In college I had a shaky first semester (had a c and a b+ for a 3.4) but then maintained a 3.9+ average the rest of the way with nothing lower than an A-. My GPA isn't bad (3.85), but for top law schools, I'm wondering if they care more about stats (3.85 is 3.85) or if they pay more attention to trends. I'm shooting for a top 3 law school or a scholarship (my preptests are generally in the mid 170 range and I'm trying for high 170s to have a shot at Yale). My GPA doesn't really hurt me, but is still slightly sub 50 for those schools. Are schools primarily concerned with their stats, or would it not matter as much for a borderline 50ish percentile GPA?

I was wondering around when the law school applications?

Thanks.

OK guys... so it is time to start cracking down and getting that application all pretty... except, I am a non traditional student that just decided to up and quit her job last year to volunteer and I don't know... not work??? I mean I do work now in retail a girl does have bills... but her is my issue.... I want to go to Texas A&M in Ft. Worth... they want a resume... here is the description...

The applicant’s educational background, honor societies, military service, extracurricular activities, public/community service, honors and awards, publications, foreign language proficiencies, and any other significant achievements and involvements.

Educational Background- ok easy... except I you know, like most typical non traditional students... drank and partied too much and I sure do not have any honors.... I mean I have a year I could go back to school... but that is a last resort

military service- None

Extracurricular activities... I am pretty sure jet setter and binge novel reader isn't really an answer.... any other ideas??? or things I could do to make this look better... remember I am 35 and a decade removed from college...

Public Community Service- I am going to discuss working with kids in Costa Rica and volunteering with an animal shelter in Mexico... I am also about o start volunteering with various human rights groups here in Dallas... I also make chew toys for the local animal shelter out of recycled materials... I do a lot of community service thankfully this might be my saving grace.

Publications- Sounds cool... not published. Open to ideas.

Foreign Language... sigh still not fluent in Spanish... but getting better every day. I would like to list Spanish but I am assuming they want fluency... not hoping to be fluent someday.

Any other significant achievements... I got nada... I have 6 months to achieve something so I am open to ideas.

Guys I am frustrated... I can discuss work history... but quitting a job to volunteer in Costa Rica & Mexico... then coming back and working in retail just doesn't sound great you know???

Along with the LSAT this my current "Admissions" hot topic... so give me ideas guys I need them...

Thanks

-The pretty boring Jen.

So I just got rejected from my first choice law school in Canada today (3rd rejection so far, sadly).

Disappointed but I have no time for negativity...gotta think of waitlist strategies!

I am currently on the waitlist at one university and being considered for the waitlist at another.

I wanted to ask if anyone has any advice on waitlist strategies:

I have visited both campuses and already sent a LOCI to the one in which I am being considered and am currently writing another LOCI to send to the other school.

Is this pretty much the only strategy going forward?

I am also scheduled to write the June LSAT but both schools do not consider that.

I would appreciate any input.

Thanks in advance.

I don't know if there is a technical definition on the matter, but I'm curious what scores/GPAs make you a splitter. Is it overall, or specific to school?

For ex: a below 3 GPA and an above 170 LSAT is clearly a splitter.

But say you have a 3.5 or 3.6 GPA and an above 170 score. Is that STILL a splitter at the top schools? Or does the 170+ score override your good (but not great) GPA?

I feel like it becomes even more complicated when you parse out the scores above 170. At what point above 170 do the returns on another point stop increasing?

I realize this is a multi-layered question with a lot of hypothetical situations, so it may not be a worthwhile exercise for many. But then again maybe it is, since I know a lot of people probably have similar thoughts.

Hey 7Sagers!

I just got my acceptance letters from both University of Melbourne (JD) and University of Sydney in Australia! These are the only two applications I have submitted so far, as North American ones do not open until August-November. I am planning to apply to North American ones as well once they open, but I was just wondering what your thoughts are on some of the pros and cons when deciding between a JD in Australia and one in Canada.

I am originally from Europe, so the "remote" location is not an issue for me and furthermore I am not sure whether I'd want to come back to Canada to practice once I'm done (I'm somewhat of a go-everywhere and explore everything type of person) but I am wondering if any of you have heard of grad-employment rates and whether they are better in Canada v. Australia, or other things such as harshness of grading scales, etc. Just anything that would help me with my choice really...

Thank you in advance everyone :)

Can exposure to the legal system be written about in the personal statement, e.g. serving on a jury?

Thanks in advance

I am on HLS waitlist snd want to attend if offered. It seems H requires WL to attend if they offer. But its possible that due to a requirement at my current work, I may have to continue at it for one more year. If offered a spot, I want to have a choice to go there next year or reapply next year.

I don't want to withdraw as yet as it's possible I may be able to go this year, but it's uncertain.

What can I do to be able to decide after offer and not affect chances next year?

