percentile but my LSAT is higher than the median? Also thank you for the reminder!! I know that it ultimately comes down to what I make of my experience in law school and networking but it's reassuring to hear it from someone else.

toji

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Re: WAMC? Transitioning from pre-vet to law

Post by toji » Wed Aug 03, 2022 6:40 pm

johndooley wrote:
Tue Aug 02, 2022 5:38 pm
If you have a passion for law and your GPA and LSAT prevent you from reaching your goals, consider becoming an expert witness in cases surrounding veterinary malpractice. If you network among attorneys specializing in this (maybe equine law) you can be on their witness roster and make a good living that way, especially when so little work is involved.
I've never considered this! I'll definitely be looking more into it -- thank you for the advice!! I didn't even know equine law itself was a field of law (though I'm assuming its smaller than others) :)

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