MakeADifference

Hello!
Like countless others, I a very passionate about law and Yale appeals to me like no other.
I'm in Grade 11.
I visited McGill and really liked the campus, the environment and want to major there in International development.

Now I'm also applying to Barnard, NYU, U Chicago and maybe Cornell and Duke.

1) Would my undergrad significantly affect my graduate chances?
2) Would it be easier to have a higher GPA at either of those countries?
3)Would it be easier to get letters of recommendations, internships in a country?
4) At a school like Barnard with 3000 people and at McGill with 25000 people, how does that affect me?
5) Anything else I should consider?

I understand that it all depends on me and how I make the most of my opportunities.
I also understand that apart from having a good GPA and LSAT, one needs to shine through. Would it be easier to do so in the US?

I have heard of students from McGill making it to the Yale Law school. But is it significantly harder than from a US university?

If not, I see no reason to spend quarter the amount of money!
Thank you!

IvyPBear

It doesn't matter.

kwu

The only applicants that receive remarkable admission preference at YLS are graduates of Harvard and Yale.

Yale University Bulletin | Yale Law School 2011?2012 | Law School Students

72+ Harvard, Yale
36~ Princeton, Stanford
18~ Columbia, Brown, Penn, Cornell, Dartmouth; Berkeley, Chicago, Duke
9~ Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan, Swarthmore, Pomona, Wellesley

Adjusted for size, the liberal arts colleges do as well as non-HYP Ivies; Berkeley does surprisingly well, while Northwestern and Michigan lag behind.

MakeADifference

Thank you kwu! This is so helpful!! (:

Romulus

Compare the average GPAs of the schools you are considering. Attend the one with the highest average GPA and lowest tuition. From what I've collected, Canadian schools seem to grade a bit harsher than American schools so you might want to take that into consideration.

Pizzagirl

No, no, no. I am so sick and tired of seeing this innumeracy over CC, I could just scream.

Looking at what % of a grad school's class is made up of students from X and Y undergrad doesn't tell you a THING about "how well" X and Y undergrad place there. The only relevant stat is knowing how many students applied from X and were accepted, compared to how many students applied from Y and were accepted. The "thickness" of Harvard and Yale doesn't necessarily mean that H and Y grads were accepted at higher rates; it may reflect that, or it may reflect a higher density of H and Y grads in the applicant pool in the first place.

Look, if 144 Harvard grads applied to Yale Law School and only half (72) got in, but 9 Amherst grads applied to Yale Law School and all 9 got in, Amherst has a better acceptance rate. And that's what counts. Not the proportion of the class made up of Harvard and Amherst grads.

Why this gets perpetuated on CC is beyond me.

cbreeze

We may never know what the acceptance rate is, but we know that a LOT more Yale and Harvard students are qualified and accepted. If law school admissions and all about grades and LSAT scores, why aren't we seeing all the straight A's students with high LSAT scores from Ball State or Arizona Sate get accepted? Surely, they've heard of Yale Law School and since these schools have tons of students they should have many who should have the qualifying stats GPA/LSAT.

Christian2

It simply because there are not that many high LSAT scores from Ball State or Arizona State. The high LSAT scorers do get into top law schools.

MakeADifference

Thanks Romulus, Christian2 and cbreeze! Pizzagirl, you do make an excellent point. That being said would you recommend undergrad in Canada or the States?

cbreeze

I agree. But does this premise still apply that it doesn't matter which schools you go for undergrad? Will the average performance of your peers affect you?

Back to the OP. Are you from Canada or the US? Will you be able to score high on standardized tests?

MakeADifference

I currently reside in Canada. I'm writing the tests this October and November! I can only tell you after that!

spartan3

Out of curiosity, why do you want to practice law in the States if you're from Canada? For your undergrad, go wherever is the cheapest. Taking on debt for a bachelor's degree is going to be a burden if you plan on going to law school.