overall gpa of 3.4
4 on ap world history test
1600 on kaplan’s mock sat in November
23 on kaplan’s mock act in November
taking act in April
taking sat in may
200 community service hours
-member of community service club (interact) (4years)
officer in red cross club (2years)
-officer of french club (3years)
-member of sharing club (special needs kids and regular kids interact)
-plan on passing ap language and comp and ap us history exam (would lead to a grade bump= gpa bump
-there is a good reason why gpa is low (major family problems freshmen year lowered my cumulative big time)
-california resident
If you worst grades are in 9th grade, UCs and CSUs calculate GPA without 9th grade course grades (though they need to be C or higher to fulfill subject requirements).
For law school, look for schools where you will get the highest GPA at the lowest cost if law school is your goal.
Look for a school where you will excel - take on leadership positions and such. Your GPA and foretasted test scores suggest a CSU will be your best option. Perhaps Chico and Sonoma in N Cal and LB and Fullerton in SoCal.
Post again with your CSU GPA and concrete test scores so we can guide you further.
Law schools do not care where you get your undergrad. I mean, as long as it’s reputable (any state school is fine). Just go to the college you like best. Law schools care about GPA and LSAT, that’s it. Nail your GPA, wherever you end up.
Very, very true. Unless you’re trying to get into a T-10 law school (Yale, Stanford, Harvard, etc.), it won’t matter too much. Just do well wherever you are and take courses that will require a lot of writing and research. Most schools, especially in CA don’t really care that you went there for undergrad if you are applying to their law school. The only exception I can think of is USC, where you get a discount off the application fee if you went there for undergrad.
Law school admission is really based on the LSAT score and GPA. If you are applying right after undergrad, those factors will be what’s most important since you won’t have full-time work experience.
You’ll need to get a very high GPA, and major in something analytical (philosophy is good - and it’s not too impacted as far as I know. Even Cal Poly SLO has a philosophy department, and you can easily major in something technical or business-y or in economics in addition to it, in case you don’t get into a law school right away).
For a good prelaw, analytical major, you’ll need very strong critical reading (do you read fiction/non fiction AND articles in newspapers/magazines on a daily basis?)
AP stats
cp english => no Honors English?
student government
ap photography (2d art)
cp government/ cp economics (semester each) => Honors or AP would be almost necessary for each of those considering what you want to do in college.
ap bio or cp physics (what should i do) => CP physics is fine for a future social science/humanities major
Remember that the UCs and CSUs will judge you on course rigor AND grades for 10th and 11th grade, but on course rigor only for 12th (as long as you don’t get a grade lower than a C in those courses). Therefore, you need to up that schedule. That many CP classes in areas related to your future major would make UCs and some of the top CSUs very hard.
The test score increase is pretty good, but keep working. Try to reach for a 26 on the ACT, or a 1800 on the SAT. It wouldn’t make you a shoo-in but it’d give you more choices.
In addition, URedlands, St Mary’s of CA, LMU, Gonzaga, Whittier, UPortland, Lewis&Clark, USeattle, all have good programs for pre law students.
Philosophy and math majors tend to do well on the LSAT. This may have to do with the logic puzzle section on the LSAT – it is likely that philosophy and math majors are self-selected for being good at and liking logic, and/or get plenty of practice in their major courses.
Valid points, certainly, but I wouldn’t take on a certain major in hopes of boosting the LSAT score. I didn’t study pre-law in undergrad (although I did take one law course my last semester-required for my communications major) and had no issue getting in to law schools.
The LSAT itself is a monster on its own. A very bright person or hard-working person who isn’t in college or is taking Drama, Biology, Animal Science-any major not a traditional pathway into law school (poly sci, etc.) could score really well on the LSAT and get into a top law school with a good resume and strong personal statement. I’ve met students who took the LSAT from a wide variety of backgrounds. Give yourself time to explore different areas of study.
Major and college means squat. GPA and LSAT is everything, period. Prepping for the LSAT by using programs like LSAT Trainer and the countless other books and classes out there is what helps you, not your major. Sure, you might get a couple extra points on your LSAT by becoming a math or psych major, but the meat of your score will come from the actual training you put in for the LSAT, so, pick whatever school and major you want and focus on the LSAT training separately from school.
All this other advice is silly, seriously. The differences in LSAT scores is negligible when it comes to your major, so choose the major you enjoy and can nail a 4.0 in, that should be your criteria, not if it will help with your LSAT.
Before you settle on practicing law in California, take a look at present over-abundance of attorneys. My sister’s interstate law practice is not openly hiring. She has indicated that the prevalence of law schools and the huge numbers of graduates has flooded the market. I think there was a link here recently about the numbers of lawyers with huge loans, who can’t find work.
