dharney
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so I've been thinking about going to law school and i was curious to get some advice from those that are in law school or have been there. I would be looking into patent law mainly.
I have my BS in Physics and Chemistry with a 3.3 GPA
I have one year left of grad school before finishing up my PhD in chemistry, 3.5 GPA
I have not taken the LSATs yet
What kind of scores do I need to get into law school? Obviously higher tiered schools have higher requirements. Maybe I could get a range for some NC schools (Campbell, UNC, Charlotte School of Law, Duke?). Is my GPA good enough? I know I didn't have a shot at Med School coming outta college.
Also, mentally, what kind of things should I think about before going to law school, what to consider in terms of how hard classes are, what kind of jobs are available, and what kind of person do you need to be to be a successful law school student.
I never did cocaine, so I probably couldn't be a GREAT lawyer. But I think I have a decent shot.
Thanks  2/22/2009 12:28:43 PM
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slamjamason
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I'm going to be going to law school this fall, and this is what I've generally gathered so far.
The score you need will vary significantly depending on the school you want to go to. It will also depend on a smaller degree on your softs: work experience, volunteer work, law related activities, etc. You might get a small bump for the difficult majors & PhD, but probably not as much as it deserves.
Your GPA is significantly below Duke's median, so you will probably need to go gang-buster on the LSAT to have a good shot, I'd guess mid 170s, maybe lower 170’s.
Carolina tends to emphasis GPA more than some other schools, so you’re under median there also, but Carolina also accepts very heavily from in-state (I think its like 75%). Probably mid-upper 160s for Carolina.
Wake probably mid-160s, Campbell probably upper 150s.
Check out http://www.lawschoolcalculator.com and http://www.lawschoolnumbers.com
Law schools are generally broken down into the top 14, Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3/4. Duke is top 14, UNC and Wake Forest are lower tier 1, Campbell is tier 3/4.
However, if you are definitely going to stay in NC, UNC in NC is considered more like an upper tier 1/lower t14, and Campbell is more like tier 2.
If you want to work for a big national law firm, your chances will be slim outside of a t14 school, especially with the current economy. A LOT of people who go to tier 2 schools (or even tier 1 schools) or below end up with $30,000 - $40,000 a year jobs out of school. There are also a lot of people who also get well paying jobs, but there is a misconception that just going to law school is a ticket for success.
At any school outside of the t14, where you rank will become very important. If you fall outside of the top X% (10,25,50, depending on the school), your job prospects will be very limited. It’s hard to know what the economy will be like in a couple years, but right now everything I’ve heard indicates that it is very tough for new graduates (like the rest of the economy).
Also, you are probably aware of this but it will be too late for you to go to school this coming fall, you'll be looking at Fall of '10. My suggestion if you want to go is to study your ASS off for the LSAT, maybe even take a logic course at Wake Tech depending on how some of your practice tests go. I can't over emphasize how much importance is placed on that test.
[Edited on February 22, 2009 at 1:15 PM. Reason : link] 2/22/2009 1:13:17 PM |
