<p>So I'm an international student from Moscow, Russia. I've lived and studied 2 years in Rome ,Italy, before transferring to NYU last fall.(Junior now) I'm an Art History major and a French Studies minor. I know, not that much related to Law...
I've cofounded two clubs in Rome. Right now at NYU I'm planning to create an art-related club as well and currently running for a president of a Fine Arts Society club. Have a great experience interning with different art organizations and museums. My GPA right now is 3.6 (though consider that I transferred so I started my GPA all over again last semester). I hope to raise it up to 3.8
I will be applying for grad study of art history and criticism, though there was always something that attracted me in law studies. (My mother is a very successful lawyer in Moscow) So I'm thinking why not trying to apply to a Law School. </p>
<p>I know that LSAT is one of the most important factors of admission decisions. So, presumably, I get a good score, do you think I have any chance of getting in?</p>
<p>Maybe someone has suggestions how I may improve those chances.</p>
<p>The question isn’t really whether you can get in with a theoretical LSAT, it’s what can you do afterwards. Do you have US citizenship? If not, do you have a way to get it? Without it there’s very little chance you’ll be able to get a job as a lawyer. Work visas require they show a special need, and given the glut of law school grads I don’t see any firm able to do that. </p>
<p>I’m also pretty concerned about your reasons for wanting to go to law school, “My mom is a lawyer” tells me nothing about you. Do you know what lawyers actually do every day? How much research have you put into what the practice of law entails? Further, given your clear interest in art, law seems totally out of character. </p>
<p>I think you need to seriously evaluate whether you’re actually interested in law, starting with how much you actually know about it. Then you can worry about whether you’ll be able to get a lawyer job in the US (law degrees don’t really transfer across national boundaries). Then you can worry about the LSAT, and if you get this far and get a score of 165 or better, come back and we can strategize about schools.</p>
<p>Just know that all college courses will be used in the GPA calculation. So while you will have a separate NYU transcript, your courses – and grades – taken in Italy will count as well.</p>
<p>Do you need financial aid? If so, be aware that only a very, very few law schools give fin aid to international JD candidates. Most Americans borrow money to get a JD. Usually, a lot of that $ is from federal student loans. You’re not eligible for them. If you or your family can’t pay out of pocket, you’ll almost certainly need a co-signer who is a US citizen (or sometimes a green card holder) to borrow the $ in the US.Those loans will be PRIVATE loans, i.e., not student loans from the state or federal government and the interest rate will be fairly high. If you can borrow the money in Russia…that’s a different story.</p>
<p>Remember, the cost will be at least $150,000. As Demothenes explained, there is no guarantee that you’ll be able to stay in the US after you get your degree.</p>
<p>I’m not quite as negative about a Russian law student as I would be about most other foreign nationals, having some experience with law firms in Russia. The potential exists for getting a job with a firm in Russia (a country in which some international companies like ours have struggled to find good counsel familiar with both US and Russian laws), and potentially being employed in the US under an L1 Visa vs. the more well-known H1B Visa. I view this as a long shot, but not impossible. If Sumpin might want to find work in Russia after graduation, I don’t know if the Russian government or Russian companies would find a U.S. law degree to be useful. We certainly don’t know what the political climate is going to look like in a few years. </p>
<p>If Sumpin doesn’t need financial aid, gets a good score on the LSAT, and GPA is strong after all undergrad grades are factored in, he/she has a good chance of admission somewhere at a US law school. International diversity is a soft factor that might give a tiny boost to his/her application. The club activities are unlikely to have much weight at all. </p>
<p>However, in my opinion I’d concur that it isn’t a good choice considering the state of the legal industry in the U.S… It would mean 3 years in a relatively unpleasant place (law school is stressful, not fun), studying a subject in which Sumpin doesn’t appear to have a strong interest, at a very high cost, and with an uncertain employment outcome. Sumpin’s Mom should be able to give guidance on this one.</p>
<p>(H1-B is being phased out - just used it here since it’s the Visa most people are familiar with.). For disclosure, I’m not an immigration attorney. I do work for a major international company, with business interests all over the world. </p>
<p>@Neonzeus: If Russian companies/firms are interested in US-graduated lawyers, that would definitely be interesting and something to look into before law school. I’d advise OP to try to secure funding for school from one of those Russian entities in which she would like to work. That would defray the cost of school and hopefully secure her a job in Russia. I think the chances of a US job without US citizenship are basically nil.</p>