<p>Hi- I really need some help on this. Last year was my freshman year of college, and due to some family issues, I was pretty distracted and didn't go to class a lot, and I ended up with a 2.5 GPA. I now have my sights set on being a lawyer and getting into a good graduate school, but is that even possible? If I do well enough in the next few years to bring my GPA up to at least a 3.5 or so, will they ignore my freshman year? Thank you!</p>
<p>depends on which school you are currently going to, the severity of your course work load, and which schools do you have your set on. If you want to go to a top 25 law school like NYU/Fordham, you need at least a 3.6/3.7.</p>
<p>I doubt they will completely ignore your freshman year given the competition (you are just in your freshman, by the time you are senior, the competition will increase even more), but I am sure they will definitely take that into some consideration. You have to realize that the most qualified people get rejected all the time from the top 25 law schools (those who have always maintained a 3.7 from freshman year onwards so you have to give them a compelling reason why you should be accepted over them). Last I checked for Fordham which is ranked 25, their median LSAT is 165 and GPA is 3.6. Also, their acceptance rate is 20%, making them the 14th most selective school in the country. It just depends what you mean by a good law school, there are plenty of good law schools, but the top 25 are elite ones. I'm sure if you do well the rest of the three years and do well on the LSAT's, you'll end up at a very good school where you can put yourself in a position to succeed.</p>
<p>lol, fordham is not elite. the only law schools that are worth going to are the t14. and a 3.5 will get you into any of them with a high enough lsat.</p>
<p>I would say Fordham has far better contacts than many of those schools on the list. Basically, the top 3 schools in NYC (Columbia, NYU, Fordham) place their students in the best firms. "Fordham Law is one of the top five law schools when measured in terms of placement at the top 30 law firms in the country."
<a href="http://law.fordham.edu/facts/wom-fact7.ihtml%5B/url%5D">http://law.fordham.edu/facts/wom-fact7.ihtml</a></p>
<p>The term "the top 3 schools in NYC" is misleading as there are surprisingly few law schools in the NYC area. Either way, Fordham is in no way a top law school, or at least cannot be considered a peer to NYU and Columbia, which are among the top 5 in the nation.</p>
<p>It is ranked 25.</p>
<p>surprisingly few law schools in NYC? You have got 3 schools in the top 25. You have Cardozo, Hofstra, St. John's in addition- what the hell are you talking about? Name me a city that has more law schools that are tier 1.</p>
<p>You're right. With the possible exception of Boston, NYC probably has the most law schools and Fordham is #25. However, I think it is misleading to speak of NYU, Columbia, and Fordham as the top 3 law schools in NYC. It may be the truth, but it's more like NYU/Columbia are the top 2 and then there is Fordham.</p>
<p>And I think it is unfair to say that it is in no way a top law school and it depends what you are talking about. Fordham places its students in the best firms..has among the best contacts and is the 15 the most selective school in the country. Our median LSAT 165.5 vs NYU's 170 and our acceptance rate is 20% (Obviously we have the student body, arguably the best city in the world, and the contacts working in our favor. So I think it unfair to bring down Fordham's law school like that.</p>
<p>"and there are others" is demeaning. I do not think you can compare Fordham with Hofstra and the other schools in NYC. There are no where even close.</p>
<p>You know what - you're right. Fordham is a good law school, I just don't consider it among the best. That is my opinion; I don't consider it on par with NYU and Columbia. That is not to say Fordham is not a great law school, as it obviously is, but it is all dependent on what you mean by "top law school." IMO, Fordham is good but NYU and Columbia are simply among the best and thus overshadow Fordham.</p>
<p>Lastly, I would like to point out Fordham is getting better every year. It went from #32 to #25 in one year and is yet to reach its peak.</p>
<p>I agree with you NYU and Columbia are on top of Fordham and it will take a very long time for Fordham to achieve that status. But what I mean by great is the recognition and the quality of education which Fordham has. Maybe you never heard of Fordham before but it is good that you got a better understanding now.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Maybe you never heard of Fordham before but it is good that you got a better understanding now
[/quote]
</p>
<p>You're right. I never knew Fordham was even a tier 1 school until now as I don't look past the T14 usually. Curse my elitist soul. :)</p>
<p>I've worked in legal recruiting in several of the top, name-brand law firms in NYC for two decades and I can tell you that Fordham graduates are among the most sought-after. We only recruit in certain firms throughout the country and Fordham is one. You need to get your facts straight. To the OP: you may want to seriously consider beefing up your resume between college and law school to make yourself a more interesting candidate if you have any interest in one of those high-paying jobs after law school</p>
<p>
[quote]
You need to get your facts straight.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Oh Lordy I'll never speak outta turn again ma'am. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>First time caller, long time listener of this site. Funny how this thread got hijacked to a Fordham versus NYU debate. </p>
<p>In any event felt compelled to weigh in: I also work in the executive search/legal recruiting field in New York City with a focus on Manhattan and have to agree that Fordham Law is extremely well respected and we (especially before the crash - now across the board it is slower) have no problem placing them in V25 firms. In New York, Fordham Law is a top law school.</p>
<p>The Fordham partners/hiring alumni are fervently (almost to the point of it being above and beyond) loyal to the school and its graduates. I have not seen that kind of connection between NYU partners and its alumni which I believe must be attributable school culture.</p>