<p>i've heard from lots of people that harvard law school is very numbers-based - does that mean there is a certain GPA/LSAT cutoff above which basically everyone gets in? i've heard that they take 30% of the class from their undergrad, which bodes well for me as i am a current student, but can anyone confirm?</p>
<p>i have a 3.86, and my dry run on the LSAT was 174. i haven't begun to study for the LSAT, but i plan to (i'm not applying until next year).</p>
<p>oh, and i am also wondering about merit scholarships at less prestigious schools. (i highly doubt i would get any money from harvard). how far down the list does one generally have to go to get money from schools? i am interested in vanderbilt potentially - would i have a chance at getting money from them?</p>
<p>With maybe certain exceptions, e.g. felony record, inventing cure for cancer, etc., numbers mean everything in applying for law school. If you have both your GPA and LSAT above a school's 75th percentiles, you are basically an auto-admit. If you have both above the medians, you will still very likely getting in. With a 3.86 and 172+ from Harvard, you will probably get in everywhere, with the exception of Yale as a toss-up.</p>
<p>Columbia is the highest ranked school that gives out a full scholarship, the Hamilton. You would be competitive for that with your projected numbers.<br>
With your GPA and a 172+, you probably won't need to consider Vanderbilt. Some school in the top 10 will offer you significant money.</p>
<p>thanks...i was thinking about columbia or nyu, but i don't really want to be in new york that much. i'll definitely apply. how much do those schools take 'soft' factors into account?</p>
<p>i am interested in vanderbilt mainly because i really like nashville...i was pretty disappointed to find out about the t-14 distinction and vanderbilt's #15 ranking, but i would consider going there anyway because i feel pretty confident in my ability to excel there and thereby still have a chance at many nationally-recognized firms if that's the path i decide to take.</p>
<p>A 3.86 at Harvard? That's impressive. What's your class rank? Top 10%?</p>
<p>Why do so few at Harvard graduate with a 4.0? I think only a couple have gotten that in the last 25 years or so.</p>
<p>It is the most numbers based out of the top 3 (YHS). </p>
<p>If you score a 174+ and maintain a 3.86, you have a pretty decent shot at H (not guaranteed, but decent). </p>
<p>Yale and Stanford tend to look more at ECs, along with numbers.</p>
<p>174, 3.86 is in at CLS, with probably no merit money unfortunately.
With a 176, I reckon you might get some scholarships. </p>
<p>(The reason why I am being more conservative is because my friend had a 3.95, 177 and got into CLS, no scholarship, but got into NYU with 30k. He was waitlisted at Harvard, but his undergrad was not as prestigious. I also know a few other 177s who got waitlisted at Harvard, and no money at CLS. Then again, they didn't go to H for ugrad.)</p>
<p>Let's say you get top grades and LSATS at somewhere like FSU for undergrad, would you still have a fighting shot at an Ivy Leage law school?</p>
<p>"Let's say you get top grades and LSATS at somewhere like FSU for undergrad, would you still have a fighting shot at an Ivy Leage law school?"</p>
<p>Of course! So long as by top grades you mean 3.7+ and top LSATs you mean 172+</p>
<p>Ok. I'm a little surprised because to get into Harvard for undergrad, I know you need lots more than top grades and SATS. Like, you have to have written a book, won an international science competition, or something else of that nature.
How competitive are scholarships for law school?</p>
<p>scholarships at top law schools are very competitive and not based on numbers as much as admission to top law schools is. Once you're in the ballpark for merit scholarships (LSAT and GPA both above the 75th percentile) it's hard to guess who's going to get one--it's not always the person with the highest numbers but some combination of that, essays, interviews, what you did before law school, etc.</p>
<p>I plan to work as a paralegal for a few years between undergrad and law school. That way I can gain experience/confidence, decide if the field is truly for me, and support myself, and then if I decide I want to work my way up, THEN go to law school. Would this work as an advantage? (As opposed to me going straight from undergrad to law school)</p>
<p>are the schools interested in what type of law you want to go into? i am thinking mental health law. i am not interested in corporate law, which i know is harvard law's specialty. however, i learn much better in an environment where i am being pushed, which is why i want to go to a top school.</p>
<p>there was a girl who graduated from harvard last year with a 4.0, but it is pretty rare, like a couple a decade or maybe even less. with a 3.86, i am top 10% (i think about top 7% to be more precise). even though people rarely get 4.0s, harvard is pretty grade-inflated.</p>