What are my chances at the best law schools in the nation

Graduate School Law School
1

<p>I am currently a junior at the University of Southern California, double majoring in accounting and corporate finance. I will also have a mini-emphasis in entrepeunrial studies upon graduation. I am actively involved on campus and the weakest part of my resume is my work experience. This summer I have secured an internship at Deloitte & Touche which is arguably the best accounting/professional service business in the world. This will strengthen my reusme and round out my experience. I am considering investment banking, big four accounting, private wealth management, or law school upon graduation. </p>

<p>I have not taken the LSAT yet or even looked at what is required for the test or the difficulty of such a test. I am going to purchase some Law school books in the immediate future so that I get a better idea of where I might want to go and what I need to do in preparation of admission. At this point I just wanted to get a feel from you all what my chances might be at a top school like Harvard. I say Harvard becuase they have a unique four year joint MBA/JD program that is quite appealing from my standpoint. As you can tell from my career options out of undergrad, I am quite undecided, and the broader a skill set I can acquire the more options I will have in the future. That is why the joint degree is very appealing to me. </p>

<p>What do you think about getting a CPA in conjunction with a JD. This is another possibility of mine and what I would be getting myself into if I were to venture a carrer in big four accounting. I would have to work for two years in order to get my CPA and once I got my CPA I would most likely leave the industry in pursuit of a JD. I do not know how beneficial getting the two would be, or if they would compliment each other, but I know that wherever I end up having the two skills will make me more appealing. </p>

<p>Please look at my stats and tell me what you think. I assume I will do quite well on the LSAT and score within the range (170+) neccesary for admission at a top school. I can also get two or more very solid letters of reccomendations.</p>

<p>Undergraduate College
USC: Undergraduate Cumulative GPA 3.91 (96 units)</p>

<p>Academic Honors
Donald and JoAnn Farrar Endowed Scholar
Phi Kappa Phi (Top 7.5 percent of juniors)
Alpha Lambda Delta
Dean?s List (2004, 2005, 2006)</p>

<p>Work Experience:
Deloitte Audit Internship
----Will write about this once I complete the internship this summer</p>

<p>Leadership:
Deloitte National Leadership Conference Attendee
-----Selected as one of four hundred and fifty students nationally accepted to attend a leadership conference in Scottsdale, Arizona where I participated in team building exercises under the supervision of Deloitte professionals
Phi Delta Theta ? Cal Delta Chapter Re-founding Father
-----Worked with national members of Phi Delta Theta to recruit new members and develop a pledging process in order to regain the charter for the Cal Delta chapter at USC
Trojan Investing Society Analyst
-----Fundamentally analyzed eBay and presented to the organization why the stock was undervalued
Marshall Cohort Peer Mentor
-----Provide freshman and sophomore business majors with information about classes and teachers so that they can feel comfortable at USC and make educated decisions for what classes they should take without the help of an academic counselor</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activities
New York Investment Banking Trip Ambassador
-----Selected as one of twenty Marshall Business students to travel to New York City and serve as ambassadors between USC and Investment Banks
Deloitte Honors Case Competition Participant
-----Received second place honors in a Deloitte case competition in which my team of five USC students had to solve a complex accounting problem and present our solution to a panel of Deloitte professionals
USC Snowboard Team Boardercross Racer
-----Compete for USC in the SCCSA against other regional universities
Beta Alpha Psi Fraternity Member
-----Active member in the honorary organization for Financial Information students
Marshall International Exchange Host
------Served as an ambassador to Hong Kong and Australia as I took on the responsibilities of helping two students from such countries become acclimated to life within the United States and at USC</p>

<p>Volunteer Work
Joint Education Project
-----Traveled to two nearby elementary schools every week in order to teach the students for one hour about the principles of geology and classical mythology
Santa Monica Trails Council
-----Completed twenty five hours of community service in order to clean up local and state trails</p>

2

<p>A very quick resopnse:</p>

<p>It is practically impossible to tell you what your chances are for admission to any law school without an actual LSAT score. Not to be pessimistic, but you shouldn't assume that you will score a 170+ on the LSAT without the benefit of even knowing what types of skills are tested or having taken a practice test or two.</p>

<p>Many schools offer JD/MBA programs. Harvard's program is hardly unique. </p>

<p>In most instances, having full time, post-graduation work experience under your belt will be a positive factor in your application to law school. Though I am no expert, in order to become a CPA you have to pass the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination. Before you can sit for this exam, though, you will have to satisfy the 150 hour rule, which I believe requires a minimum of five years of post-high school schooling. Most states also have a work experience requirement before one can become a CPA. I'll let someone here who is actually a CPA confirm or correct this information. The end result, then, is that if you want to become a CPA before attending law school, you would have some valuable experience that would certainly help you in the law school admissions process.</p>

<p>In fact, I know several accountants who have gone on to law school, and who now have careers in tax law.</p>

3

<p>
[quote]
Before you can sit for this exam, though, you will have to satisfy the 150 hour rule, which I believe requires a minimum of five years of post-high school schooling.

[/quote]

This is untrue, a lot of folks get their 150 done during four years of undergrad.</p>

4

<p>Just echoing/reiterating Sally's originally points: </p>

<ul>
<li><p>Prediction is worse than impossible with no LSAT score, and assuming 170+ is unreasonable. That said, LSAT/GPA make up, while by no means ALL of the admissions process, certainly a majority of it. There are "law school admissions calculators" all over the internet--and links to them all over these boards--where you can plug in your GPA and different LSAT scores and see very rough odds of acceptance. Play with those for awhile to get the feel of things. (Note: According to Princeton Review's most recent stats, however you want to weigh them, a 3.9 and 170 would put you in the bottom half of admitted students at Harvard; a 3.9 and 171 would put you dead center; a 3.9 and 172 would just push you into the upper half).</p></li>
<li><p>Harvard's joint MBA/JD program is not unique. My assumption is that the vast majority (if not all) of the top law schools offer the same program, as do many of the lower schools. This is just a guess based on the fact that I, without any specific interest in the program, haven't applied to a single school that didn't have it. Regardless, it should not be hard to find.</p></li>
<li><p>If you're interested in law school, look through these boards, do some google searching. You'll find all kinds of commentary on the importance (or lack, thereof, in some cases) of extra-curriculars, work experience, undergrad school, major, and so forth. You'll find lots of "how to prepare for the LSAT" tips, descriptions of the test, and other relevant info that will help you better gauge your own chances.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Good luck, and congrats on what you've done so far!</p>

<p>PS. USC to Harvard...you'd have the best network ever.</p>