<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>So I know this has been asked before, but I'm planning on going to law school at some point post-undergrad. I'm planning on graduating from Maryland after three years instead of the traditional four, and unless something goes horribly wrong (not expecting it to) I'm looking at a final GPA at the end of junior year of at least 3.9. I haven't taken the LSAT yet, but diagnostics/practice tests have put me between 170 and 175 (I realize that these aren't indicative of what I'll get on the LSAT, but I'm not thinking it'll be much below that, if any. I'm planning on taking it soon).</p>
<p>The reason I'm planning on graduating in three years is that my parents aren't financially capable of paying for a fourth year, and I'm not willing to drive them further into debt to do it. I'll have enough debt from law school without having to take out loans for a fourth year of college, and I'm somewhat unwilling to do so when honestly I'll have more than enough credits without summer or winter courses at the end of junior year.</p>
<p>I don't feel ready to go immediately to law school after my junior year, but I don't know if I'll change my mind. I'd like to go into Teach For America (I understand it's competitive, but I'd like to try) for two years before law school, or to work/volunteer elsewhere. Take a year or two off of school and try to earn some money.</p>
<p>What do you guys think? Do you think law schools will dislike the fact I graduated in three years even if I decide to take a year or two and work afterwards? What if I decide to immediately go into law school - would graduating a year early really trump the high GPA and (projected, to be fair) high LSAT? Thanks for any insight.</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I’m not exactly sure how you view graduating early as a negative thing. In my experience early graduation is nothing but a positive thing that shows you’ve worked harder than usual and still done well. I chose to graduate early even though I was on a full scholarship and could have taken more classes at no cost.</p>
<p>There are three main drawbacks, but it sounds like you’re already past the point where they would matter. The first is that your workload is higher, which could hurt your GPA. The second is that early graduation may require summer courses, and that could preclude you from working in internships. The third is that you won’t have the opportunity to spend an easy senior year taking a very light load and enjoying college life (essentially taking a vacation).</p>
<p>It looks like you have a good shot at the top law schools (HYS); make sure you do as well as you can on the LSAT (practice lots of PrepTests) and apply early (before Thanksgiving) in the year you choose to apply. Work experience gives you an important perspective on life, and I would recommend it. Most top law school applicants have work experience or other graduate degrees, but I don’t think the schools place undergrads at a disadvantage in the admissions process. That said, TFA is very well viewed by law schools and certainly may help your chances.</p>
<p>It also sounds like you may be a good candidate for the need-based grants that HYS offer, and so depending on how your admissions cycle goes, I think you may be overestimating the amount of debt you will come out of law school with.</p>
<p>You may want to look at the TLS forums as well for advice. Good luck!</p>
<p>Graduating early is usually detrimental (especially if you are younger than 20). However, since you plan to work FT for two years prior to law school, I don’t think the fact that you graduated early would hurt you. Just focus on the LSAT since law schools weight it 1.5-4 times as much as the second most important factor, GPA. Get 175+, and enjoy either HYS or $$$ at CCN.</p>