<p>So here is the deal. I'm a student who is considered law school as an option. I used to be a BS biology major but it wasn't really my passion. Everyone has always told me I'd be good at law school, but after talking with a father of a friend and shadowing him, I found I really love the work he does!</p>
<p>My thing is, I'm a junior and a little overwhelmed by everything. I'm concerned what my degree is in won't be helpful enough to get into a 'competitive' law school. I know LSAT scores are just as important, but my school is simply a state school in MD. </p>
<p>I dunno, after reading my stats can someone give me some advice on what to do next, things I could do, etc? </p>
<p>3.6 GPA (Will most def graduate with Magna Cum Laude, aiming for Suma), but realistically will probably have like a 3.81 gpa when graduating
Double major in Public Health (BA) and Political Science (BA)
Department Honors in both
Minor in Spanish
Undergraduate Research Project in Political science by a faculty adviser
RA for 2 years
member of a few clubs, aiming for president for 1
Studied Abroad in Brazil
Studied Abroad in Switzerland for winter break
One Epidemiology Internship
One Political Science Internship
Took a practice LSAT class and got a 160</p>
<p>I know I need to practice my Lsat since...but do you have anything else I should probably do?</p>
<p>All advice would be great!</p>
<p>Many schools have pre-law advising programs or offer services through the school’s placement office. They may have better information on prospects for graduates from your school.</p>
<p>S is in his law school app process now, so my info is 2nd-hand. Law school admissions appear heavily driven by LSAT and GPA. My understanding is undergrad degreee/major, school, ECs, and the rest of your application may come into play (“holistic” app review) or are used the sort out the students who make whatever numerical cut a school uses. So the 2 best things you can do for your prospects are maintain/improve your GPA and get a mid 160s or better on LSAT (maybe 170+ for T14). Try to take LSAT early enough so you have time to take again (multiple scores appear to not be as big an issue as they used to be) and still get applications in during the fall. [Law schools have rolling admissions so it may help to start early.] Although plenty of applicants don’t complete their applications until Dec/Jan. Try to take LSATs when you have NOTHING else competing for your prep time for at least a few weeks prior. LSAT and final exams are not a good combination!</p>
<p>A very good site with info on the current application cycle and self-reported (so take with grain of salt) numbers/success status is lawschoolnumbers.com. Here is the 2011-12 info for UMD Law [University</a> of Maryland - Admissions Graph | Law School Numbers](<a href=“Recently Updated J.D. Profiles | Law School Numbers”>Stats | Law School Numbers) to give you some idea of what they are looking for. lawschoolpredictor is another number-driven site, and [Top</a> Law Schools](<a href=“http://www.top-law-schools.com/]Top”>http://www.top-law-schools.com/) is probably better than CC for forums. The interviews with admissions directors and law school deans and school profiles are excellent resources according to my S. Law School Advisor, [PrelawAdvisor.com</a> - Prelaw Advisor.com Home](<a href=“http://prelaw.squarespace.com/]PrelawAdvisor.com”>http://prelaw.squarespace.com/), has a lot of good advice and my S has used him for advice on school selection and his essay.</p>
<p>Current employment market for new attorneys is extremly tight & competitive. Many in the business and on the forums have pointed out you should consider the cost to attend, loss of 3 years earnings potential, and realistic appraisal of employment prospects when making a decision to pursue a JD. Good luck.</p>