If you dont go to a top-tier law school, is it pointless?

Graduate School Law School
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<p>I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do in college when i was in high school, so I only applied to two schools; Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State University (3rd largest univ in GA behind UGA and GA Tech). I was accepted to both but I decided to go to Kennesaw since I could live at home and I was leaning towards an accounting major which Georgia Tech's business school wasn't great enough to warrant the loans I would have to take to live in dorms. Anyways after being in college for a while, I realized business/law was what I wanted to do after taking a business law, constitutional law, and ethical law course . After doing a bit of research, i've noticed that most websites say that unless you attend a top-tier law school, you will have an abysmal chance at getting a job. </p>

<p>Anyways I'm curious if i should just pursue being a CPA instead and forego law school because a 3.6 GPA at a no-name school like Kennesaw State University, 4 years of working as a dishwasher, and an LSAT score of a 172 would at best get me into UGA's law school which is barely a top 30 law school.</p>

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<p>a 3.6/172 would be competitive for merit money at many top schools, including the T14.</p>

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<p>Really? I thought you had to have like a 4.0 at no-name school to even be considered?</p>

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<p>How low of tier you can/should is probably directly related to how much debt you need to take on. No debt at all…feel free to attend for the experience. Lots of debt? Don’t believe it is worth any cost. </p>

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<p>At what point would you say is “lots of debt” compared to “some debt”?</p>

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<p>INHO: Do not take out upwards of $20k a year in debt. Under that is more open to debate. Much more. like 30K a year, is crazy. </p>

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<p>You can plug in your numbers [url=&lt;a href=“http://www.lawschoolpredictor.com/wp-content/uploads/Law-School-Predictor-Full-Time-Programs.htm]here[/url”&gt;http://www.lawschoolpredictor.com/wp-content/uploads/Law-School-Predictor-Full-Time-Programs.htm]here[/url</a>] to look at your chances. Since you’re still in school you should work on bumping your GPA up a bit. Even a tenth of a point can make a big difference. The likely ideal for you is a lower T14 with a substantial scholarship.</p>

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<p>This is a file for UVA or Duke…</p>

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<p>But I mean would 3.6 at a no name school really give me a decent chance at getting into a school like duke or Cornell like the calculator says?</p>

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<p>Law schools are obsessed with GPA and LSAT because that’s what they can change for rankings. And rankings are king in law. There are people from DeVry at Georgetown. It’s going to be next to impossible to go from a no name school to a top PhD program, but it’s completely doable for law school.</p>

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<p>How do you know whether you’d be able to get a scholarship?</p>

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<p>The law school applicant pools have collapsed… so a 3.6/172 will not only get into UVA/Duke but will also get $$$ (expect $30k a year from Duke)</p>

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<p>Is there a way to see which law schools are best for certain regions like I want to live in Georgia near my family (after law school) but I notice there really aren’t any t14 southeast law schools and Vanderbilt seems like the most ideal but it’s not t14?</p>

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<p>Vandy is pretty solid for the southeast. If I had to pick a T14, UVA also wouldn’t be a bad bet. You can look around [url=&lt;a href=“http://www.lawschooltransparency.com/]here[/url”&gt;http://www.lawschooltransparency.com/]here[/url</a>] for job placement statistics, including geographic region.</p>

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<p>I don’t think that someone with 3.6/172 will get $$$ at Duke Law.</p>

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<p>Based off the website demosteneed posted, I think I would get $$$ from duke considering roughly 83% of the students got $$$ and my GPA puts me around the bottom 25th percentile while my last score puts me at the top 25th percentile. So average that, I would be overall 50th percentile which from what I’ve read, most $$$ is merit based opposed to need based so her top 83rd percentile would be expected to get $$$</p>

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<p>Have you been reading Student Lawyer from the ABA? Might be useful to you at this point: <a href=“http://www.americanbar.org/publications/student_lawyer/2013-14/may.html”>http://www.americanbar.org/publications/student_lawyer/2013-14/may.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>83% have assistance, not scholarships. Student loans are classed as assistance. To get merit money you generally need to be in the top quartile in at least one category and at least median in the other. LSAT is preferred over GPAs. If you bring your GPA up, however, your chances of money greatly increase.</p>

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<p>@Demosthenes49 Ah that makes a lot more sense haha. Would you recommend also retaking the LSAT or 172 is solid enough?</p>

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<p>If you think you could get it higher, absolutely retake. A 174 could mean another 15k a year, making the 3 months of study the most lucrative you’ll likely ever have. </p>