Advice please - Am I crazy?

Graduate School Law School
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<p>I took the LSAT in Dec. and got a nice score, and I have a good GPA coming out of undergrad. I am probably a coin flip to get into a top tier school. But I don't want to be a lawyer - I want to study real estate and business law before opening my own business.</p>

<p>My dream would be to get a full scholarship to my hometown school (75-100 ranking). I don't see the point in applying anywhere else since that is the only place I want to go.</p>

<p>My question is twofold - one, am I stupid for wanting to go to this lower rep school? Two, will not applying anywhere else hurt my chances at getting a full ride?</p>

<p>Thanks for your help.</p>

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<p>i’m curious as to what your stats actually are; that would determine to me whether or not you should apply to higher ranked schools.</p>

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<p>I would like to see your stats too. However, it is my opinion that for law school, you should shoot for the highest ranked and best school available to you. Prestige really does matter when getting law job. Moreover, this is from someone who does NOT think prestige significantly matters for undergraduate education.</p>

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<p>No, I don’t think you are stupid. In the past, the canonical advice was that you should go to the most prestigious school you could get into. However, law school has gotten so expensive, you need to take into account the big price tag of a top-ranked school in making a decision.</p>

<p>If you are trying to start a business, having $1500 a month in extra after-tax expenses will really hurt. Also, if you go to a top law school, you may experience quite a lot of financial and social pressure to go the BIGLAW route. </p>

<p>Actually, I would consider just starting the business straight out of college. The fact is that you will not gain much practical knowledge in law school. If you want to learn about real estate and/or business law, it will probably a lot cheaper and effective to study on your own and possibly audit a class or two at the local law school.</p>

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<p>Just speculating, but it might help in financial aid negotiations to be able to say that you were admitted to U Chicago or whatever.</p>

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<p>Stats=173 lsat, 3.73 gpa</p>

<p>lskinner good points, I was thinking along the same lines when it comes to paying off debt.</p>

<p>I might go ahead and apply to one of the better schools as a bargaining chip. I appreciate the help from all three of you.</p>

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<p>i would definitely apply to higher ranked schools.</p>

<p>that would be competitive at many of the top schools.</p>

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<p>unless you are independently wealthy, you will almost certainly start off as a practicing lawyer. starting a business while in 150k of debt is rather infeasible. </p>

<p>however, this could be a blessing in disguise. practicing corporate law can be a good way to make connections and whatnot that would help you start in real-estate down the line.</p>

<p>your stats are great, you will be admitted to at least one of Columbia, NYU, or Chicago, and you should go.</p>