Is it possible to get into a top tier law school from a mediocre undergrad school?

<p>I think I might end up going to Rutgers. However, the good news is that I may be able to finish in 2~2.5 years with an undergraduate degree. Do you think it would be possible for me to get into a top Law school under the circumstances that I do well on the LSATs?</p>

<p>Of course there would have to be other things I'd have to do to prove my capabilities. I suppose some sort of internships or activeness. Does Rutgers cut me off entirely? And by this I mean that if I do well in Rutgers too. (While most of my friends shot for high undergrad schools I shot for something more affordable in hopes of saving money and going to a good grad school.)</p>

<p>Does Comp Sci not appear good enough? Are there other majors that perhaps show that I have a capacity for rigorous courses? (I know engineering in general is good but I don't know how much better off it is)</p>

<p>Going to Rutgers won’t hurt you in the least. Graduating in 2.5 years will hurt a lot, especially if you want to go directly to law school. </p>

<p>Major matters very little, although you should avoid “vocational” majors. </p>

<p>Activities and internships don’t matter much at all.</p>

<p>Harvard, no problem.</p>

<p>Yale and Stanford, you’ll need a hook.</p>

<p>why will graduating in 2.5 years hurt me?</p>

<p>Edit: the reason i’d be graduating in 2.5 years is because I used a lot of AP credits. (most of which knocks out the core curriculum that Rutgers has.)</p>

<p>A BS in comp sci is deemed “credit intensive” according to the Rutgers website.</p>

<p>It doesn’t matter WHY it will hurt you; the fact is, it will. By that I just mean that I am not going to argue with you as to whether it SHOULD hurt you; I am only telling you that people who race through college tend to do a lot worse in law school admissions than you would expect based solely on gpa and LSAT.</p>

<p>It will hurt less if you take time off and work for a few years. That way, you’d at least be submitting 2.5 years of grades instead of 1.5 or 2 years worth when you apply to law school. </p>

<p>Going straight to law school after only 2.5 years in college will also hurt your chances of getting a job. When you are interviewing for a summer associate job in the fall of your second year, you might be as young as 20. Law firms prefer more mature candidates.</p>

<p>if you graduate early, you should work for at least a year before applying to law school. as said above, not only will it hurt you for your law school application cycle, it will ultimately become a hurdle you have to overcome during interviews for jobs during law school.</p>

<p>i am a 2L right now; during my OCI interviews, i felt my youth and lack of experience was a detractor, and i would already be around 2 years older than you would be if you went straight into law school after graduating early. i ended up getting a big law job for the summer, but it was a struggle and it was mostly due to the strength of my interviewing ability. it’s no coincidence that EVERYONE i know that also got a summer job ranged from the ages of 25-30. those under 25 struggled.</p>

<p>my advice? graduate in 3 years rather than 2.5, find a job for a year, and then apply. or just stay in college for 4 years (if money isn’t an issue); being able to relax, take easy classes to boost your GPA, and having the extra time to study the LSAT will help position you to get into the best law school you can.</p>