<p>Is there any data out there that suggests average/median LSAT scores from different undergraduate universities? I recognize that the Wall Street Journal comprised feeder schools for top graduate programs. I was curious if there is any information that suggests which undergrad schools have the best admissions rates into top 10 law schools. </p>
<p>In particular, I would like to know how the following undergraduate programs rank in terms of admission into the top 10 law schools. Which of the following will provide me with the best opportunities to get into a top 10 law school:</p>
<p>Cornell University (School of Industrial and Labor Relations)
Emory University (College of Arts and Sciences)
Yale University (Yale College)
University of Pennsylvania (College of Arts and Sciences)
Northwestern University (Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences)
Rice University
Brown University (Brown College)</p>
<p>Though there is no official list (to the best of my knowledge), the LSAC report for any given law school applicant lists the average LSAT score for applicants from his particular school. I’ve seen unofficial lists before compiled through self-reporting participants. As expected, more prestigious schools tend to have higher LSAT scores, but this is easily attributable to the fact that the student bodies of those schools tend to perform better on standardized tests in general. If I recall correctly, the highest average LSAT was around 164 (schools like HYS).</p>
<p>The conventional wisdom is that prestige/rigor of your undergrad matters very little except if you’re at a truly top tier university or college (and even then, it will likely only matter at the margins). Though opinions on this vary, I think school prestige will only matter (if at all) if you went to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Williams, Amherst, or Swarthmore. Out of the schools you have listed, likely only Yale would give you any discernible boost. While all of the schools on your list are excellent, I would strongly argue that their high representation at law schools such as mine is the result of the general caliber of students at those schools and not the name of the school itself. </p>
<p>Bottom line: do not choose an undergrad based on which you feel will give you an edge in law school admissions. This is true for two reasons. First, though you may think you want to apply to law school now, that may change over the next few years. Second, and more importantly, it doesn’t matter. No matter what school you attend, if you perform well and score high on your LSAT, you’ll be just fine. Amongst the droves of students from Ivy league students at my law school, there are also a great number from large state schools and lesser known regional schools.</p>
<p>In general, a high GPA and LSAT score are all that essentially matter to get into a T14 law school (when it comes to top law schools, it isn’t the top 10 law schools that matter, but rather the top 14). The undergraduate school you come from isn’t really a big factor, although obviously the difficulty of keeping up a high GPA varies based on your school. </p>
<p>@ the OP:
It will take a lot of hard work to keep up a high GPA at all of the top undergraduate schools that you mentioned. However, if you’re successful and also score well on the LSAT, you have a very good shot at getting into a T14 law school from any of those schools. And if you get into a T14 law school, you’re very likely to be successful as a lawyer, and make a whole lot of $$$.</p>
<p>I concur in the advice to pick the college at which you think you’ll do your best and have the best overall experience. For a LOT of reasons, IMO, it’s idiotic to pick your college based on which one you think will give you the best “shot” at law school–even if you are the rare person who says at 17 (s)he wants to go to LS and actually does it. Among other things, I really don’t think your LSAT score is impacted that much by which college you attend. In most cases, the median SAT score of undergrad colleges correlates with the median LSAT score. Rank 20 colleges by the median SAT scores. Rank the same 20 colleges by the median LSAT scores. The order of those colleges will be just about the same on both lists. I don’t really think that a student with a given SAT score is going to end up with a different LSAT score based on whether (s)he attends Emory or Yale. (Maybe post #2 says this more succinctly!) </p>
<p>Additionally, some of the schools on your list are part of universities with law schools. At most, you’ll get a slight bump if you’re at the low end of the “zone” for admission to that law school. But before you start college, you haven’t a clue as to what sort of gpa/LSAT you’ll end up with. If you got to Harvard and score a 165 on your LSAT, ihaving gone to Harvard is probably not going to help you get into Harvard Law. If you had gone to Cornell and gotten the same score, having gone to Cornell might help you get into its law school. If you end up with a 170, having gone to Harvard College might help. </p>
<p>All that said, the numbers you are asking for are often available. You can google and search as well as I can. Go to the home pages of the colleges of interest to you. Look for career services. Check what’s listed under applying to law school. </p>
<p>I’ve done a couple–you do the rest. Note data is from different years, so it’s not a perfect apples to apples comparison. The colleges I’ve linked to break down the data differently. However, it should give you a rough idea. </p>
<p>Again, I am NOT suggesting that this data should dictate your college choice–just letting you know that the info’s out there FWIW. </p>
<p>I don’t think the 165 LSAT for an ILR grad would guarantee a spot in Cornell this year. But the 166/167 might seal the deal.
I’ll agree that an UG from a particular school may get a bit of a bump in law school admissions, but it only helps so much. You still need to be real close to the 25% LSAT score.
My ILR kid did get into Cornell Law with her 167 LSAT while there are a whole lot of kids with similar stats who were waitlisted. So UG school may help a bit, but it’s not an overwhelming factor.</p>
<p>You need to get that solid LSAT score- and that is going to be the main factor in law school admissions. Also gpa seems to be playing a bigger role than before.
Lots of 168 3.5’s are being waitlisted at Cornell this year. Last year those stats would have gotten an early acceptance. </p>
<p>All the schools you mentioned have solid reputations. Yale of course has a bit more pizzazz than the others. But I’m not even sure that a 165 LSAT from a Yalie would gain admittance to Cornell or U Penn this year.
Pick the UG school that seems to suit you best and where you feel you will thrive.<br>
My d absolutely loved her time at Cornell and was very happy with her decision to go to the ILR school. But the curriculum does not suit everyone. She is now working for a union- and I believe will be starting law school this fall.</p>
<p>Other than Rice, which you now attend have you been accepted to any the schools on your list? It really is a wasted effort to speculate. You don’t know what the next 2.5 years will hold or if you even will want to attend law school. just take things one step at a time.</p>
<p>Getadmitted as a transfer
finish freshman year
do well at your new school
take the lsat
then look at schools based on where you are with those 2 scores.</p>
<p>How do you figure those last 3 will help more than Stanford/MIT/Cornell/Dartmouth/Brown/Penn/Columbia/UChi/NU? </p>
<p>From the schools on your list, I know that both ILR and Yale UG place very well in Law School through personal experience, and I’m sure all of the others do as well based on their academic reputations. </p>
<p>If you go to any of the aforementioned and challenge yourself as an UG, get a good GPA, and do well on the LSAT, you’'ll be going to a T14 regardless of which one you attend. Choose a school based on personal preference and financial reasons; which one will give you an edge in law schools will be at this level completely marginally insignificant.</p>