Hi Everyone hope all is well. So I have a quick question. How does application fee waivers work? I took the recent Feb LSAT and I received no fee waivers however when I saw some forums with people who had comparable scores to mine, they spoke about being able to apply to a bunch of reach schools because of fee waivers. Could it be due to the timing that I took the LSAT seeing as how I took it in February? I plan on applying for Fall 2018 by the way. Any insight would be great. Thank you!

Hey everyone. Just wanted to share a lil' something that may be of some help. I'm not sure how many of you are aware of this, but about 3-4 years ago Kaplan used to conduct a live mock admissions panel in NY. They basically invited admissions officials from four Tier 1 (usually T10) law schools and had them do a live evaluation of transcripts, PS, ECs, etc. of "mock" candidates. They (i.e., the admissions committee) also provided some real handy tips on how to approach writing your PS etc.

I don't believe Kaplan conducts this anymore. They do, however, have recorded versions of the sessions on Livestream.

I personally think it's a great way to get first-hand insight into how law schools evaluate applications, and definitely recommend prospective students to check it out.

Here are the links (each video is about 2 hours long, btw):

Link 1 (schools: Harvard, UVA, Penn and NYU): https://livestream.com/kaptest/the-180-admissions-roundtable/videos/27765588

Link 2 (schools: UVA, BC, GWU and NYU): https://livestream.com/kaptest/lsat-180-live-mock-admissions-panel/videos/60476031

P.S.: You may need to create a free account in order to view the videos.

Hope this helps!

I attended David B's webinar and he suggested we apply to schools in Oct/Nov but is it possible to apply in Sept?

Alright - I've managed to raise my pt scores to the high 150s/low 160s. Trying to consistently score in the mid 160s; I've been scheduled for the June 2017 Lsat for awhile now. My goals are kinda simple - obtain a full ride scholarship offer or highly reduced tuition offer to T2 or T3 state school nearby.

Is it possible to get full ride to let's say Baylor or Texas Tech or Texas A&M law with 3.5 / 161?

(Not willing to move out of State (In Texas) or far away for Law school) - Was really impressed with A&M and Tech.

Some background - I'm making a career change, in my early thirties, I have a BA in Political Science (finished with 3.5 gpa), have four years of land title/curative title/real estate experience. Probably won't have any academic recommendations (almost 10 years removed from College), just work exp. My ultimate goal would be to work as a general practitioner/criminal law attorney in the small city where I live. (Living in somewhat rural Texas)(prefer to keep any future law school debt minimal, hints the full ride question).

Any suggestions, tips or recommendations on how to achieve a conditional full ride?

I'll be studying the LSAT for several months, hopefully getting a high score. I've realized that 4.5 months until September may not be sufficient study time for the score I need. I also know early admission is ideal for splitters, so I may have to wait until 2018 application period for my best chance. (Thoughts? Does Early Admission matter that much?) I take my diagnostic this weekend.

I tanked my GPA at an average school, significantly improving during the last year, but that was obviously not enough to offset the average. (2.2 to be exact) This is a primary reason as to why I put off the idea of going to law school some years after college, aside from my serious concerns about debt and job prospects, but I'm finally going to apply. I'm also seeing if some MPP programs will accept the LSAT, just to maximize my options. (Due to my background experience, I qualify for scholarships and significant discounts for some other programs, including MPP programs.)

Has anyone here succeeded as a splitter with a low GPA?

Any tips for succeeding? I know the gist - addendum, great recommendations, and essay.

Does anyone here have good experiences with T3/T4 schools? (Education and Employment)

Is anyone else applying to such schools?

In my true nature, I've already read and analyzed the shit out of my dim prospects and the looming financial burden, but more advice is always welcome. I'm applying to schools way out my reach, mostly to see what happens. I may not get into any schools, and I know my best chance is with fourth/third tier schools. It seems like many lawyers have good careers after a T3/T4 education here in the MD/DC area. I'm also interested in possibly going back to NYC after school. I'm hoping the networks here would help with that, if I chose that route. Jobs in DC will probably be more accessible. In MD, we only have two schools and neither are top tier, so it seems that most of the attorneys here come from UB or UMD. I've heard that the strong local networks mean good job prospects in the MD/DC area. My idea is that doing well in a lower tier school + networking my bum off = getting a good job in MD or DC, which could provide more opportunities in NYC, if I chose that route.

Sorry for the long post. :)

Help!! A friend and I submitted our apps for a number of t14's almost simultaneously (on the deadline days of Feb. 1, Feb. 15, etc.), sometimes within minutes or hours of each other. She has heard back from some of these schools (and I believe most were rejections, though I'm not 100% certain), but I have not yet heard from those same schools. I have also heard back from a number of t14's (these were rejections) that we both applied to, but she has not. What does this all mean? I know I am driving myself crazy trying to understand this seemingly incomprehensible process, but am wondering if anyone out there might have some insight.

