I need help in deciding where to use my early decision. I am looking at majoring in Information science and Philosophy with a pre-law track.The colleges I am considering are:
Cornell University (Reach, but I love their program)
William and Mary (Not sure because I am OOS)
Clemson Honors (Reach, but State School)
Denison University (Safety, but good pre-law)
College of Charleston (Safety)
So generally, I wouldn’t care about prestige at all, but since I am interested in doing pre-law I know I need to go somewhere with at least a good reputation. Am I a realistic candidate for W&M and Cornell? I was wondering where should I use my ED and whether or not that would help me more for W&M or Cornell. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
Stats:
SAT: 1500
AP’s: Will have completed 10 (Have gotten scores back for 5 AP Tests and so far all 5s and 4s)
UW GPA: 4.0
WGPA: 5.09
EC’s: Published author of two books. Researcher of Information Science Law, Ethics, and Policy I am into 3d printing and was crucial in getting it into my school. Founded/Led a philosophical club that I am very proud of. Led a habitat for humanity project. Work at a design company and do IT work for my city. I also play 4 sports.
I’ve always read that the primary factors in law school admission are GPA and LSAT, school reputation being at best a minor factor. Although it would great to get an opinion on this from someone more informed such as @Hanna who went to a top law school.
If you are not firmly decided, then it is generally not a good idea to apply ED anywhere and force yourself into a commitment before you are ready to commit.
Also, how do costs look at each school? Remember that law school is expensive, so saving money and avoiding debt as an undergraduate may allow you to go through law school with less debt from law school.
Lead author or researcher? Who published?
And 3rd printing tells us nothing about quantities.
And no one can chance you from just the bones of your resume. Adcoms will look at your full presentation. Do you know what these colleges look for, after stats and some activities?
Only apply ED if you have a definitive top choice AND you have no need to compare financial offers. It does not sound to me like you should apply anywhere ED since you are undecided.
There is no need whatsoever for a “pre-law track” and at most colleges there is no such thing. I would not include that as a factor in the college search.
Are there financial considerations? In-state at Clemson would be dramatically less than Cornell and some of the others. William and Mary is unlikely to offer much aid to an OOS student. Have you run net price calculators for these schools? How do they look? But leaving aside money,
If you could just choose one and go, without having to worry about getting accepted or affording it, which would you choose? I would suggest applying to that one (again disregarding the financial aspect). It seems like you would be competitive at William and Mary and Cornell. Of course, no one cannot for sure, and no guarantees, just a belief that you would be competitive, and not at all wasting anyone’s time. I think that would be particularly true in the ED round. You’d get a great education at Denison and Charleston as well, and probably aid. I’m personally a fan of Denison and love Charleston. Good luck!
Law is getting closer to medicine in terms of debt load, so minimizing undergrad debt is an important factor. I am an alum at a top 3 law school and helped with law school admissions at a top 20 program at one point, and the most important aspects of law school admission are gpa and LSAT scores – much like medicine, going for undergrad where a student can excel, without debt, and develop the necessary critical thinking and reading skills to test well, is the key. Avoid pre-law “programs” – the best preparation for law school and practicing law is developing sharp critical thinking, reading and writing skills. Philosophy, music, finance – the major doesn’t matter.
You should really look at The Honors College at CofC . With your stats , you’d be highly competitive for the William Aiken Fellows program . It’s a great program. My son is a WAF . They form excellent relationships with their professors which can be helpful for recommendations for law school. If you have any questions , feel free to PM me. http://honors.cofc.edu/our-academics/william-aiken-fellows-society.php
As an aside , my son chose CofC Honors over Furman, Wofford, Clemson Calhoun and has never regretted his decision .