<p>Hello, I was just wondering about where I would stand in terms of gaining admission to law schools and whether an investment in a school of that rank would be recommended or not.
I hadn't even given law school much thought until this past summer, but I feel as if it suits my skills much more than any other professional field that I have been researching. However, over the past 2-3 semesters I have really lacked direction in my life and unfortunately it has been reflected in my gpa.</p>
<p>I'm entering my 7th semester with a 3.0 gpa in Economics through the (above average) business school at my (average-at-best) university in Texas. I've recently decided to pick up a minor in Mass Communication as a backup and to boost my gpa. With that being said, it will take me 9 semesters to graduate and I believe that I can get my gpa up to 3.2 with the classes I have remaining. I also feel that I have strong recommenders. I know that I need to score high on the LSAT next summer and I honestly believe that I will. </p>
<p>I am aiming to gain admission into law school at Texas Tech, University of Houston, or even comparable schools in another state. I think that these law schools are ranked somewhere above or below 100, but their admissions statistics appear as if they will be a challenge for myself to gain acceptance. </p>
<p>In conclusion, I guess that I have two separate questions: Do I have a decent chance of gaining admission to a school of that rank, and would you advise for or against going to law schools so far outside of the T14?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance for any answers, and extra information is more than appreciated!</p>
<p>Without an LSAT score there’s no way to gauge your chances of admission anywhere. That said, if you’re sure about law school (and it really sounds like you’re not) you should defer graduation until you’ve boosted your GPA to at least a 3.5. The GPA law schools see includes all college-level credits, so picking up a few easy classes at the local community college is a decent and cheap way to boost your GPA. </p>
<p>You should absolutely not go to any school outside the top 20 or so. Take a look at the [url=<a href=“http://www.lawschooltransparency.com/job”>http://www.lawschooltransparency.com/job</a> statistics for schools and you’ll see a sharp decline as they leave the T14. By the T100 you generally are better off taking your tuition money to Vegas.</p>
<p>I also highly recommend you intern at a law office somewhere. Going into law because it’s better than any other professional field sounds like a recipe for unhappiness. Some practical, legal experience would go a long way to showing you what the practice of law is actually like and whether it’s for you. Plenty of schools offer internships for credit so it can also be a good way to boost your GPA.</p>
<p>Don’t go to law school. </p>
<p>First, if University of Houston and similar schools are a stretch, then it sounds like you wouldn’t be assured of graduating at the top of your class from them if you go to one of them; from schools of that caliber, you’d need to be in the top 10% or so to get a job with a large law firm (or a Federal clerkship), which are the only outcomes from law school that make it financially feasible, given how high tuition is these days. </p>
<p>Second, law is a very academic field; as a corporate lawyer, I spend most of my time reading and writing and picking apart intricate wordings in lengthy legal documents. That’s what I am good at; in college; I also spent most of my time reading and writing and picking apart intricate wordings in lengthy documents (in my major). If you haven’t shown a major academic bent so far, particularly in a field that transitions well to law school, then it’s likely that your calling is something else.</p>
<p>Third, there are plenty of ways to make large amounts of money, other than law school, with your background. In law, you can have a good salary, but a huge payoff is rare. Conversely, in business, a huge payoff can be had much more easily. Go into business. </p>