Is the "Cumulative GPA" in the "Summary" box the GPA that law school admissions officers are going to use? It's just SO far off what I estimated it to be using the LSAC's guide to grade summary and 7Sage's calculator. It's much higher than my estimates and it has me worried I'm looking at the wrong thing.

Hi,

I am graduating this May from Emory University and I am debating whether I should stay another semester to improve my GPA for a better chance at T14. I majored in Media Studies (Mass Communications) and will be graduating with 3.78 GPA. I understand that Media Studies is often easily judged as a "soft" and "easy" subject and I was wondering if such "bad reputation" will have an affect on how my GPA is viewed (and if so, how much of an impact it would have). If I do stay, I will be pursuing a sociology minor. I am torn between graduating now and focusing on LSATs to apply this cycle or postponing a year and applying with a stronger GPA and a major and minor. But is the latter choice worth the headache and extra tuition?

Any thought/advice would be extremely helpful! Thanks.

Since we're compelled to report them to the CAS, do Summer School classes factor in to your undergrad GPA even when the Summer classes weren't part of your undergraduate degree?

Example: I earned a BA at University X. I took unrelated summer classes at University Y during the penultimate summer of my BA course. These summer classes contributed nothing towards my BA degree from University X.

Hi,

Was wondering how big of an impact a 3.65 GPA is vs a 3.66 GPA is for Law schools. I'm debating if I should take an extra class to raise my GPA, but I also want to make sure that I can get straight A's, not stress out too much, and study a little for the LSATs when I dont have midterms or finals. I'm kind of wondering what you guys think if taking the extra class is worth the headache?

Im nervous that my past is going to haunt me while pursing law school and taking the bar. I had a minor consumption at 19 and public intox at 21. I had a driving suspended when I was 16 for some insurance problem that I had no idea about. Am I screwed? I am 28 now

.

Hello, all! I've been agonizing over this decision the past few weeks and would like some help deciding which school to attend. My narrowed-down options are:

My family is unable to make any contribution, I don't have a spouse, and my savings are minimal (only a few years out of undergrad). I'll be financing law school on my own. I'm a Texan, but I'm not set on practicing law in the south. I see myself working in the private sector. I haven't explored PI much, but I would like to have that as an option as well.

My heart is set on Columbia, but is it truly worth the crippling debt? I attended their ASD, and it seems the most common path is big law for 2-5 years to pay the loans down.

Hi!

I am planning to apply to law schools this upcoming cycle and was wondering if anyone could give me advice. I know that I primarily want to practice Environmental Law and have been doing a lot of research on which schools would be best. The top environmental law programs according to the US News rankings are not always T14 schools. I have been reading that to get a good Environmental Law job (working for EarthJustice, NRDC etc.) they often hire from T14 schools. Does anyone have any advice on if I should focus on only T14 schools or schools that rank highest in my area of interest?

hey all! i'm prepping for the june 2017 lsat currently and planning on applying to law school this fall. i'm curious about what experiences you all have had within the legal field before law school.

tomorrow i start volunteering at the local municipal court resource center and am very excited to be on the front lines of our justice system. any other volunteers out there? what has your experience been? what about professionals? anyone working as a paralegal or law enforcement officer? or unpaid interns? did anyone fetch starbucks for a big law firm? or brew folgers for your local legal aid clinic?

were you inspired by working within the legal system to pursue law school? or did you already know that you wanted to attend law school and subsequently sought out a job/volunteer opportunity within the specific area of law that interested you?

any type-a personalities out there who mapped out a perfect post-undergraduate plan of two years of professional work before getting into HYS?

lastly, and perhaps most interesting i think, how did your pre-law school work/volunteer experience surprise you? did it change your goals when applying to law school?

curious to hear what you've experienced!

I have another 1-2 years before I apply to Law School. Being a NTS, with student government leadership positions in Undergrad, 2 professional certifications, leadership positions in local Human Resources associations and 8 years of work experience do I need any other 'soft' skills to add to my application? Since I have a while before I apply, I figure I have time to add a few more things that could get me ahead of someone else in a tie-breaker. I also have a low GPA (3.5) so I feel I need as many legitimate, quality extracurriculars as I can get. I am becoming a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer this year and hoping that will also put me over the edge. Will that be enough? Am I overthinking this?

I know this question shouldn't and won't affect my studying habits (except for maybe lighting a fire under my ass), but I noticed that UCLA, my goal school, jumped to #15 in the most recent US News rankings. Is this going to make them more selective? I'm doing my best to make a 170 the next time I take the test, but I felt a little comfort knowing that if I have a bad day, UCLA's average LSAT score is a 167...