I currently have a 3.61 GPA and will have either a 3.66 or 3.67 at the end of this term. I have the opportunity to take a couple Summer classes where I think I could boost it to a 3.69 but I know I can’t get it to a 3.7 before applying to law school. My question is, does it really matter if my GPA is a 3.66 or 3.69? I mean, it’s never going to be a 3.7 so should I even waste my time taking these Summer classes?
likely not. It would only matters if the additional courses could get you above your targeted law school’s median. But I assume that you are still in school? If so, add senior year courses and apply after you graduate. What would your GPA be if you get mostly A’s next year?
Well my gpa after I graduate will likely be above a 3.7, but I’m also going to be graduating with a lot of excess credits bc im technically a senior now but my full ride scholarship is for four full years and I wanted to complete an honors thesis in my last year. But I am applying for law schools in the fall before early decision because I want to go fall 2018. My target schools are UC Davis and UC Irvine, both their median gpas are around a 3.52, with their 75th percentile being a 3.68 for Irvine and a 3.73 for Davis
Why are Davis and Irvine your target schools?
Because of my kind of low gpa and I have no long term extracurriculars, like the only things worthy of mentioning on my app I’ve only been involved with a few months and I have no internship experience or anything like that. I take the lsat in September so depending on my score those targets may change
It should be higher than that after a full year of A’s!
EC’s are nice-to-haves.
Only two numbers count: GPA + LSAT. Rock the LSAT and attend UCI for free, or attend a better LS. Win-win.
(There is no need to go direct to LS. Get a job, any job, and experience life.)
And I did think about taking a gap year but other forces are kind of making my life so that it makes the most sense to go to law school right out of college. I mean like here’s my profile when I’ll be applying: GPA: 3.66 or 67. LSAT will likely be in the high 160s based on the diagnostics I’m taking, and I’m taking a powerscore lsat prep class this summer. I am a soc major, legal studies minor, peer advisor for the soc department, started a sociology club at my university, member of the undergraduate law society, will graduate with honors and have original research done through my honors thesis (it’s about juveniles in the adult prison system). I am also going to have some involvement with a lawyer this summer, although I’m not sure to what degree yet, so I may be able to spin that as an internship or shadowing experience (she’s a family friend). I really just don’t know where I stand in comparison to other applicants. I’m not looking to go to a T10 or even a T14, because I don’t think that’s possible. UCLA would be my absolute dream, but I don’t think I have a shot unless I blow away the LSAT. So I like the programs at Davis and Irvine as well, since they are similar to UCLA just not as highly ranked.
I think the time would be better spent studying for LSAT
@bluebayou. Can you give more detail about rocking the LSAT and attending UC Irvine law school for free please?
Thank you
There is plenty of merit money available for applicants who are above both medians and even more money for those over the school’s 75th.
(The only schools that don’t offer merit money are HYS – their aid is all need-based.)
Thank you @bluebayou
P.S. That is why a full year of senior year grades can potentially be worth thousands of dollars, tax free. And the gap year gives more time to prep for the LSAT. Win-win.
In a perfect world, I wouldn’t have been so dumb in the early years of my undergrad and my GPA would be a lot better. I was pre-med freshman and sophomore years and accrued all my Bs and Cs in science and math classes. My major GPA is a 4.1, and I have similar grades in my other law related classes including poly sci, actual law classes (my university offers undergrad law courses), and really anything else that wasn’t science and math lol. I know my GPA will be around a 3.8 or 3.9 when I graduate but it’s just not feasible for me to take a gap year. However, if I totally bomb the LSAT then I will have to take a gap year, although I doubt that will happen. Just looking at my profile, do you think I am a competitive applicant for schools like UCI and UCD? Am I more competitive than I need to be for those schools and could potentially get into better ones? @bluebayou @Demosthenes49
UCI and UCD are fine schools, but it doesn’t seem to me like UCLA or Berkeley would be out of reach. California is a competitive market for lawyers, and the school you go to has a huge influence on the kinds of opportunities you have when you graduate. Look up the school reports on Law School Transparency – there are very different employment outcomes, especially if you’re looking to get a high-paying big firm job.
I would wait at least a year – you can bring up your GPA, retake the LSAT if necessary, and get some work experience (which schools value). You should think about the long-term benefits of maximizing the strength of your application. If you do decide to go straight through, just do the best you can on the LSAT. With a high enough score, you should be able to get Berkeley, UCLA, or a big scholarship to UCD/ UCI. I’m not sure if summer school would really matter though, any bump on the LSAT would probably be more valuable.
Sorry, unless you are on an expiring visa, a gap year is always feasible. And yes, all professional schools prefer work experience.
btw:. Cal is GPA-focused, much more important than LSAT for that school. So that definitley means a gap year, unless OP has overcome some adversity and has a story to tell.
OP: aim higher to have a better chance at a legal job. UCLA/USC, at a discount, or UCI/UCD would work for near free.
What kind of LSAT score do you think I would have to get to be competitive for any of those UC schools with my lower GPA? I know I’m just obsessing over all of this and should probably just wait until I take the LSAT and get my score to make my final decision about gap year or no gap year. Believe it or not, a gap year would severely disrupt my life/responsibilities mostly due to financial issues then just going straight to school, but I would find a way to make it work if it would have a huge influence on my future career. Do you know if getting rejected to schools initially, like when I apply in the Fall next year, influences the possibility of getting in in the future if I were to apply after I graduated? @bluebayou @SlippinJimmy
I go to University of Oregon by the way, I know sometimes UC schools are harder to get into out of state. I was given a very prestigious merit scholarship to attend and had to work over the summer to cover the rest. Especially since we had tuition hikes almost every year, hence the reason I couldn’t really do any internships as they are mostly unpaid. @bluebayou @SlippinJimmy
I don’t believe there is any disadvantage for being out-of-state for UC law schools (other than a slight increase in tuition, but I think you can switch to in-state after a year).
A 3.7 is a pretty good GPA in the scheme of things. If that’s a bit below a school’s median, then you probably want to be above median on LSAT. Berkeley is tough though because they really prioritize GPA. Also, ideally, you want to be a strong enough candidate to not just get in, but to get a good scholarship. Schools are willing to pay to boost their LSAT medians.
I really recommend checking out Law School Transparency. Just Google the name of the school and “LST report.” You can click on the admissions tab to see data on LSAT and GPA and percentiles. And also look at their employment score and the percent who go to large firms/ get federal clerkships, since those are the most competitive entry-level jobs that are measured in the report.
Okay thanks. I’m like overly worried about my ECs, I don’t know if they could make or break my apps depending on my LSAT. Thanks for the LST resource @SlippinJimmy
Nope, don’t believe and never will.
Look, I grew up in the projects, so I can financial issues. But moving from undergrad to live off of massive law school loans is about the absolute worst “financial issue” that you could place yourself in. Just a really, really bad idea when the alternative is to attend LS on the cheap.
What’s better: graduating with $250+k in debt in three years, or $50k in debt in four?
Don’t forget: according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the US graduates 2x as many JD’s as can possibly be absorbed. That means, by definition, 50% of all law schools grads cannot get a lawyer job. Think about that. And then think about incurring $250k in non-dischargeable loans.