I know this question has been asked before, both most of the responses that I have seen have been anecdotal rather than statistical - does anyone know if there’s a negative impact to finishing undergrad early?
I’m currently an English major at a top public university, and I’ll be able to graduate a year early without doing summer school because of some AP/IB credits and taking more credits than average per semester. I was never sure that I would graduate early, but kind of planned beforehand for it because of financial reasons, and now that it seems entirely possible to do, I don’t see why I should stay an extra year. I understand that the college experience is something most people argue should be enjoyed for as long as possible, but I really want to lessen the burden on my parents, especially because I’ll be going to grad school, as well.
That being said, a major qualm that I saw come up in some previous discussions had to do with having less grades + time to raise my GPA. Assuming that I don’t suddenly start doing worse in my classes, it’ll be at least a 3.7 at the end of my junior year. I’m not sure if this is enough, or if I should stay another year solely to try and raise it.
But if I don’t, and assuming I do okay on the LSATs, is it possible for me to get into a T14 school even though I would have graduated early?
Right now, I’m thinking about graduating early, and then working for a couple of years before applying to law school. Ideally, I’d like to go to law school right after undergrad; I just don’t know if that would be possible unless I did extremely well on my LSATs.
I know it’s a lot of hypothesizing (assuming I wouldn’t start failing my classes, assuming I’ll do okay on the LSATs), but I need to know which course I should start preparing for beforehand.
There is no negative impact in terms of law school admissions. Employers may be a bit concerned if you start law school right away, however, as you’ll be quite young. Finishing early and then working a year or two, as you are considering, would offset that as well as making your resume more attractive.
Oh no, the two answers I got contradict each other…
To bluebayou: would staying the extra year and raising the GPA be equivalent to having a year of work experience, or maybe even two years? I heard that working after undergrad is seen as a plus, but is a GPA with maybe a .1 difference going to be more significant?
^^if that 0.1 grade point puts you over the median (or quartile) of a LS, then yes, it is definitely more important than a year of work experience. Big difference between a 3.7 and 3.8, particularly in merit $$$.
of course, the correct answer is to do both. Graduate with a higher GPA and then work for a year or two.
If the OP will have a 3.7 and have 120 credits (minimum to graduate) at graduation, then even getting a 4.0 (not guaranteed) would only raise the final GPA to a 3.76///
A few hundredths isn’t that big a deal, IMHO. Save the money and get out early.
Another consideration would be if you took easy (or even normal) courses to raise your GPA it will be noticed by LS admissions. Taking more challenging courses would look better but make it hard to get a 4.0 (get even one A- and your GPA would stay virtually unchanged).
A buddy of mine at Michigan Law entered when he was 20 and is now a partner at a BigLaw. I say it’s a distinct advantage getting into a top 5-7 law school so don’t wait, and unless you’re uncomfortable around older students and immature, go for it.
That’s just a reference point of one, though. Larger samples indicate that being “young” is a disadvantage. However, working at a good position would offset that.
OP: do you have a good job lined up?
How about you wait till you know you have a good position till you decide?
In addition, you can compromise: take one more semester to graduate, during which you take more advanced classes with an eye toward law school - for instance, if your university allows you to take one graduate-level class or two, then do so; use the university’s career services during that semester, so that you start in January.
It means a less-nice December graduation, but a less-crowded field of job applicants, too.
Normally, I suggest staying for four years, as the extra year of maturity helps you to succeed in law school. But since money is an issue and you already have a very strong GPA, I would say to take your 3.7 and pocket the money. Work hard on the LSAT - with a 170+, you will be in good shape for almost any law school in the country.
Waiting makes sense for people whose parents can afford it, who really need to raise their GPAs (e.g. from a 3.2 to a 3.5), need law schools to see a higher GPA, or who are contemplating graduating after 2.5 years. Just save yourself the money and graduate early.