Schools that value LSAT more than GPA?

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• 1 Like

  Alex Alum Member ⭐

  October 2017 edited October 2017 23929 karma

  NU and Mich seem to be extra friendly to splitters these past few years. With your GPA/LSAT, I would consider applying to most of the T13 minus HYS, uChi, and Berk. You'll get something with that LSAT.

  There's no top school that values engineering more, however.

  Good luck!
• 2 Likes

  tringo335 Alum Member ⭐

  October 2017 3679 karma

  Splitter friendly law schools: http://admissionsbythenumbers.blogspot.com/2013/07/which-schools-are-splitter-friendly-non.html
• tylerdschreur10 Alum Member

  October 2017 1465 karma

  @"Evan Neustater" said:
  Hey everyone,

  Just got my LSAT score back and got a 171! I'm super pumped about it, it's expanded my school list considerably.

  My GPA, however, might be a problem. It's below the median of most T14 schools (3.48). However, my major was in Civil Engineering from Rice University (not the easiest engineering school).

  So probably my LSAT/engineering major is what will get me into schools. Are there any T14 schools that value LSAT more than GPA or value engineering majors more?

  Thanks guys ... 7Sage is the real deal!

  Piggybacking off Evan's question...I'm also an engineer and wondering how schools in general view a lower GPA in a tougher undergrad program vs a 4.0 in an easy program? I have a 3.56 in engineering from a tough private school, was 4th in my class of 50, but will schools consider that equivalent to a 3.9 in communications who was 10th in a similar class?
• Alex Alum Member ⭐

  October 2017 23929 karma

  @tylerdschreur10 said:

  @"Evan Neustater" said:
  Hey everyone,

  Just got my LSAT score back and got a 171! I'm super pumped about it, it's expanded my school list considerably.

  My GPA, however, might be a problem. It's below the median of most T14 schools (3.48). However, my major was in Civil Engineering from Rice University (not the easiest engineering school).

  So probably my LSAT/engineering major is what will get me into schools. Are there any T14 schools that value LSAT more than GPA or value engineering majors more?

  Thanks guys ... 7Sage is the real deal!

  Piggybacking off Evan's question...I'm also an engineer and wondering how schools in general view a lower GPA in a tougher undergrad program vs a 4.0 in an easy program? I have a 3.56 in engineering from a tough private school, was 4th in my class of 50, but will schools consider that equivalent to a 3.9 in communications who was 10th in a similar class?

  No, they will not. A 4.0 in basket weaving from City College will be more favorable than a 3.5 GPA in Physics from MIT. I definitely think the admissions people consider your school + major, but at the end of the day admissions is a numbers game.
• acsimon Alum Member

  October 2017 1269 karma

  @"Alex Divine" is 100% correct, from what I've read. It seems that there are several ways in which the GPA consideration is unfair--from major/course difficulty, school relationship with grade inflation, and whether or not your school did "A+"S or just "A"s for perfect scores (mine did not:(). In the end, what can one do about it though, from our perspective? The relationship of numbers to Law school admissions decisions seem to give off a strange facade of something approaching "objectivity" when in reality there are a number of issues (of which law schools are well aware). However, if one indulges the thought that it is a facade, one has to ask difficult questions about how to do better...in the end, it probably is an easy pragmatic decision to just treat all GPA numbers as commensurate. Smh, but it won't do me any good. A.c.S
• tylerdschreur10 Alum Member

  October 2017 1465 karma

  @"Alex Divine" said:

  @tylerdschreur10 said:

  @"Evan Neustater" said:
  Hey everyone,

  Just got my LSAT score back and got a 171! I'm super pumped about it, it's expanded my school list considerably.

  My GPA, however, might be a problem. It's below the median of most T14 schools (3.48). However, my major was in Civil Engineering from Rice University (not the easiest engineering school).

  So probably my LSAT/engineering major is what will get me into schools. Are there any T14 schools that value LSAT more than GPA or value engineering majors more?

  Thanks guys ... 7Sage is the real deal!

  Piggybacking off Evan's question...I'm also an engineer and wondering how schools in general view a lower GPA in a tougher undergrad program vs a 4.0 in an easy program? I have a 3.56 in engineering from a tough private school, was 4th in my class of 50, but will schools consider that equivalent to a 3.9 in communications who was 10th in a similar class?

  No, they will not. A 4.0 in basket weaving from City College will be more favorable than a 3.5 GPA in Physics from MIT. I definitely think the admissions people consider your school + major, but at the end of the day admissions is a numbers game.

  That's what I was afraid of. Brutally unfair, but understandable from their perspective.
  Looks like I'm definitely going to have to stop this Dec lsat! A 178 makes nobody look twice at my gpa.
• 1 Like

  nicole.brooklyn Alum Member

  October 2017 341 karma

  I don’t know if this is entirely accurate. I concede that to some extent, it’s a numbers game. However, if you’re on the bubble, they absolutely will look at an MIT engineering GPA differently from a community college basketweaving GPA. You have to be on the bubble, i.e., have reasonable numbers, but soft factors are factors. They’re soft, but they still come into play when your numbers leave you maybe in/maybe out.

  I went to the Duke/Stanford/Cornell deans’ panel in NYC, and someone asked about having a science background. The admissions dean from Duke literally cut him off and said that it was great to have a science background and if you have a science background, “we’re looking for you” when he reads apps.