Applying to Law School

Graduate School Law School
1

Just finished my first year of undergrad with a 3.82 GPA. My grades were 7 As 1 B 1 B+ and a WX (not required course for core or major). I applied at the end of the term for a business minor program with a concentration in business law. I am involved in greek life (looking to get more involved) and planning to apply to some competitive admit clubs.

My questions are: Should I be satisfied with my GPA or looking to raise it over the next few years?
Is an internship really worth it? I planned on using my summers for travel and paid employment, so I don’t wanna waste time interning unless it will help me.
Is there anything else I should be doing?

Of course, like everyone else I want to go to a T-14 law school. I wasn’t very rat-race-y in high school, but I realize being at a top law school is much different from a “top” college for undergrad, so I want to have the best possible chance when it comes time for applications.

2
  1. I see no benefit to ever being satisfied with a GPA. Higher is always better.
  2. Internships are very valuable for confirming you want to be a lawyer. They're not useful for admissions purposes. Many schools will let you extern during the school year, which may solve your issue.
3

@Demosthenes49 I’ve been trying to get a 4.0 but fell short in one class both semesters. My “goal” school is Columbia. Would a 3.8 be impressive for them? I see its the 75th percentile of admits, but I don’t really understand the ins and outs of law school admissions because most people wait to apply so people are at different levels. For a straight out of undergrad applicant, is it good?

4

agree with demo: higher is always better. And the higher it is, the better chance to earn merit money.

All professional schools prefer a year or two or three of work experience, but not having any is not a big deal. LS admissions primarily comes down to two numbers: GPA+LSAT.

5

You seem to be very hard working and intelligent. You would probably be fine in plenty of other fields. Carefully consider the costs of that “prestigious” law degree. The market has been oversaturated for far too long.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/09/the-law-school-scam/375069/
https://www.lexisnexis.com/legalnewsroom/lexis-hub/b/careerguidance/archive/2008/07/29/realistic-expectations_3a00_-starting-salaries-for-new-attorneys.aspx?Redirected=true