Is it still possible to get into a top law school coming from a school like CUNY Hunter, Brooklyn, or Baruch? I’m planning on transferring next year and these are the cheapest options for me. I am a 3.95 GPA student and a 172 on my LSAT
Yes, absolutely. You should get into plenty of top-10 schools. Just be sure that it’s clear in your applications that you transferred for financial reasons and no other reason.
Have you already taken the LSAT and gotten the 172 or is this a predicted score?
@goingnutsmom I have taken it and gotten a 172.
Be sure that you can still get amazing recommendations from professors for your law school applications. This might require volunteering for something that allows you to get to know a professor at your new school very well.
What year in college are you?
I am going into junior year, and yeah I know I really have to work hard in order to get know my new professors. Is there a specific order in which GPA, LSAT, and recommendations come into play during the law school admissions process?
I’ve also heard Yale is the only top law school that takes into account where you went to undergrad is that true at all to your knowledge?
You are doing great. You have a high GPA and High LSAT which are the most important parts of the applications to get your foot in the door.
I have been reading that only for Harvard and Yale would EC’s be important. The other thing I have read is that any type of internships exposing you to law are good. Also, that law schools like some work experience.
Look up the 25th and 75th percentile for schools that you are interested in.
I’m not sure about Yale looking at the school you are coming from part. If so, that’s very snobby and who would want to go to a school like that? Better off going to a school that appreciates your hard work and possibilities to contribute.
Good luck!
Wow, you got a high LSAT as a college sophomore?
How did you do that? Can you please share your study plan?
Thanks!
Extremely impressive to have already gotten a 172! You’ll get into plenty of top-10 schools.
Selective law schools will consider where you go to school (and your major) just so that they can see what your GPA means in context: a 3.8 in Soap Opera Studies from Cowtown University, of course, isn’t the same thing as a 3.8 in electrical engineering at MIT.
However, your 3.95 and your 172 will get you into plenty of amazing schools, as you’re clearly smart.
Since you will be getting into top-10 (and maybe even top-5) schools, if you’re transferring just to save some tuition dollars, I’d think twice about that just because you’ll be on the path to making a starting salary of $180,000/year in a large NY law firm if you want it, and so a few thousand dollars of tuition here and there won’t really matter in the big scheme of things.
Goingnutsmom is right about work experience: you should plan to take a year or two off between college and law school if you want to be pretty certain to get into Harvard and its ilk.
Instead of taking a year or two off between undergrad and law school for work experience, would legal internships look as impressive or, at least close to the working experience to a top 5 law school?
My major is History with a minor in Political Science by the way, do you know if that is considered a “strong” GPA then?
Money is part of the reason I want to transfer, but also the location and potential connections and opportunities that go along with living in NYC. My current school is a four year private school in Northern NJ, Caldwell University.
goingnutsmom, I was lucky and did very little studying. I have always been a good test taker along with being decently good at logical thinking and critical reasoning questions. I was wondering if your D took the LSAT yet and if so how did she do? Also which schools is she shooting for because her practice LSAT scores are incredibly impressive.
I want to just say that I’m not an attorney and actually know very little first hand regarding career counseling in law. I’ve just been learning like everyone else.
My impression is that with a high GPA and LSAT score you show a lot of potential. What you need to find out now is if law fits your personality and interests. See you you can connect with career services or internship opportunities at the school that you transfer into. Give yourself time to really explore opportunities in all of your interests. This time will not come again. Don’t be in such a hurry that you forget to reflect on the process.
My D has an interest in law. Maybe it’s more of an interest in the challenge of the LSAT at this point and it’s kind of fun for her. We will see what happens for her. Yes, she hitting a high score but it’s not the real test yet so no idea how she really would do under real conditions.
Just asking because I know of two people who are very very interested in going into law and wondered how you studied because it seems that it worked for you. One is a mom who works full time and needs an efficient way to tackle the LSAT.
@stephenvan: Law schools generally don’t care about your work experience (except Northwestern and maybe Yale), but employers do. I usually recommend prospective law students take a year or two to get real life experience before going to law school. In your case that’s a bit of a wrinkle, since (as I recall–you should double check) LSATs only have a 3 year shelf life, and you are only just a junior. It’s a choice between taking it again and getting some experience.
Also, you absolutely need to do a few legal internships. Law schools won’t care, but only looking at law in practice will tell you whether law is right for you. It’s a lot better to find out you don’t like law when you’re still an undergrad than after law school in your first job.
Law schools won’t care that you transferred undergrads.