<p>Go to a prestigious, large school with grade deflation and it's hard to get a good GPA (in other words, rigorous) </p>
<p>or a small school that isn't as well known but where it is easier to get a high GPA and there isn't as much competition?</p>
<p>personally, I'd rather go to an exciting, urban school but I've been told that it will make it herder to get a high GPA and go the a good law school.</p>
<p>I've been thinking about this as well. </p>
<p>If your only goal is go to law school, then go to somewhere you can get the "better gpa". However, if you want to get something more out of your undergraduate education rather than it just being a stepping stone, and you would enjoy that school better, then I would recommend that you go where you believe you will enjoy yourself more. The more you are enjoying your education and the environment you are getting it in, the better you will do.</p>
<p>The following is a list of the ** 278 ** undergraduate institutions represented by all students enrolled in the JD program at HLS for the 2008-2009 school year.
Undergraduate</a> Colleges</p>
<p>So if it's all about GPA, then I should go to a smaller school, right?
Is GPA>prestige/reputation?</p>
<p>Numbers are the most important thing. But there are factors that go into getting those numbers, and those factors are very personal. So do whatever you will enjoy the most, and do the best in. Remember, YOU need to be satisfied. </p>
<p>There are a ton of threads on the issue of prestige which I would encourage you to look at, but typically the more "prestigious" the school, the better the school is in terms of preparing a student for the rigors of testing and their field and such. Now this is true not only because of the institution itself, but because of the type of students who go there. Students who go to "prestigious" universities and colleges are typically high achieving. </p>
<p>The bottom line is, if you do well numerically, you're golden. </p>
<p>KEEP IN MIND: The LSAT is weighed very heavily in the admissions process, especially for the "top" schools, and undergraduate institutions cannot really prepare you for this. Therefore, choose an academic program with a GPA and academic focus in mind (including depth and "quality" of education) when choosing an undergraduate institution.</p>
<p>that's the confusing part. better preparation = more material covered = harder courses = lower GPA. Add to that the competition of the geniuses at the prestigious school</p>
<p>In all honestly, others don't factor into your gpa. It's all you. Its not like if you don't go to a "top school" your chances of getting into a "top" law school are lessened. But if you are unable or unwilling to put in the amount of work required at the "top" undergraduate institutions (which is perfectly ok: its stress and time management among many other factors), then the likelihood is that you would not do well at a "top" law school, because it would be even more stressful and even more time consuming, among other things. It doesn't make you a "bad" student, you just have a different comfort level, as well do. </p>
<p>Its all about fit. Go where YOU feel comfortable. If you are good at what you do, you'll be as successful as you want, whatever that means.</p>
<p>well if your university curves marks then others do you into your GPA</p>
<p>I'm glad to see that U of A is on that list of undergraduate schools.
(posted by Hazmat) Thus, that affirms that my goal isn't absolutily futile. </p>
<p>And to the poster of this thread, I really think that getting a better GPA at
a easier school is the best route. Law Schools look at two main things, GPA and
LSAT score. So, while you are spending your time at undergrad, why not
somewhat easily get a high GPA, versus struggling and possibly not reaching your goal at a more difficult school?
But overall, it is up to you. If you feel that you will be able to hadle the ciriculum and earn the high gpa, I would say go for it.</p>
<p>just out of curiosity, what do graduate law programs look at?</p>
<p>Regarding that list: Keep in mind that out of those institutions, most of them have only one or two students from those schools in the school. And keep in mind, thats for the entire SCHOOL, not just that class. </p>
<p>Law schools look primarily at LSAT scores, and GPA.</p>
<p>They look at your GPA and your LSAT.
Those are the two main things they look at. </p>
<p>But even with those numbers, it does not hurt to fluff up your college experience. Community service, a life changing experience, internships, leadership programs, student governments, debate teams... become a journalist, writer... do somthing special to show that you are not like many of the other applicants with the same stats. (Even though not many will have stats like that, it sets you apart from somebody who does). Stand out and show that you are a amazing canidate for the law school of your choice.</p>
<p>The entire school? </p>
<p>I am becomming so overly worried about the whole college thing. I don't start my freshman year until August 09 and I am already worried about getting into law school. I am so worried about grades and LSAT.</p>
<p>Actually it says this: The following is a list of the 278 undergraduate institutions represented by all students enrolled in the JD program at HLS for the 2008-2009 school year.</p>
<p>2008-2009 school year.
:D Maybe one or two of those are from U of A.</p>
<p>I said that :) So as of this school year, those are the schools that are represented.</p>
<p>by UofA you mean Alberta right?</p>
<p>thats means that like only one student for one institutuion?? that doent make sense. i guess it is for the ENTIRE school</p>
<p>TP's interpretation is clearly the correct one, as Dew has noted. The 2008-2009 school year has nothing to do with the class (which would be referred to as the class of 2011). It means all three classes enrolled at HLS for that particular year -- e.g. it's a pool of about 1700, not ~550.</p>
<p>There are a total of about 4,400 places for One-Ls at the top fourteen law schools. </p>
<p>Here are some other facts that may help put this into perspective:</p>
<pre><code> • There are nearly 2,500 institutes in the U.S. that grant bachelor’s degrees. If positions in these schools were evenly distributed, every school would have one or two of its graduates matriculating at one of these law schools each year.
• At a site I came across recently, posters were reporting the median LSAT score for test takers from their undergraduate institutions. (This information is available on LSAT score reports.) The highest score reported there for any undergraduate school was 166, at Harvard.
• If you average the 25th percentile LSAT score and LSAT 75th percentile score for the entering class of each top fourteen law school, you’ll get a higher number in every instance than 166. (The actual range is from a high of 173.5at Yale Law School, to 166.5, at Berkeley.)
</code></pre>
<p>There are at least a couple of ways you could react to this:
1. You could totally stress out about the long odds of achieving something you see as a prerequisite for your future happiness.
2. You could try to calm down, secure in the incontrovertible knowledge that many people who don’t attend these schools go on to have successful, well remunerated careers.</p>
<p>In previous years Harvard used to give the number of students per institucion.
Harvard 232, Cornell 48, UFlorida 9, U Missouri 1, etc.
So undergraduate education really matters.</p>