<p>I am an undergraduate student at Ohio State University, studying Neuroscience. I plan to graduate by Spring Semester 2014. No honors. No research distinction. Very recently, I attended a Career Fair for Psychology majors, figuring that Neuroscience was something very close to Psychology - with a Biology component. There, I think I got interested in the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, and the Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Gannon University.
I have a GPA of 3.26.
The only research experience I have is from partipating in the Chemistry REEL program for Chemistry 123 and the REP program for Psychology 100 and maybe doing a bit of volunteer work in a biochemistry lab, injecting NO into some solution and seeing how it decays over long periods of time at around body temperature.
How many students from Psychology/Neuroscience matriculate into Law school?
What are my chances of getting in at the Moritz College of Law?
Are there suggestions for mediocre law schools to serve as alternative options?
I have read that graduates from Moritz college have high rates of finding a job soon after graduation. So, it seems to be a very good law school.
I am also planning to practice the LSAT as soon as the Autumn Semester ends and winter break begins. Online and self-paced. Then, I hope to take the LSAT, and in the Spring Semester 2014, I may collect recommendation letters from professors that taught in classes in which I earned A's or A-'s, so they would have something good to say about me... if only they remember me. Then, all I have to do is apply to the OSU Moritz College of Law and maybe two or three other law schools.</p>
<p>I haven’t looked at their data but I see they are ranked in the low 30’s which is fine if you would be planning on staying local. IF you can get in and IF the market isn’t already saturated with lawyers in Ohio as it is here. I personally would not take their career services numbers as gospel. </p>
<p>Your best shot is if you ace your LSATS. Are you a good test taker? </p>
<p>I think that often students with a lower gpa should consider taking time off and DOING something interesting. MAKE themselves more interesting. WORK. It seems at this point you mostly just a medicore student and you want to roll right into law school…what is there to convince them that you will be a better student there? </p>
<p>My advice for someone with plenty of money to afford law school is vastly different than someone who has to take out loans. Which are you?</p>
<p>If you haven’t graduated yet and want to go to law school, you should put off graduation until you’ve boosted your GPA. You can plug the numbers in [url=<a href=“http://www.lawschoolpredictor.com/wp-content/uploads/Law-School-Predictor-Full-Time-Programs.htm]yourself[/url”>http://www.lawschoolpredictor.com/wp-content/uploads/Law-School-Predictor-Full-Time-Programs.htm]yourself[/url</a>] and see what kind of LSAT score you need to get where you want. </p>
<p>On that note, I think you should strongly reconsider where you want to go to law school. Spend some time [url=<a href=“6 Keys to a Stellar Law School Resume - Professional Resume Writers”>6 Keys to a Stellar Law School Resume - Professional Resume Writers]here[/url</a>] going over job placement data for OSU. Then look at other schools. You’ll notice quickly that job placement decreases drastically as you drop in the ranks. OSU is not ranked highly.</p>
<p>Contrary to what TempeMom says, the only thing you can do to convince law schools to admit you is buff your GPA or LSAT. Luckily both are still possible. Work experience is an additional requirement at a few schools (like Northwestern), but it does not supplant either GPA or LSAT. You can spend some time [url=<a href=“Recently Updated J.D. Profiles | Law School Numbers”>http://lawschoolnumbers.com/]here[/url</a>] looking at the applicant trends if you doubt that GPA and LSAT are really all that count.</p>
<p>Thanks for replying, everybody. At least I can picture the ballpark of where I am at right now.</p>
<p>Indeed, I need to have a very strong (presumably perfect or near perfect!) LSAT score. I think I am going to do some major test-preparation during winter break by purchasing the $500 self-paced online course on The Princeton Review. </p>
<p>I also think the “take time off” advice is a good idea. During the summer, the only thing I want to do is to obtain my permanent driver’s license. With a permanent driver’s license, I may have more job opportunities, because then I don’t have to rely on my parents’ carpool. I’d probably have to look for a bazillion unskilled labor positions or positions that only require a bachelor’s degree or high school diploma (including maybe applying for a Teach for America position, because of my enthusiasm with kids), rent a small and cheap apartment nearby, and work for a while. That may serve as a resume builder to see if I am “law school material”. </p>
<p>I need to do some research on what type of job I may get with a bachelor’s degree or high school diploma, and also the <em>demand</em> for such a job. So far, I know these:
- Teach for America schoolteacher (I think they welcome all majors, and they provide training.)
- Research Assistant, full-time
- Nurse’s Aide (I once talked to a pastor who was once a pre-Med Biology student at Ohio State University. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Biology, took the MCAT, but did not become accepted into medical school. Now, he works full-time as a Nurse’s Aide and presumably part-time as an associate or assistant pastor of the New Life church group on campus. He is very gregarious and amicable, so that’s how I know so much about him. His wife works as an assistant to a lawyer who works in the House of Representatives. He says that he wants to become a pastor by going to seminary, but he adds that doing so means that he has to pay the seminary tuition fee, and if he could start a new church - well, if there is a demand for a church - then he may earn a discount of the tuition cost.)
- Cashier
- Salesclerk
- Food deliverer</p>
<p>Your LSAT preparation should probably take around 3 months or so, putting in several hours per day. There are a number of courses available depending on where you live. You should look into those if you don’t think you can do it on self-study. I’ve seen good things from Powerscore and Testmasters. Less so from Kaplan. You’ll definitely want a score in the 170s as well as boosting your GPA to at least a 3.5.</p>
<p>Gee, I can’t afford to spend several hours per day now without sacrificing some of my studying time for my own classes. I think I am going to work on boosting my GPA and trying to graduate university first, obtain my permanent driver’s license, search for an entry-level job or a job that only requires a high school diploma, and save some money into my bank account so I can pay for a course myself. Then, I may practice the LSAT before taking the real LSAT.</p>
<p>That all sounds like a good plan except for the “may practice the LSAT.” If you do intend on law school, hours invested in the LSAT are well spent. You should definitely dedicate a lot of time to it.</p>
<p>Actually, I meant to say that sometimes I can’t predict the future, and I may never even afford the prep course, let alone go to law school. If I ever get a Teach for America position and would like to further it into Education, then that may change plans dramatically.</p>
<p>3.2? STEM major? Don’t even bother going to lawl school unless you’re okay with ****law looming. Best case scenario, you get a 180 and end up paying sticker (over 200K) at splitter friendly Northwestern.</p>
<p>DoodlyDoo: it sounds like you’re not sure of what you want to do with your life, so my suggestion: do NOT go to law school. Consider working, consider a master’s, but do NOT go to law school unless you wake up every single day heartbroken that you are not an attorney. (Even then, I would caution people against going.)</p>
<p>Anyone thinking of going to law school should read “Don’t Go to Law School (Unless),” by Paul Campus. (It’s a book, so pretend I underlined the title.)</p>