How 'decorated' must ones profile be to enter into the top 5 law schools in the US?

Michelle H.

My question is assuming a candidate has hit the median GPA and median LSAT score for the top 5 law schools in the US, do they need additional experience/achievements like leadership positions, research, volunteer experience to have a shot at these law schools or is the LSAT score and GPA the main determining factors?

stepharizona

I would say it extra activities help you be more competitive, but are the extra activities a necessary requirement for admittance? No.

Yikes, I just LSAT"ed" that....

I do think every candidate should do everything possible to make them the most attractive and competitive. Your numbers are a huge part of that picture, but, so it your application. Two people with median only scores and one has an outstanding PS and the other had one with a ton of typos and didn't follow instructions has a far less chance of being admitted, with or without a great resume.

Scores are a main focus, but there are so many other factors that come into play, at a lesser degree. URM status, Legacy and then of course the items you mentioned, plus others.

mes08

I would say the LSAT and GPA are the primary factors to even be considered. But given that there are quite a lot of high LSAT scorers with strong GPAs, once you've met the minimum criteria, I think things like leadership positions in student orgs, work experience, graduate degrees, or things like the Fulbright etc certainly help a lot. I don't know how much "average" extracurricular activities/resume fillers help...

UsernameChange

Yale/Stanford: the extra stuff matters a bit more than any other schools. At least that's the reputation they have.
The other 3 of the top 5 is primarily a numbers game.

GordonBombay

I have a close buddy at a T-5 law school. He had almost no extra curricular activities, and 1 year work experience as a student instructor. He had an almost perfect GPA and a strong LSAT score. Those two factors are always more important.

allison.gill.sanford

Mostly numbers, I think, with strong softs accounting for who you might beat out for a spot in the class if you are otherwise similar. I felt on the edge with a dead median LSAT and GPA for HLS, got in with some moderately strong softs, but I was waitlisted by Stanford for reference (did not apply to Yale). I chalk that up mostly to the difference between Stanford and HLS class sizes.

allergic

LSAT and GPA are by far the most important. You don't need leadership or volunteer experience.