Ivy League Law Chances?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>I'm brand stinkin' new to this website, but it looked like people on here know what they're talking about. My friends aren't exactly overachievers in the classroom, so they probably aren't the best source when it comes to applying to law school. Hopefully, people on here are...</p>

<p>I currently attend a small, private college called Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio.</p>

<p>I will be a junior in the fall and am working on three majors and three minors.</p>

<p>My degrees will be as follows: BA in History, BA in Sociology, and BS in Business Administration. I have minors in Spanish, Biology, and Writing as well.</p>

<p>My cumulative GPA is 3.81.</p>

<p>I am currently President of both the Student Government and College Republicans, which takes up a good deal of time. I sort of worked my way up to the top in a short time with those two clubs. Additionally, I have worked in a soup kitchen every Tuesday for the past two years. Also, I have my own sole-proprietorship. I sell tickets to sporting events over the internet and handle roughly $150,000 in annual sales. I've had more than 5,000 customers the past few years.</p>

<p>I've worked a couple jobs on campus, but I also worked at a Walgreens for 2+ years in high school and one year in college.</p>

<p>Because I have three majors, I've taken lots of classes. So, finding a few of the better profs to write good letters of recommendation wouldn't be a difficult endeavor.</p>

<p>It probably sounds like I haven't had much of a social life, but I've surprisingly been able to defy the odds. Well, sort of....</p>

<p>Anyhow, I'm gonna work on practice LSATS for a good deal of this summer and for the rest of the way. I am a native of Chicago and absolutely love Northwestern, but if I got accepted into any of the Ivy League schools, I would probably cave.'</p>

<p>These are my top choices:</p>

<p>1) Harvard
2) Yale
3) NYU
4) Northwestern
5) Cornell</p>

<p>Do I have a chance of getting into any of these on my current pace? Would you recommend I make any adjustments for my final two years?</p>

<p>Also, with the above information on my transcript, what do you think I would need to get on the LSAT to gain entry into any of the above law schools? </p>

<p>Thanks so much in advance!</p>

2

<p>I think you have good stuff going for you otherwise but due to the nature of law school admissions (largely based on GPA and LSAT) I don't think anyone can give you an accurate idea of your chances until you have an LSAT score. Considering the school you are coming from and your GPA, I think you'll want to be right in the midrange at most of those schools. For instance, to be competitive at Yale I think you're going to need around a 174.</p>

3

<p>Well considering these top schools you've listed your LSAT score must be in the highest percentile probably in upwards of 172, roughly. My older brother is studying law at the University of Chicago and his LSAT score was a 177. Your EC's are quite impressive especially showcasing you entrepenurial ambitions however that would work better towards a Buisness degree. Obviously it won't hurt you but of your top 5 Yale and Harvard have the highest requirements for the LSAT.</p>

4

<p>Thanks for your responses guys.</p>

<p>To be honest, I'm not even 100% set on law school. I've always had a desire for it, but a lot can happen in two years.</p>

<p>I think my heart is in the business world, but I really enjoy my legal studies classes at the same time. I understand that an MBA is normally for those who have already held jobs and are looking to improve their knowledge for their companies. The problem is that I am already going to have a BS in business. Would it be a good idea for someone like me to go after an MBA? Possibly a joint degree (JD/MBA)? What schools have great JD/MBA programs?</p>

<p>Also, because I am not 100% set on anything, are extracurriculars more valuable if you are applying for a Master's in, let's say, Sociology, from a top-notch school than they are for law school?</p>

5

<p>A top MBA will accelerate your career much faster than an MBA from a smaller, lesser known school. Top firms (the investment banks, private equity firms, and top consulting firms like McKinsey) only hire from 10-15 MBA programs. The average salary coming out of places like Columbia MBA and Stanford is about 170K first year, and this moves up quickly. It will be very difficult to access these jobs without a top MBA. A top MBA will expose you to the highest level of business. The people who don't necessarily need MBAs already went to top schools and usually have worked in top level finance. They're already making so much by their mid-twenties that the MBA isn't worth it. Not that I'm fully advocating all of this, many of these high paying jobs can easily be described as soul sucking. Not that law has a better reputation.</p>

<p>As for law, extracurriculars matter much less. You are really going to have to do very well on the LSAT for an Ivy-caliber law school.</p>

6

<p>$170k is complete bs, its more like 110-120k.....</p>

7

<p>seriously that number seems WAY inflated. Wishful thinking.</p>