<p>First, from what I can garner from all the discussions from over the course of the past year, it seems to me that law school admissions is primarily focused on GPA and LSAT scores.</p>
<p>Second, I am not too good in math or hard sciences. I actually love learning about history. I am only in my freshmen year as an undergrad, but I do not see myself taking too many math or engineering courses at all. I will probably only take the necessary ones to graduate (which is only 1 math class and 1 engineering class) because if I were to take them, they would hurt my GPA a lot more.</p>
<p>Third: I know this makes me sound like I am totally focused on solely my GPA and simply getting into a law school, but I do in fact love to learn--I just have no passion/interest for math or engineering focused classes (the "physical sciences"). I just really want to take history, politics classes, and classes of that nature.</p>
<p>If I were to maintain a high GPA throughout college without taking much more than 1 or 2 math and physical science classes, how much would this affect my ability for admission into top law schools (at least T14 and even the big 3)?</p>
<p>I appreciate all the responses I can get.</p>
<p>It won’t affect your chances at all. Any hard science you take is just a plus.</p>
<p>
No.</p>
<p>
Your school requires an engineering? That’s … weird.</p>
<p>Geez, are you at caltech?</p>
<p>I am a freshman at Stanford University. Well the requirement is one engineering/applied science class. There are “easier” classes that you can take to fulfill the requirement. </p>
<p>I am going to shoot for the highest grades possible, but I just wanted to make sure that only taking the one math and one engineering/applied science class wouldnt hurt me in admissions.</p>
<p>I am aware that majoring in like mechanical engineering and then applying to law school with good grades is a nice way to distinguish oneself, but I just wanted to clarify that if I am ABLE to get a good GPA primarily taking humanities classes at Stanford, that I would be competitive in applying for a T14 Law School and possibly even one of the big 3 ones. Looks like I got my answer, but any more opinions? I really appreciate it.</p>
<p>If you have no interest in engineering, or the sciences, there’s no reason for you to be taking a difficult science/engineering class. Take a fluff science class that doesn’t really sound like fluff, get a B and get it over with. Law school adcoms don’t have to know.</p>
<p>Most law students have spent relatively little time in math or science courses as undergrads. I last enrolled in a math course in the tenth grade.</p>
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</p>
<p>Wow. Was Isaac Newton a fun classmate, or more of a pest? :)</p>
<p>Stanford has plenty of grade-inflated classes: take as many as you can regardless of the discipline.</p>
<p>I’ve heard of several Stanford students with GPA’s in the 4.1 range. ridiculous.</p>
<p>4.1? Not fair. The highest you can get at NYU is a 4.0.</p>
<p>LSAC recalculates GPA. Your school may count an A+ as a 4.0, but LSAC will treat it as a 4.33.</p>
<p>We don’t HAVE A+s. The highest grade you can get is an A.</p>
<p>bluedevilmike, does the Law School GPA calculated by multiplying the grades by the number of units for the course and then divide it by the total sum of units or credits?</p>
<p>For example:</p>
<p>(taken off of Wikipedia)
Class Credits Grade Grade Points
Speech 101 3 A 3 ? 4.0 = 12.0
Biology 102 4 B+ 4 ? 3.3 = 13.2
History 103 3 B− 3 ? 2.7 = 8.1
Physical Education 104 1 C 1 ? 2.0 = 2.0 </p>
<p>Total Credits: 11
Total Grade Points: 35.3
Grade Point Average: 35.3 / 11 = 3.209 or slightly above B average </p>
<p>Or is straight just adding the GPA’s up and dividing by 4?</p>
<p>mike, how do they do it for Duke as our courses are all worth one credit? is it simply unweighted.</p>
<p>Well, not all Duke courses are one – there are some quarter- and half-unit classes, which are appropriately weighted. But yes, otherwise everything is just considered equal.</p>
<p>Bluedevil,</p>
<p>I knew him as Ike Newton. He was too busy secretly inventing the calculus to be much of a pest in advanced algebra.</p>