- Apr 8, 2009
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^undergrad, gpa, and LSAT?
Anyone thinking about Law school?
- Thread in 'General' Thread starter Started by davidisgodly,
- Start date
- Jun 12, 2006
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took the lsat 2 years ago, didnt score as high as I wanted but thinking about taking it again.
- May 29, 2006
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I go to a tier 3, large public university in California, 3.9, 168...
- Dec 13, 2003
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I go to University of Dayton. Law school, if you want to do it properly, will take up ALL of your free time. You have to understand, you CANNOT work the first year because of how demanding the work load is. Studying the law is truly like learning another language. Its a complete new way of thinking and living once you begin studying the law. As NakoXL and CaBron mentioned already, if you plan to go to law school, be FULLY committed. If not it will eat you alive. The glory days of just merely going to law school and landing a 100K+ gig are non-existent. The law is a service industry so as companies tighten their belts, so has the law firms. Again, quoting others, you must really bust tail and finish in the top 5% of your class or have killer connects to even crack those big firms. With all of this said, I am still happy with my decision because of all of the knowledge and the elite way of thinking and reasoning that I have learned. To be 25 and an attorney is priceless for me. I plan to look outside of the box with my career, this JD will open so many doors for me in that regard.Originally Posted by heartofthacity
Where'd you go? I remember you and some other dudes posted helpful info in that old Law School thread from like a year back. How much of your social life/free time did it take?Originally Posted by CJDynasty
3 years. At mine, you can do it in 2!
- Sep 17, 2008
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Keep your GPA above 3.5 and you'll be in pretty good shape.
- Dec 13, 2003
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I feel like I've talked to you before. Do Chicago! It honestly is one of the top schools; no argument needed. Just make sure you graduate in the top 10% of your class, top 5% preferably.
In addition to this advice, it depends on where you want to practice. From the schools, it looks as if you want to live/stay in Cali. Therefore, I would argue that those Cali schools are better because your network and alumni base would be strong in the place you want to work and live.
- Apr 8, 2009
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Damn it reign, I'm at a 3.3+ right now. Let's see how this quarter finishes. 3.5 is possible by the end of this year.
- Sep 17, 2008
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What's your major, again?
3.5 will land you a ton more interviews than sub 3.5 even if it's a 3.4. Everybody I know won't give interviews to people with sub 3.5 gpas cause the applicant pool has been so talented lately.
- Apr 2, 2008
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Man... what about a 3.02 gpa with 170 LSAT? Can I even get accepted to any UCs or 2nd tier?
- Feb 21, 2010
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Well I was thinking of Law School, and then I started messing up in school. I want to do Teach For America now. Maybe later I'd tried to go to Law School... Maybe.
- Apr 8, 2009
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I'm doing a bunch of stuff.
Econ/History double major; Film and Media Studies Minor; Certificate Candidate in Integrated Marketing Communications.
- May 29, 2006
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Are you a minority? Do you have any significant extra-curricular activities/work experience? It's all relative but in general, a 3.x GPA + 170 LSAT WILL get you an acceptance at a top 50 school easy and you'll most likely get a significant scholarship...
My suggestions to future applicants who are absolutely sure they want to go to law school are:
-get the highest possible LSAT and GPA with LSAT being most important (at most top schools, a certain LSAT + GPA = auto admit)
-have a compelling reason to go to law school that you can articulate in personal statements, that professors can attest to
-be well rounded (no need to join 20 student clubs but 1-2 leadership positions would be good)
-know where you want to work after you finish (going to a strong regional school w/ strong alumni base, in some cases may be >>> national school w/ little to no alumni base where you want to eventually work)
-once your accepted, research the school's repayment plans...200k in debt might be daunting but if you're planning to go into public interest law (public defender, etc) then many schools will FORGIVE your loans (if you make $65k or less, berkeley will pay your loans, you pay a % of the amount over 65k, Georgetown's cap is 65k)...typically the better the school, the better the loan repayment plan...this is really important for people who are definitely set on avoiding corporate law or are planning to work in a smaller cities after law school
Most importantly - be realistic about the job market, applications, employment opportunities, your abilities, etc...like most graduate programs, it's a very stressful grind that can take over your life but if you're honest with yourself and give it 100% then you will most likely succeed with your ego, bank account, and sanity intact
Trey Bantz
formerly trey ohh five
- Sep 4, 2009
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I'm graduating high school in June and will be entering the University of Miami in the Fall and I'm currently thinking about what I should major in for my first 4 years of college, I want to know which major is the best to prepare me for the LSAT and Law School. I've always dreamed of going to one of the top Law Schools like Harvard or Georgetown and I'm determined to do so no matter what some of the pessimists in this thread have to say. Some input on which majors would best help me reach my goals would be greatly appreciated.
- Apr 8, 2009
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^Whatever you can do the best in. Point blank.
- Sep 17, 2008
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bijald, get your gpa above 3.5 and you should be good.
Do whatever interests you, and will result in the highest gpa. A close friend of mine was a biochem major at UCLA and he's now at NYU law.
- Dec 25, 2007
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Welcome to the U!
Dont even think of any science related major, do something that interests you and you should be good. I hear mixed things about Psych as a major at our school... Im still looking into it in order to do Psych pre med.
