I want to attend a prestigious law school where your undergraduate school matters to an extent, and UW is the only in state option that isn’t private and would work. I’m applying for 2019, so if attended the UW Tacoma campus because I didn’t get in to the Seattle campus, would there be much of a difference? I just want a fall back since I feel like UW is extremely unpredictable.
Compare to other “elite” colleges that use “holistic admission process”, UW is extremely predictable. Excellent GPA and SAT/ACT scores almost guarantees your admission.
I’m not sure about law school, but many other graduate/professional programs may also look at undergrad course rigor. If undergrad truly doesn’t matter, why UW? Why not WSU or Western or Eastern or Central or Bellevue College?
No, UW Tacoma is not going to have the same prestige as University of Washington Seattle.
However, your in-state public law school at UW will want to take students from all over Washington State. So, from that perspective, going where you can stand out and do well will be an advantage. To see the list of top feeders for top law schools, google “college transitions dataverse” and find the law school feeders list. If you can’t get into UW Seattle, all/most of those will be a stretch, too.
Meet with the prelaw advisor at each school you are considering to ask questions. Is pre-law application support available to selective students only or to anyone who wants to apply to law school? (If all the law schools that the undergrad school sends students to are “top” law schools, then they are weeding out and only sending their best.) What support/advising do they offer? (You should be able to pick up a brochure or see a web site about what classes and experiences they recommend you take advantage of, for starters. Do they have an alumni network of people who have gotten into law school that can help you? How many students do they advise and how many go to law school each year?)
Law school admissions are very numbers driven. Go to the school that fits you the best, where you’ll be most likely to succeed (that is - if UWS is too big for you and you learn best in a smaller environment, go to one of the branch campuses or a different state school) and maintain a high GPA. High GPA/high LSAT trumps where you went to undergrad by miles.
I’m in a similar situation to you! I want to go to a prestigious law school but I’m not sure if I will right after undergrad. UW Tacoma is still a prestigious school because it carries the UW name. UW Tacoma is also a smaller school which means a lot of things but most importantly it means you will have a more personal relationship with your professors. That equals better letters of rec! The others in this group were talking about how numbers matter and they are right. If your GPA and LSAT score are high it doesn’t matter where you went to undergrad. Becuase UW Tacoma is a smaller campus your academic achievements may actually “stick out” more.