What Schools Should I Be Looking @?

Graduate School Law School
1

<p>Hi, all. A bit of rambling until the line (optional reading here): </p>

<p>I recently decided to pursue law. It's what I've always wanted to do, but with the volatility of the job market and the seeming abundance of lawyers, I thought a career in dentistry -- and, therefore, a major in Biology -- might be a safer bet. Well, what's the point in job security (which doesn't truly exist anyhow) if you hate what you're doing? </p>

<p>Biology was not for me. I know it's an overused excuse for crappy grades, but there's a reason for its frequency. For me, there were kids in my Bio classes just enraptured by the subject -- enraptured at memorizing a list of 20 things so small they are invisible to the naked eye whose interactions with each other occur in milliseconds. Surely, that major gave me an appreciation for the subject (it is pretty amazing) but I'm no scientist. Anyway, I changed my major to History, am getting all A's and everything's just great. I don't think it is a particularly easy major, but that it suits my strengths and interests. </p>

<p>The problem... two semesters as a Bio major destroyed my GPA. I'm at a 3.0 with two semesters remaining. Assuming all A's (which is possible) I'll have a 3.38. Say 3.3. A few questions. I have my LSAT next month. I consistently have been scoring in the high range. My lowest practice test was a 168 and my highest was 176 with several weeks to spare until the actual exam. That first mark was a diagnostic, pre-study test, too. Realistically, I hope for a 174, but I don't know how closely sitting at my desk at home with my alarm clock as a timer simulates the actual test scenario. </p>

<hr>

<p>So, we're assuming an LSAT of 174-175 and GPA of 3.3. I am 20, have a part-time job at a bookstore, am involved in my church running the soundboard, I have been several times to Haiti (pray/ help any way you can, guys!) and have been involved in fundraisers for that cause. Pretty typical stuff here. I am probably going to take a job/ internship at a Harvard law grad's firm here in Miami over the summer (hopefully I can tap him for a rec). </p>

<ol>
<li><p>Where to look? My dreams are Duke, Chicago and Vanderbilt. I think only the last one mentioned is semi-realistic given my GPA. What other schools should I look at? If I score higher on my LSAT's than my projection, which schools should I look at then?</p></li>
<li><p>Any recs to make my future application more appealing? </p></li>
<li><p>Also, should I wait to apply until I have my final grades and transcript (and a higher GPA) by mid-December or should I apply as early as possible, including early admission to one of the above dream schools (Chicago/ Duke) and include a letter from my teachers showing that my grades that semester are satisfactory? </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thanks guys. Best of luck with law school admissions.</p>

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<p>There are many similar sites that offer GPA/LSAT range of acceptances, along with Bar exam pass rate and % accepted. Google for better sites, but here is one:</p>

<p>[Top</a> 2010 Law School Rankings](<a href=“http://www.top-law-schools.com/rankings.html]Top”>Law School Rankings)</p>

3

<p>At this point, the most important thing is to focus on getting your numbers as high as possible. 3.0 vs. 3.2 vs. 3.4 matters a lot; 170 vs. 172 vs. 174 also matters a lot. Squeeze every last points you can out of those two numbers.</p>

<p>(And, don’t forget that LSAC awards 4.33 for an A+.)</p>

<p>As you said, your EC’s look pretty typical. Which is not a bad thing.</p>

4

<p>thanks
1234</p>

5

<p>cool. i didn’t know about the A+. I have two of those so far. I’ll reach for a couple more! Nice.</p>

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<p>do you go to duke, Bluedevilmike? </p>

<p>And crazed, i think i remember that name from the University of Miami boards (where I go).</p>

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<p>I did my undergraduate work there. It’s a great place, although the law school building wasn’t my favorite. I think they might have renovated it since, though.</p>

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<p>Similar applicants: [LSN</a> :: Search J.D. Profiles](<a href=“http://search.lawschoolnumbers.com/users/jd/?a=su&lsat2=175&lsatR=true&lsat1=173&lgpa1=3.25&lgpa2=3.35&workingCycle=0809]LSN”>Recently Updated J.D. Profiles | Law School Numbers)</p>

<p>Chicago: [LSN</a> :: University of Chicago - Admissions Graph](<a href=“Recently Updated J.D. Profiles | Law School Numbers”>Recently Updated J.D. Profiles | Law School Numbers)</p>

<p>Duke: [LSN</a> :: Duke University - Admissions Graph](<a href=“Recently Updated J.D. Profiles | Law School Numbers”>Recently Updated J.D. Profiles | Law School Numbers)</p>

<p>Vanderbilt: [LSN</a> :: Vanderbilt University - Admissions Graph](<a href=“Recently Updated J.D. Profiles | Law School Numbers”>Recently Updated J.D. Profiles | Law School Numbers)</p>

<p>Duke is unusually splitter unfriendly - but you should get Georgetown or Northwestern (may get deferred for a year) with no problem, and CCN is a possibility.</p>

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<p>I’m not so sure about Northwestern, which places a higher premium on work experience.</p>

10

<p>Yeah, but they’ll usually just defer you for a year to get some.</p>

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<p>I’m skeptical of CJ’s claim. But it’s moot, at least for now. Get those numbers up as high as possible. Every point matters.</p>

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<p>CANE- Yup- cane parent. (should change my name on here!!)</p>

<p>Miami used A, B+, etc… They do not give out anything higher than A=4.0 as far as I know. In that regard, you and the other Canes are at a disadvantage. I posted on that recently.</p>

13

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</p>

<p>Skeptical here, too, but here’s my take:

  1. I think Northwestern’s desire for work experience is a tad exaggerated. From what I’ve seen (and I could be wrong; I’m relying on memory), the average student age at Northwestern doesn’t differ from other T14s, and they seem to maintain the same proportion of straight-from-college students as other T14s. I could be wrong, but this is what my memory tells me.
  2. Northwestern doesn’t usually hand out those deferrals. What they will do, occasionally, for people with super high numbers is that they’ll offer a spot, with a one-year deferral, and a full scholarship. Seems like a sweet deal, but it is definitely not regularly offered.</p>
14

<p>Thanks so much, everyone. Super valuable stuff. It stinks that motivation, for me, is sinking in a bit late. It is a comfort to know, though, that so long as I follow this upswing as far as it goes, I have a chance of landing admission at some decent schools. I’ll definitely add some new schools to that list. I might add Emory as something of a safety (do those even exist?!). </p>

<p>Crazed: Here at Miami, I believe A+'s are departmental. I thought I earned two, but I’ve earned one A+ in a Biology class for non-Bio majors (before I chose Bio as my major). I’ll look into it, though.</p>

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<p>I should have said: if they have a problem with that, then they defer you. I just didn’t notice people with good numbers being kept out. I got in without even having had a summer job or internship. But they may have begun to focus more nowadays.</p>

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<p>Just to be clear, in the entering class at Northwestern Law this past autumn, 98% had at least one year of work experience and 84% had at least two years of work experience. That differs significantly from every other top law school. For example, at Harvard Law, 60% of the entering class this past autumn had been out of college at least one year. </p>

<p>I believe that the percentage of students who have been out of college for a period of years at most top law schools is typically similar to Harvard’s, rather than Northwestern’s, numbers.</p>

<p>Please note that the percentage of students at top law schools who have been out of college for some number of years before attending law school increases every year.</p>