<p>I'm just out exploring several graduate options and it seemed a little odd to me that top law schools had higher average GPAs than top medical schools. Is it harder to get into law school than medical school? Or does that simply reflect on the undergraduate classes taken? </p>
<p>I'm originally a pre-med and am still fostering hopes to attend med school. As a result, I've taken several pre-med required classes. If I later decide that law school is the path for me, would my lower GPA as a result of having taken several difficult science/math classes ruin my chances (i.e. Orgo, multivariate calculus, biochem, etc.)? </p>
<p>The lower GPA would definitely hurt you. Before you get anywhere near that step though, you should figure out whether you want to be a lawyer or a doctor. Those are fairly different professions.</p>
<p>Yes, but just hypothetically speaking, if I were to become pre-law right now, a low GPA as a result of having taken those science/math classes would hurt me. Looks like that’s out of the window…</p>
<p>There’s an old joke (heard it 30+ years ago) that lawyers were the college kids who couldn’t do math and science well-enough to get into med school.</p>
<p>The single biggest factor influencing law school admission is your LSAT score. A 170-plus LSAT score can go a long way in overcoming a mediocre (by law school standards) GPA. For example, a 3.4 GPA with a 170 LSAT (about 95% percentile) puts you on the edge of the T14, with a realistic shot at Cornell, NW, Michigan, and G’town. The reverse is not true–a good GPA rarely overcomes a poor LSAT score. </p>
<p>Also, if you took all of the pre-med classes, plus additional difficult math/science classes (and perhaps majored in chem, eng’g, physics, or CS), you will stand out among the multitude of english, poli sci, soc, psych applicants. Law schools will understand the difference between a 3.4 GPA in a hard sciences major v a similar GPA for a soc or psych major. </p>
<p>For a better handle on law school admission standards, check out the law school predictor web site. </p>
<p>While something like this would be ridiculous for undergrad’s “holistic” admissions, it is fairly accurate for law school. </p>
<p>The bottom line is take the LSAT and see how you do before deciding whether or not to attend law school. Also, take a realistic look at the market, which is not good for law students these days (but that is an entirely different post). Good luck!</p>
<p>Absolutely not. There are 2x as many accredited law schools as med schools, which much larger class sizes (read spots) not to mention plenty of non-accredited law schools. And in today’s economy, law school apps are dropping like a rock. (Dunno when it will hit bottom.)</p>
<p>While you are totally correct that it is easier to get into law school than med school, I do wonder if it is harder to get into a law school worth going to than a med school worth going to.</p>
<p>^Yeah, I’m curious about that as well. It seems like you could go to almost any medical school (I’d say at least the top 50% of med schools) and still be in a good program and be competitive for top residencies. However, it does seem that in order to get coveted clerkship jobs/job offers from top firms, you have to graduate from a “name-brand” law school, i.e. Harvard, Yale, Stanford, etc. </p>
<p>Also, I am not a hard sciences major - I have simply taken the pre-med courses. So about half of my courses so far have been in the hard sciences and math. Here’s a sample of my course list for the previous year: </p>
<p>Orgo I, Orgo II, Calc II, Multivariate, Language x 3, writing seminar, elective. </p>
<p>Believe it or not, I’m an intended social science major, but I can still be a hard science major if I choose. I have not made a choice yet and will not have to for almost a year.</p>
<p>No chance. Any allopathic med school requires As in courses which have a strict curve. Law schools will accept any A, even those in basket weaving or ‘Studies’ majors where the politically-correct answer is (almost) a guaranteed A. High grades are much easier to come by, on average, in lit/hume courses. On top of plenty of A’s, med school expect plenty of ECs, which themselves are a time-sink; in contrast, law schools just don’t want you to be felon. :)</p>
<p>^Yeah, but I think the original point was that most allopathic med schools are prestigious in their own right and offer great opportunities after graduation. In contrast, to get top clerkship positions and coveted government jobs, you may have to attend a name-brand law school in order to utilize the extensive networking offered by those schools to get high-tier jobs.</p>
<p>yes, I get the question. And normally, “a law school worth going to…” is considered the T14. And I would submit that numbers 10-14 are still much easier to get into than the bottom allo med school.</p>
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<p>Now you are comparing apples and oranges. Scoring top clerkships might be akin to MSTP programs, or top research gigs, neither of which really exist at last-ranked allo, but are in great supply at the top ~10 med schools. So, one is essentially comparing the top 3 law schools with the top 10 med schools. A high GPA and LSAT has a very high probability of acceptance to Harvard Law, but the same GPA and comparable MCAT may only be earn WL at Harvard Med.</p>
<p>I mean, you can go to the top 50% of med schools and still get decent residencies/job offers out of med school, but can you go to anywhere other than the top law schools and come out with decent job offers? Perhaps I’m wrong about it. But my main question is this: For someone with a decent GPA (3.3-3.5 range), would he/she be more likely to get into a decent med school or law school, assuming decent MCAT or LSAT? Or would the chances be almost the same? Assuming “decent” means good career prospects after graduation (even after taking into account the fact that law is becoming a less and less lucrative profession). Obviously, someone with a high GPA and high MCAT/LSAT would be golden, but what about the masses who only have decent GPAs?</p>
<p>My answer remains. With a 3.3 undergrad GPA, any med school is gonna be a big reach for the unhooked. Yet, a high LSAT score will likely score a spot in the bottom of the T14. For example, Northwestern (~#11) is a good possibility with a couple of years of work experience. Virginia is a possibility with ED.</p>
<p>By a top LSAT we means something like the top 1% of test takers though. I am not familiar with medical schools- are their test requirements similar?</p>
<p>That is a question for Princeton’s pre-med office, 93Tiger. They will have much more detailed information than we do about how mid-range students perform in medical school admissions.</p>
<p>As previous posters have said, you should decide if you want to practise law or medicine every day for the rest of your life. They are vastly different professions, with different stresses, different work life, and different colleagues.</p>