<p>With a 3.7-4.0, college honors, and 170 LSAT, what extracurriculars would make an undergrad stand out for Yale LS, Stanford LS, Columbia LS, Harvard LS, Berkeley LS? </p>
<p>Amnesty International, President
The Roosevelt Institution, President
JusticeCorps one-year service member
Research internships throughout the year
Undergrad Business Review Journal, VP of Creative Development
Freelance writer for ethnic magazine and newspapers</p>
<p>Hobbies: cultural organizations, writing, dancing, etc.</p>
<p>Would this be enough? What types of activities and committment really stand out? How can you relay your commitment in your application?</p>
<p>Um…you’re finishing up your freshman year. Have you already held all those positions? Have you already taken the LSAT? Is that your gpa now–or the one you hope to have when your grades go up?</p>
<p>Seriously, concentrate on your gpa right now. Get to know some of your profs so you’ll have decent LORs. Worry about everything else later. There’s a huge difference between a 3.7 and a 4.0 and nobody has a “theorectical” LSAT.</p>
<ul>
<li>4.0 GPA (both quarters, this quarter is looking good too)</li>
<li>Research position with a published author and respected historian (this quarter and probably only for one quarter)</li>
<li>Amnesty International Co-President (next year; elections already happened)</li>
<li>Roosevelt Institution (depends on results; find out next week; if everything works out then I will be Co-President)</li>
<li>JusticeCorps service member (I had my interview today; I think it went well, but who knows)</li>
<li>Bruin Business Review, current VP of Creative Development and also for next year</li>
<li>Freelance writer for several south asian newspapers and magazines</li>
<li>member of cultural organizations and dance teams; don’t plan to run for leadership positions because I just like being a member and participating </li>
</ul>
<p>…that’s about it. Please don’t think I’m doing all of these things for law school, because with all honesty I really enjoy everything I’m involved in. And I’m always on the lookout for exciting and fun opportunities that will challenge me to be a better student, researcher, leader, activist, etc. I just want to make sure that I’m doing enough to get into or at least be seriously considered for the top schools that will provide me with really unique opportunities…</p>
<p>I know there is no theoretical LSAT score. I’m hoping though that I will be able to break 170 at least. My SAT was really low in high school.</p>
<p>I’m not underestimating the difficulty, hence I’m hoping I get at least 170. I’m willing to commit a lot of time into studying and preparing for the test. I realize that still doesn’t mean I’ll reach my goal.</p>
<p>It is highly unlikely that you will break 170 on the LSAT; fewer than 2% of test-takers do so (and lots of the folks who score lower also “commit a lot of time into studying and preparing”). Unfortunately, the fact that your SAT score was low is a better predictor of your LSAT performance than your current GPA is. </p>
<p>At this point, your best bet is to keep getting good grades and doing extracurriculars that interest YOU, not that you think will help you get into law school. Do research and talk to/shadow lawyers to see if you really want to be one. Then, take a few months to study hard for the LSAT and see where your score can get you in. There’s no point in thinking about what school’s you’ll apply to til you have your LSAT score and GPA in hand.</p>