<p>I am applying to law school this year and that's how it's starting to appear to me. My GPA is only a 3.3 and my LSATs are in the mid-range for YHS so as a white male do I have any legitimate chance of getting in?</p>
<p>I goto a top 10 undergrad, double majoring in two hard sciences, work 20 hrs/wk to help pay for college, have two papers published in peer-reviewed journals (2 others in review), and have done internships all 3 summers...but will none of this help me since admissions are so stats based?</p>
<p>They are not all that count, particularly at the top schools. That being said, however, if you don't meet the admissions "index" at many schools, your application may not get a second look.</p>
<p>According to the LSAC, if your gpa is 3.3 and your LSAT around 172 or 171, your chance of getting into YHS is on the low side. But if you truly want to study law, would you only accept going to YHS ? You have a much higher probability at Virginia, Cornell, Georgetown, Duke or Penn, or some of the others. </p>
<p>Your post indicates you are still in college. You could consider waiting to apply until the next round, and concentrate this next two semesters on your gpa. If you bring your gpa up to 3.5 or even 3.6 your chances go up significantly.</p>
<p>Having said that, your resume sounds great and you should not have a problem getting into one of the top schools.</p>
<p>Of course I wouldn't be foolish enough to only accept YHS. I want to stay in the northeast so I won't even apply to S. I just hear so much about how there is a glut of lawyers and about the huge differences in compensation and job opportunities between YHS and even the next top 10. I guess you can't let it get to you.</p>
<p>In addition to getting the best grades possible with your remaining time, I think you should focus on your personal statement to help the admissions officer see/understand how you are unique from the other applicants with similar grades and scores. Your numbers put you into the gray area where items like your personal statement and recommendations will take on greater weight. So focus on your personal statement and get it done early enough so that you can offer it to those who will write recommendations for you. </p>
<p>I'd be more than happy to take a look at your personal statement when you're ready. </p>
<p>The fact that you are majoring in two hard sciences at a top 10 school will help balance your GPA slightly. However, I believe mathematics/science majors with such GPAs that are accepted typically also have an LSAT that is above the 75th percentile. You will be up against many humanities majors that have near perfect GPAs and just as high, if not higher, LSATs. So just realize that basically the top 6 schools will be pretty unlikely, you've got a good shot from Penn on down to Georgetown, and will probably get into most schools outside the T14. </p>
<p>A good suggestion: apply non-binding Early Action to UPenn, Cornell, and Northwestern. NU is known for overlooking a weaker GPA if you have the rest of the package.</p>
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NU is known for overlooking a weaker GPA if you have the rest of the package.
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<p>Please keep in mind, though, that a substantial majority (I think that the number is >90%) of all entering students at Northwestern Law have at least a year or two of post-college full time work experience under their belts before applying. At Penn, in recent entering classes, over 60% of the students have had at least a year or two of post-college full time work experience. Please keep these and other factors in mind when deciding which law schools suit you best.</p>
<p>^ Yep for this reason I chose not to apply to Northwestern. I'm hoping applying to Penn EA with good numbers will make it alright, but work experience and even having an advanced degree first is becoming more common at law schools.</p>