- Dec 3, 2004
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What up aztec, grats on the Berkeley acceptance. If I were in your shoes, I'd go there sticker price without a doubt because it's in the Bay and you'll have the networking edge over dudes at Santa Clara and Uni of San Fran. Top 10 law school =
For those of you who are looking to get into Law just for the paycheck and prestige, you're doing it for the wrong reasons. Read http://lawschooltruth.blo...1/getting-in-caveat.html . You're going to need to work your butt off inside and outside of the classroom to land a decent gig after you graduate. It's rough out there for many folks, even for people with MBAs and Ph.Ds, law is no exception. Ask yourself: do you LOVE law, the paperwork, the practice, and lifestyle of being a attorney so much that you're willing to put youself 100k+ in debt, studying 15 hours a day and the looming possibility of making 40-50k a year if you don't graduate top 10 in your class? If not, re-evaluate yourself because too many people sign that dotted line for a loan and end up in a financial mess later on.
Not trying to persuade any of you to not go to law school. If you feel it's your calling and that there's NOTHING ELSE you see yourself doing besides practicing law, then go for it.
Trey Bantz
formerly trey ohh five
- Sep 4, 2009
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Well what interests me the most at the moment is government and politics because it's what I want to get into after Law School so I was thinking about Political Science, any other Political Science majors going to Law School on here? AgentArenas how are the reviews on Political Science at UM?
- May 29, 2006
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I'd avoid majoring in political science just because you want to go in law...from my experience, law schools don't matter what you major in and in this economy, you don't want to be stuck with a polysci degree that is not in demand...
Why not major in something that UM is strong at so if law school doesn't work you, you'll have other options?
- Apr 2, 2008
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Asians aren't a minority in law school are they? I know I want to practice law in Cali but any major city will do. Since there is a great increase in law school applicants because of the recession forcing the unemployed bachelors degree holders to grab higher degrees, this makes for a higher competition.
Anyways congrats on boalt that's amazing! Any tips for the LSAT? I've been on the 4month lsat plan and signed up for testmasters prep course, ready to go.
- Sep 7, 2006
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^^^ Asians are minorities my dude
What is University of Miami's law school like? I read that they accept a ton of people and their standards are pretty low but they have a great reputation within Miami. $200k debt isnt pretty though
What is University of Miami's law school like? I read that they accept a ton of people and their standards are pretty low but they have a great reputation within Miami. $200k debt isnt pretty though
- May 29, 2006
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Originally Posted by Carlos Tevez
^^^ Asians are minorities my dude
What is University of Miami's law school like? I read that they accept a ton of people and their standards are pretty low but they have a great reputation within Miami. $200k debt isnt pretty though
While Asians are minorities in the general sense, the consensus among law school applicants/schools is that being one of the following 3 underrepresented groups: Hispanic (Mexican, PR, Cuban), African American, or Native American gives the most significant boost.
I've heard similar things about Miami...strong regional placement but definitely not a national powerhouse..In this economy, I'd be very scared of taking on that much debt. Who knows what the legal field will look like in 3-5 years? As many of you probably know, a lot of lawyers and current students are struggling to find jobs and a lot of legal work is being outsourced.
- Sep 7, 2006
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RE: minoritiesOriginally Posted by aztec06jr
Originally Posted by Carlos Tevez
^^^ Asians are minorities my dude
What is University of Miami's law school like? I read that they accept a ton of people and their standards are pretty low but they have a great reputation within Miami. $200k debt isnt pretty though
While Asians are minorities in the general sense, the consensus among law school applicants/schools is that being one of the following 3 underrepresented groups: Hispanic (Mexican, PR, Cuban), African American, or Native American gives the most significant boost.
I've heard similar things about Miami...strong regional placement but definitely not a national powerhouse..In this economy, I'd be very scared of taking on that much debt. Who knows what the legal field will look like in 3-5 years? As many of you probably know, a lot of lawyers and current students are struggling to find jobs and a lot of legal work is being outsourced.
Doesn't being Indian/Arab give you a boost as well? I'm sure they're pretty under-represented in the legal field as well.
- Dec 29, 2006
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NoOriginally Posted by Carlos Tevez
^^^ Asians are minorities my dude
What is University of Miami's law school like? I read that they accept a ton of people and their standards are pretty low but they have a great reputation within Miami. $200k debt isnt pretty though
In Business School, Law School,Med School and really any white collar job:
It's not about being a minority. It's about being an underrepresented minority.
- Sep 1, 2009
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Originally Posted by Carlos Tevez
RE: minoritiesOriginally Posted by aztec06jr
Originally Posted by Carlos Tevez
^^^ Asians are minorities my dude
What is University of Miami's law school like? I read that they accept a ton of people and their standards are pretty low but they have a great reputation within Miami. $200k debt isnt pretty though
While Asians are minorities in the general sense, the consensus among law school applicants/schools is that being one of the following 3 underrepresented groups: Hispanic (Mexican, PR, Cuban), African American, or Native American gives the most significant boost.
I've heard similar things about Miami...strong regional placement but definitely not a national powerhouse..In this economy, I'd be very scared of taking on that much debt. Who knows what the legal field will look like in 3-5 years? As many of you probably know, a lot of lawyers and current students are struggling to find jobs and a lot of legal work is being outsourced.
Doesn't being Indian/Arab give you a boost as well? I'm sure they're pretty under-represented in the legal field as well.
