<p>Hi! I am new to the forum posting so sorry for any weirdly phrased questions but someone help me! I'm a senior in high school and I'm incredibly confident that I want to go into International or Human Rights Law at Georgetown. In high school, I'm one of 8 IB Diploma students (out of my class of 450) and work for a non-profit in Kenya and I have an internship (every summer for the next 4 years during undergrad) working for the US Global Leadership Coalition in DC. I committed to University of Oklahoma for volleyball and plan on double majoring in International Studies and Area Studies in the Honors College but I know OU is not academically regarded as a competitive school. Before OU I had planned on going to Wesleyan University or Vassar (I know, polar opposites to Oklahoma), and I'm nervous that OU won't be enough to get me to GU after graduating. </p>
<p>Someone please help assure me or advise me on my chances and what I have to do to get to GU!! Please/thank you!</p>
<p>You’ll hear this over and over again, but for the top schools, focus first on GPA and LSAT. Other factors may come into play in the admissions process, but GPA/LSAT rule.</p>
<p>The good news is that law schools do not care about your undergrad institution, only your GPA and LSAT. </p>
<p>The bad news is that the way you probably understand “international” and “human rights law” almost certainly does not exist. If by “international” you mean working with international clients or dealing with international transactions, that’s easy. If you mean helping countries form governments, you’re talking about a dozen jobs, all of them fiercely competitive. If by “human rights” you mean working with the poor to fight off slumlords or ensuring prisoners are held humanely, that exists. If you mean prosecuting on behalf of the Hague, that’s again about a dozen jobs. Those “international” or “human rights law” employers very likely care about your undergrad. I recommend doing a search online for people who do what you want to do and looking at their credentials.</p>
<p>A lot of people head off to law school with visions of human rights crusades and saving war torn regions. Those people are inevitably disappointed because, for nearly all of them, that is not what law will be. Think of it like you’re on the high school football team and want to go into the NFL. The odds are similar. That’s not to say you can’t still want to go into law or enjoy it, but you should do a lot of research and develop a realistic perception of what the field really entails.</p>
<p>Oh my it’s honestly such a relief to hear that I at least have a shot from OU. If other factors include internships or extra-curricular things then I’m not AS concerned. I’m a really active person in terms of applying what I learn to what I can do.
Just curious, does being a D-1 athlete have any impact on my application for Law School?</p>
<p>To Demosthenes49, I’ve heard a million times that the law you hope to practice in the beginning almost certainly changes more than once and develops into a different focus so I’m sure you’re exactly correct in all of this. I’m hoping my internship in the Legal firm at the US Global Leadership Coalition this summer will help shed some light on what area I ACTUALLY feel passionate about. Thanks for shedding some light on the bigger picture!</p>
<p>For law school, aside from GPA/LSAT, the only other factors that apply are minority status and connections. Being an athlete won’t help you get into law school, though it will definitely help you out during the job search. </p>
<p>As to your desires changing in law school, that’s true. The goal is to have that change not disillusion you. It’s not an accident lawyers suffer so disproportionately from sadness and depression. This is definitely the time to be proactive, before you have investment on the line. Go look up people who do what you want to do and see what their credentials are. Ask them out to lunch (they usually say yes and even pay!) and chat about their jobs. Intern/extern with legal aid, prosecutors, defenders, or whoever else will take you. A realistic expectation of law is one of the most valuable pre-law school attributes you can develop.</p>
<p>Minority wise, I’m at a loss; but would my internships help? I’ll be living in DC for 6 weeks each summer until I graduate undergrad. Or would it determine on the connections I make while I’m there, more than the internship itself?</p>
<p>I’ll definitely be doing that! Thank you for the advice!</p>
<p>Internships will help you decide if law is for you. They will not help you get into law school. Only GPA and LSAT matter for getting into law school.</p>