<p>Quick question. Say an engineering student takes 5 years to graduate, or decides to double major and this causes the student to take an extra year to graduate. Would this affect admissions into law school?</p>
<p>Based on what you've stated, I'd say no, taking an extra year to graduate should not have any impact whatsoever on your ls admissions. Law schools look primarily at: 1) GPA; and 2) LSAT. They don't give that much attention to HOW you got the GPA you got. They don't have that much time. Now, if you end up being a borderline candidate, they might take a closer look at your academic record. But even if they do, taking 5 years to graduate should not jump out at them (as long as you have a legitimate reason for taking so long, which it sounds like you do).</p>
<p>Like Wes said, if you've got a great GPA and LSAT for the school you are applying to, then I doubt it will hurt. If you're more of a borderline/reach candidate for the school, then yeah, it may hurt. Personally, I'd wonder why it took you 5 years to do what most can accomplish in 4 (or if it was a late decision, why was it necessary). See if you can somehow get a positive spin on it into your personal statement or a teacher's reference (i.e. that you're eagerness to learn & push yourself to your academic limits resulted in you taking up an extra year of study in order to add another major/base of knowledge to help you in your quest for knowledge)</p>