<p>Hello I am Sarah I am currently a junior at the university of maryland college park. I am majoring in pure Math and Quantitative Economics. So far i have been taking the toughest math classes a math major can take at this school. I am a currently in the schools official honors program, in addition to the the departmental honor programs in the math department and economics department (i will also be admittied to the Phi Beta Kappa next semester). For next year i will be writing 2 undergraduate thesis papers both in math and economics for my senior year. So far i have taken the most challanging and mathematical economics classes you can find in both departments and my current overall GPA is a 3.71 (Will be changed hopefully disputing a grade with a teacher, so wish me luck :)) My overall Math GPA is a 3.9 and as well with Economics. </p>
<p>If I apply to law schools now how competitive would i be??? What is the average law students GPA??? Would i be more competitive because i come from an abstract science program such as a math??? What are my chances at the top schools(granted i do well on the LSATS?? Is there any site that many of you thought were usefull that you can direct me too?? How important are the LSAT's and how difficult are they, when is the last date to sign up for them, because i haven't considered law schools until now, so far math gradschools and econ schools have been on my mind. </p>
<p>Thank you for all the help, i know this site has the brightest people helping the least foruntate of us out ;) Thanks guys :P ...</p>
<p>Hi Sarah, I'll try to answer your questions one at a time:</p>
<ol>
<li>If I apply to law schools now how competitive would i be??? </li>
</ol>
<p>It's impossible to know without your LSAT score, because that's probably the most important part of the application (your GPA is the other most important part). But a 3.71 won't keep out out of contention anywhere (though it is on the low side for places like Harvard and Yale).</p>
<ol>
<li><p>What is the average law students GPA???
That varies from school to school. [url=<a href="http://officialguide.lsac.org/%5DOfficial">http://officialguide.lsac.org/]Official</a> Guide<a href="the%20link%20that%20says%20UGPA/LSAT%20search">/url</a> is probably the best place to look.</p></li>
<li><p>Would i be more competitive because i come from an abstract science program such as a math???
Maybe slightly more competitive. But it is a very very slight advantage. Law schools care more about your GPA than what major it came from.</p></li>
<li><p>What are my chances at the top schools(granted i do well on the LSATS??
The LSAC guide above can show you what LSAT score and GPA you'd need to be competitive at each school. </p></li>
<li><p>Is there any site that many of you thought were usefull that you can direct me too??
the LSAC guide and lawschoolnumbers.com</p></li>
<li><p>How important are the LSAT's and how difficult are they,
LSATs are incredibly important--your score on them plus your GPA can largely predict admission at most law schools. It's a hard test--definitely harder than the SAT, and I'd argue harder than the GRE. Scoring in the top 5-10% (which is what's required to get into the top law schools) is very hard (impossible for most people) and requires a fair amount of studying. </p></li>
<li><p>when is the last date to sign up for them,
Usually about a month before each test date. It's offered in February, June, October, and December. If you're planning on going directly from undergrad, the latest you'd probably want to take it is October of your senior year. </p></li>
<li><p>because i haven't considered law schools until now, so far math gradschools and econ schools have been on my mind.
Law school is a lot of effort (and a LOT of debt) and while there are a lot of people there because they did well on the LSAT and don't know what else they want to do, that's not exactly a recipe for being happy in school or with a legal career. You may want to consider working for a while first (possibly in a law-related job, like a paralegal, an administrative assistant at a law office, an investigator, process server, policy researcher, legislative aide, etc.) to see how you like it. The median age of an entering law student is around 25 or 26, so you wouldn't be the only one who took time off.</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>Would i be more competitive because i come from an abstract science program such as a math???
Maybe slightly more competitive. But it is a very very slight advantage. Law schools care more about your GPA than what major it came from.</li>
</ol>
<p>Yeah, thats absolutely true. Stacy is also right that the whole discussion is pretty much moot without an LSAT score to consider along with your (very strong) GPA. You should take a diagnostic test as soon as you can in order to figure out the sections you need to work hardest on, and how much you can expect to improve.</p>
<p>Does it matter where you went to undergrad when applying to law school?</p>
<p>I am assuming that it doesn't matter, or for any other kind of grad school, for that matter. They seem to be more focused on GPA</p>
<p>Also, how much do ECs help in undergrad? I'm thinking internships at a law firm or volunteer work at a self-help center or something of the sort will show that I have more experience?</p>
<p>Lastly, how do people study for the LSAT? Do the majority of them take classes, or self-study? How much is the average program for the LSAT?</p>
<p>"But a 3.71 won't keep out out of contention anywhere (though it is on the low side for places like Harvard and Yale)."</p>
<p>So a 4.0 and a good decent LSAT score and maybe throw in some internships and experience will give me a good shot at top schools such as Harvard and Yale?</p>
<p>"So a 4.0 and a good decent LSAT score and maybe throw in some internships and experience will give me a good shot at top schools such as Harvard and Yale?"</p>
<p>No. Experience and internships don't matter much, and for Harvard/ Yale you need an excellent (not "good", not "decent") LSAT score to go with your 4.0 GPA.</p>