Thoughts on Appropriate Schools?

Graduate School Law School
1

<p>I have a quite chances-related question for those of you out there.</p>

<p>My situation is as follows:</p>

<p>I will be graduating from a top 10 LAC with a 3.7 (or slightly higher) GPA in Asian Studies. I am fluent in Japanese, have studied abroad for a year in Japan, and will have completed a thesis in Japanese history using various Japanese primary sources. I also have work experience at an Asia-related academic institute, as well as a few finance-related clubs, and worked as a research assistant for a professor. I will have excellent letters of recommendation.</p>

<p>I won't be going straight into law school after I graduate. Instead, I'll likely be working as a paralegal/legal assistant at a top 10 corporate law firm (top 10 in terms of revenue) for a couple of years.</p>

<p>I've yet to take the LSAT, and I know that is a huge determining factor for getting into top schools, but I was wondering if you guys could float realistic or semi-probable law schools for me to consider. One obvious school would be Columbia, given the size and scope of their Japanese Legal Studies department, but I'm by no means committed to only going somewhere that has a major speciality in Japanese law.</p>

<p>So in short, where do you think I could shoot for realistically, assuming I get an LSAT score of 170+?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>It may be unrealistic to assume a score of 170 on the LSAT-especially after working as a paralegal for a few years. What was your SAT math & verbal score?
Georgetown & Duke may be of interest to you. Georgetown probably offers many options with respect to linguistic/foreign language studies & international law/ int’l transactions courses, while Duke Law School encourages joint degrees (master’s & juris doctorate).
The short answer to your question is that no law school is an unrealistic option with a 3.7 GPA & a 170 LSAT score.</p>

3

<p>I understand that assuming a score of 170+ (i.e. 170-180, not just a 170) is a huge assumption to make. This is all very much in the hypothetical anyway, so I was just giving myself the best possible circumstances to work with.</p>

<p>However, just in case knowing so would help, my SAT math-verbal composite was 1470 (2200/2400 total).</p>

<p>And just to remind you guys, while a school with a big Asian law focus would be a definite plus, it is not a requirement.</p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

4

<p>A 1470/1600 SAT score suggests that a 170 LSAT score is a realistic achievement for you. Another poster, BlueDevilMike, has a formula which predicts a likely/equivalent LSAT score based on your math & verbal SAT score.</p>

5

<p>

</p>

<p>First time I’ve actually ever seen anyone seriously reference this metric. Makes me sad.</p>

6

<p>flowerhead: I made the reference to give posters both a feeling for the size and kind of company I will be working for (i.e. big and corporate vs. small and real estate/personal injury/etc.) and to avoid naming the specific company. I quoted its sized based on revenue because big law firms are also “ranked” based upon the number of attorneys they employ. I just wantd to be specific and accurate. </p>

<p>I also refered to my school as a “top 10 LAC” rather than naming the school specifically. Neither of these terms are ment to indicate any self-aggrandizing views nor do they show my views towards money or future career goals. I plan on eventually getting into either academics or government work–not big law. It just so happens that the law firm I applied to big, well-known, requires no previous work as a paralegal, and happened to be recruiting through my school.</p>

<p>I’m suppose what I’m asking is this: given my grades, a VERY hypothetical LSAT score of 170-175, and particularly my soft factors, do you think I should even bother applying to Harvard, Yale or Stanford? I’m clearly out of the GPA range of these schools, but I was wondering if my soft factors would make up for that shortcoming.</p>

7

<p>Stanford and Yale probably won’t bite. Harvard might be a shot if you get above a 175. Realistically, I’d start picturing myself at one of CCNMVPBDGCN, if I were you.</p>

8

<p>Thank you, flowerhead. What do other people think?</p>

9

<p>Even with a 3.7 GPA and an LSAT score in the low 170s admission to YHS isn’t impossible.</p>

10

<p>yah, but more likely than not, it ain’t happening.</p>

11

<p>To be quite honest your softs don’t even seem stellar, just good, and to get into Y or S you need stellar (not even accounting for making up for a lower GPA). </p>

<p>That being said, a 175+ on the LSAT would make you a viable candidate at all 3, most notably Harvard (as flowerhead has already noted). </p>

<p>Take a look at what you’d be competing against at Yale:
[Yale</a> Law School](<a href=“http://www.law.yale.edu/admissions/profile.htm]Yale”>Profiles & Statistics | Yale Law School)</p>

<p>A little searching shows an older post from BDM:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>When people say “stellar” softs, I think that’s what their referencing. </p>

<p>Not to discredit your accomplishments at all, but students that studied abroad and wrote a thesis aren’t that unique when you consider the applicant pool.</p>

12

<p>To be honest, there is a similar list of accomplishments at other T10s, but they are no less intimidating.</p>

<p>I went in straight from college; I felt like a loser.</p>