<p>I'm 28 years old and I'm an Officer in the United States Marines. I hold the rank of Captain (O3) and I've been honored with a few achievements and distinguished medals for my service in Iraq and Afghanistan. </p>
<p>I graduated college from East Carolina University with a 3.2 GPA and I majored in Political Science. I then went to OCS (Officers Candidate School) and was commissioned as an Officer in the Marines. I also became 100% proficient in the Arabic language. Since then, I have been serving my country, but I've often dreamed about getting into politics later on in life. This has led me to think a ton about Law School. My knowledge on the whole process is not that good, I will admit that. But I've been teaching myself and immersing myself in books and practice LSAT exams for about 3-4 months now. I've seen the average score is around a 150 and I'd like to think I could do just a bit better than that, maybe around a 160 or so.</p>
<p>I'd like to know a few things. Am I older than the average student? Which schools do you think would be a good idea for me to shoot for? Would I have a shot at any top 10 schools because of my past? How generous are different schools with scholarships? I think the Marines might help me out quite a bit with the tuition actually.</p>
<p>If someone could just give me a quick summary on some of those questions, I would really appreciate it. Also, a list of good schools for me to consider would be great. Does anyone know anything about Vanderbilt?</p>
<p>First of all, you are neither unique nor a law student.</p>
<p>To your Qs:</p>
<p>Your age is not your problem, your GPA is. You are not competitive for elite schools (ie, top 14). A 150 score on the LSAT is mediocre, not "average" in the OK sense. </p>
<p>If your aim is politics, try and aim for the best regional school in the region where you would like to start your career. If you are in the south, it'll probably be U of Florida. </p>
<p>Without the numbers, your background won't mean much.</p>
<p>UUUURAHHH MARINE !!!! Thank you for your service. I too went to Marine OCS and wanted to fly F4 Phantoms, but I blew an ACL playing fraternity football and that ended it. Vanderbilt is an excellent school and I believe it would open many doors. Have you considered going into the JAG corps ? That might be a good deal.</p>
<p>The median age of entering law students at most schools is in the mid-20s, so you won't be too much older than most students--very unlikely to be the oldest in your class.</p>
<p>The best thing to do is to study hard for the LSATs and then think of schools--if you get a 160 (and 4 out of 5 test-takers can't do that well), you're looking at a very different list than if you get a 150. </p>
<p>If you really do an outstanding job on the LSATs (I'm talking 175 or above), I think it would be worth a shot applying everywhere. Your GPA is on the low side, but you have an interesting background. Also, being from an underrepresented minority group will often be a plus factor for admission.</p>
<p>I agree with wildflower that it's generally better to go to a law school in the region where you want to practice--the only exception is if it's a choice between there and a school in the top 10 or so.</p>
<p>"Also, being from an underrepresented minority group will often be a plus factor for admission."</p>
<p>To the OP: are you a minority? Even this, at some places, needs to be qualified. For instance, Stanford is known for astutely asking Latino/Hispanic applicants for specific ethnicity and heritage so as to not confuse a poor Chicana with the son of wealthy Cuban businessmen from Miami or the exiled daughters of an Argentine banker. These "Latinos" in the broader sense can still get AA benefits by demonstrating a background full of obstacles and socioeconomic hardship--but adcoms won't look at them with the same hunger as they would that poor Chicana who is the first to go to college from all ten generations since her family's migration to the US. </p>
<p>"I agree with wildflower that it's generally better to go to a law school in the region where you want to practice--the only exception is if it's a choice between there and a school in the top 10 or so."</p>
<p>Yes, this is a rule of thumb. However, some states (particularly Texas) is known for their "unique culture" for lack of a more descriptive phrase. It's been said that if you want to practice in TX (or run for office there) it may be better to go to UT-Austin than to Harvard Law School. (Interestingly, that's what President Bush Jr. tried to do, but didn't get in at UT-Austin ... he eventually went to Harvard Business School, but it's not hard to see why he would get in there ...)</p>