<p>I am a rising Sophomore at NYU and i have a question about GPA and law school. </p>
<p>I was wondering if someone went to a SUNY school like Suny Albany and attain a 3.8 gpa, compare to going to NYU and attaining a 3.4 gpa, would the student from SUNY Albany have the advantage in Law School application? (considering both students received the same LSAT score.)</p>
<p>I always wonder this ever since HS, but I decided NYU because of the better reputation and I got good financial aid from them. Would the better reputation of NYU give the advantage?</p>
<p>The prestige of your undergraduate institution matters very little in law school admissions. Moreover, only the top schools, such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, seem to receive any special treatment (and it’s usually marginal) from law school admissions officers. </p>
<p>Anyway, a 3.8 from SUNY Albany is much better than a 3.4 from NYU, or even from Harvard.</p>
<p>there is probably not much difference if you are an UG from NYU vs. SUNY Albany. It really is about LSAT and GPA (well at least 95% or so is based on your stats)</p>
<p>don’t assume you can easily get a 3.8 from SUNY Albany- it may happen, but don’t transfer because you ASSUME you will get a higher gpa as a SUNY Albany student.</p>
<p>transfer because you want to, need to, or NYU costs much more than SUNY and you are not sure if the cost is worth it. </p>
<p>And yes- a 3.8 from Albany is WAY better than a 3.4 from NYU. Aim for a 3.6 or better regardless of what school you go to-- then everything else is all going to be dependant on your LSAT score.<br>
Good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>I wasn’t thinking of transferring, It’s just something I was wondering about. I love it here and wouldn’t transfer just because I think I could get a higher GPA.</p>
<p>So, what I was trying to ask is why should students attend a private institution like NYU, Boston College, College of William and Mary ect… with a more rigorous coursework then say SUNY Purchase if in the end you can attend the latter and have easier time attaining and maintaining a higher GPA and be the same in Law school admission?</p>
<p>There are many reasons to attend a prestigious private institution over a less-rigorous, cheaper public institution, but the two foremost are:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>When selecting a college, most students do not know for certain that they want to apply to law school (and those who do should probably chill out, because a lot can change in 4 years). If one were 100% that their one professional goal was to become a lawyer, then yes, choosing a cheaper, “easier” school would make more sense in the long run. But if there’s any shred of doubt in that regard, it makes sense to attend a more prestigious school where employment opportunities will be far superior to many other schools. I guarantee it’s easier for NYU grads to find work than for most SUNY grads. </p></li>
<li><p>The overall quality of the student body will be higher at private schools. That’s just a fact. You would be surprised what a difference that can make in your overall college experience.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>First of all: the SUNY student with the 3.8 will have a much better shot at ANY law school than the 3.4 from NYU.</p>
<p>Next, only the top, top colleges will receive any sort of boost from their undergraduate reputations (Ivies/MIT/Stanford/UChicago/Duke/NU/few others). Even then, the difference between these schools (ie. Harvard and Brown) is non-existant, and the difference between these top schools and other schools is marginal at best. A 3.8 SUNY student still trumps at 3.4 from Yale. </p>
<p>Also, do not assume you will get a better GPA at a SUNY; a “better” school does not equate to “harder to get a good GPA”. I would argue (and many familiar with both schools would most likely agree with me) that even though Harvard is widely considered to be a better school that UChicago, obtaining a good GPA at UChicago is much harder than Harvard. There are state schools and smaller less known universities to which I could extend the same generalizations. </p>
<p>As already mentioned in this thread, the benefits of attending a great college should extend beyond the GPA you will receive. The resources provided to you, the quality of your professors and education, the additional funding available for activities and interests, and probably most important the culture of the student body are all reasons why excluding cost attending a better university is the better choice. </p>
<p>Chances are, if that SUNY student really doesn’t deserve that 3.8, it will show in both the rigor of their course load and most importantly their LSATs. Focus on yourself, improve your GPA, and get the most out of your college experience. If you do, things like law school will come naturally.</p>