I’m just curious how much the LSAT score is “prioritized” when it comes to admissions for law school, because previously my plan was to go to UGA for law school, but now I’m thinking maybe I have a chance for Emory, Vanderbilt, or maybe even a t14 school.
Details:
3.4 GPA
State School
Accounting Major
176 LSAT score
All you can really do is apply and see if you get accepted. Its not an exact science so you might get accepted at one school and not at another which is ranked about the same as the first school (or even a little lower). At this point, law school applications are down by a significant number which should make it less competitive.
With a 176, you should get in somewhere excellent. I’d think that Emory in particular–and plenty of higher-ranked schools-would be good options.
Let’s back up a bit. I am going to assume that you really want to be a lawyer, that you do not want to be an accountant, or that you want to merge accounting and law. I am going to assume that you’ve done your research about the poor job prospects attorneys have, and have a solid plan for not being among them (a particularly bad thing when you could go the accounting route).
If those assumptions are not true, make them true before spending a single penny on law school applications.
(Now, my suggestion is that you work to get be a CPA, even if you do it alongside law school or before law school or right after or whatever. I’ve seen that lawyers who are also CPAs are marketable, but that likely does not apply to someone who merely has an accounting degree. Figure out a plan for getting that done and be ready to cogently explain to interviewers what that plan is and where you are on it.)
That said, yes, you can get into some highly-ranked law schools with a decent GPA and an outstanding LSAT. Apply to a lot of schools, and do not feel the need to go to the best one - use multiple offers to get a discount on (inflated) tuition.
As I tell everyone who applies, be ready to turn down all acceptances if the cost/benefit ratio is too low. (For example, full price at Emory or half off at the other schools would all be bad situations, unless someone else is paying.)
LSAT is about 45-50% of the admissions decision, and your number is off-the-chart.
You have a great chance at several of the T14, particularly if you get a year or two of work experience. Apply broadly, and choose the best financial deal.
Assuming this is a real not hypothetical LSAT, you should not be aiming for those schools. Law schools do not care where you went to college and that grade GPA combo makes you a lock at at least one of Penn, UVa, Michigan, and NYU. You have a shot at Columbia and Chicago too.
You’ll get some money at the lower end of the T14 schools too. Don’t go to Emory or Vanderbilt with those numbers unless you really want big scholarship money and don’t get it from a t14
By a chance I mean a good chance at one of those. Law school ranking is very important for employment and going to a non t14 school is usually not worth it
AVR455 (Not the OP, but your comment interested me), what do you mean by "going to a non t14 school is usually not worth it? Do you just mean on a financial level that in the long run you won’t make back the $ investment you made in your education?
Fizz, you will probably make it up eventually but the path may be much longer and harder than expected. For most students outside that group of schools, it may be difficult to come by any legal job at all, much less an interesting PI job or a big law gig.
Its not worth it when you consider the opportunity costs. There might be better non-law alternatives to pursue in many cases. But if someone’s heart is truly (and in an informed way) set on being a lawyer, and they must go to a non top 14 school, they’d better kick butt in school so that they’re plans don’t go by the wayside