Best Undergrads to get into top law schools

<p>any list out there?</p>

<p>I wouldn't suggest a Pre-Law program. They average lower on the LSAT than their peers who have Liberal Arts Degrees. Psychology or Philosophy have known to be good, but there is no one undergraduate degree that is best for preparing you for law school. Figure out what type of law you're interested in a prepare for a degree in that field. While, I believe, there are more Liberal Arts Majors pursing their JD's, an undergraduate degree in business can give you an advantage in some aspects of Law. Good Luck.</p>

<p>Meant which undergraduate schools are the top places at getting people into good law schools</p>

<p>It is the same way with undergraduate schools. It doesn't matter. All that really matter's is a high GPA and LSAT score. Graduate from ClownU with a perfect 4.0 and LSAT score and you have a shot at Harvard Law.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I wouldn't suggest a Pre-Law program. They average lower on the LSAT than their peers who have Liberal Arts Degrees.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>You are confusing correlation with causation.</p>

<p>isnt this the same as that "best pre-law program post?"</p>

<p>Go to the best school you can get into-I mean If you get into HYPMS, dont turn it down for NYU. if you get into NYU, dont turn it down for florida university (a school i just made up)</p>

<p>if you're going by percentage, the wall street journal one has some data, but it's mixed with other grad schools:
<a href="http://www.wsjclassroomedition.com/pdfs/wsj_college_092503.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.wsjclassroomedition.com/pdfs/wsj_college_092503.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>if you're looking by overall numbers, harvard law is a somewhat good example of how there are more students from top colleges than students from 'lesser' colleges (may or may not be correlated):
<a href="http://www.law.harvard.edu/admissions/jd/colleges.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.law.harvard.edu/admissions/jd/colleges.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>in general, the best pre-law program for you is probably the best school you can get into AND maintain a solid GPA. </p>

<p>i disagree with one aspect of going to HYPSM over a 'lesser' college. it's the "M" part. going to MIT may be a bad idea cuz it can kill your GPA, which is a very important criteria in admissions.</p>

<p>I was a Chemistry major @ SUNY Binghamton for four years in which my G.P.A suffered heavily (had financial difficulties and an illnesss that led to my father's death made me take a year off). I was the typical stupid college kid who thought college was all fun and never really invested much in classwork. My question is: do I have a shot at any Ivy's with my Philosophy major (overall g.p.a of 2.54) and a 174 on my LSATs or should I attempt retaking as I thought I could have done better? Any advice will be much appreciated, and please, be as brutally honest as possible.</p>

<p>The GPA hurts... a lot. Your LSAT, if you didn't mean to put 164, is outstanding and well within the 95-99th percentile. Don't bother retaking it. That's top 5 school range. It's your GPA that kills you.</p>

<p>Thanks UCLAri. So do u think I'll be better off going to grad school? Or explore other options including second tier law programs.</p>

<p>Ollie,</p>

<p>I can't say, to be honest. I'm by no means an expert on the subject. I just know your LSAT is spectacular. If you are serious about law, maybe consider an MA and bring your GPA up to snuff. Your LSAT will carry you very far after that.</p>

<p>But pre-law programs are always garbage. Law school admissions people have no respect for them. </p>

<p>Further, you can't boost your LSAC GPA with a master's degree, since they only count the grades you got before earning your bachelor's degree. They realize that pretty much everyone gets straight-A's in masters programs.</p>

<p>Americanski,</p>

<p>According to the Emory Law site:</p>

<p>"Does the committee take graduate work into account?"</p>

<p>"Yes. It tells us what you have been doing since graduation. Please note that we consider your undergraduate GPA. However, the committee also reviews graduate transcripts and take those courses and grades into account."</p>

<p>However, Wellesley's site states,</p>

<p>"Other factors distinguish among candidates of equal numerical qualifications. They include your course of study (pass-fail grades should be at a minimum), quality of your college (this assessment is not based on a specific uniform formula), an improvement in grades over the course of the undergraduate experience, letters of reference, personal statement, college activities, experiences after graduation, and ethnic background. Law schools vary in the weight they give these factors. Some law schools do not require recommendations at all. In the most competitive schools, post-graduate work experience is not likely to offset poor grades and/or a low LSAT score. "</p>

<p>So it seems that you are probably right.</p>

<p>
[quote]
But pre-law programs are always garbage. Law school admissions people have no respect for them.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>That's pretty harsh. You think that even one good prelaw program isn't out there? Yeah, there's a very high correlation between students majoring in pre-law and doing poorly on the LSAT, and I would advise a pre-law program for few people, but saying not one good program is out there is tough. At Berkeley, all the profs in the pre-law department are professors from Boalt. That's pretty sweet, for instance. While I don't think that you're wrong, I imagine there being at least a few pre-law programs out there, although admissions committees would still look at it rather lowly.</p>

<p>Berkeley's major is "legal studies," not "prelaw" and they outright state that it isn't designed to be a pre-law major. Beyond that, I don't think many good schools even offer a pre-law major.</p>

<p>So what do you guys think is the best course of action for someone in my predicament? I am obviously interested in law schooling, but I just don't want to rely on my school's advise which is to go for grad school. The way I see it, its more money for them.</p>

<p>Ollie,</p>

<p>I spoke with a friend of mine who attends Boalt. He seemed to suggest that your best option is actually grad school.</p>

<p>Please, do not take this as being the final word. It is merely some anecdotal evidence that may offer you some direction.</p>

<p>When you have a massive split like that (this is the biggest i have ever seen), you need to apply to a lot of places because your results are incredibly difficult to predict.</p>

<p>Thanks for the WSJ post. I will end up having around a 3.7, with an LSAT in the 175+ range. Hopefully that gets me in somewhere good</p>

<p>Ollie, your situation is unique. I think the top 5 may be out, but the top 10 might not be. As a fellow Phil major, I also murdered the LSAT (if people only knew how easy logic games are after symbolic logic or reading comprehension can be after mastering Kant!)</p>

<p>Still, with a 174, do NOT take it again and risk lowering your average. Explain your situation and why it gives you a unique perspective.</p>