Wanksta wrote:Race: Asian
Native Language: Chinese-Mandarin
Years in U.S: 9
Major: Engineering/Economics
GPA: 2.8
LSAT: 175
I am only interested in top 20 schools, don't flame me for being picky. I know I don't have the perfect stats, so please give me some advice on how to improve my chances. Work? Retake classes? etc etc..
Thank you
With a 2.8 GPA there's going to be very little you can do right now, unless you have a good reason for it. Why was your GPA low? Was it possibly due to problems integrating in the U.S., or learning English, or anything like that? Is it something else, a disability, personal/family issues? If you have a
reason for that low GPA, then that'll help a lot. Schools will allow you to write a one-page "addendum" to add to your applications, whether they ask for it or not, and it can make a difference.
Otherwise, the biggest thing that helps with a low GPA is strong, continuous work experience. Several years (4-5, minimum) of solid and clearly leadership-oriented work experience will start distancing you from your GPA and allow you to argue that you are more than your GPA says. This is part of how I got into law school.
The other thing you have to realize, though, is... 175 is
really high. You are not getting into HYS with a 2.8 GPA, period, but you can probably get into several lower T14 schools with that GPA. You would have better chances at several schools with long/strong WE, but even without any, you probably have a good chance at getting into at least one of MVP.
Write "Why X?" essays for each school, even if they don't ask for it. ("Why Penn?" for Penn, "Why UVA?" for UVA, etc.) Research the schools a little so you can say specific things about it and why you want to go there. The more you can say the more it'll help you. Beyond that... just blanket as many schools at you can.
If you can afford it, I'd say apply from CCN all the way down to WUSTL (WUSTL will likely give you $$$ for that LSAT score) and wait to see what comes back.