Engineering GPA + Dec. LSAT

Samuel01 · 10-30-2009, 10:53 AM

Hi All,

I am in Mechanical Engineering and my GPA will be ~ 3.2 when I apply. First question, would my GPA hold me back or would law schools recognize this and make exceptions (the Stanfords and Columbias...would I have a shot?)

I'm thinking I should be able to get a 170 on my LSAT and was planning on having one Engineering professor and the head of our Philosophy department (teaching a philosophy elective I am taking) write me a recommendation letter (good, bad idea?).

What sort of other things can I do now to help my application? I have about two months before I get my LSAT scores back and start applying as I didn't decide fully on law until late this year and will have to take the December one.

My goal would be Stanford Law because it has the number one IP program but I am a white middle class male applying there with a medium GPA (granted a hard major) and a pretty good LSAT.

Any suggestions are much appreciatied and thank you for your time.

Sam

bluedevilmike · 10-30-2009, 03:25 PM

Law schools recognize that engineering GPAs are a little low, but that means they might accept something like a 3.7 or a 3.6 instead of a 3.9 or a 3.8. Stanford and Columbia are out with a 3.2.

Recommendations sound fine.

LSAT is the most important thing.

jonri · 10-30-2009, 04:52 PM

Are you talking about law school for the fall of 2010? If so, I think you have almost no chance with your current game plan.

If you do want to apply to start next fall, request NOW that your transcripts and LORs be sent to LSDAS--don't wait til you see your scores. Write your personal statement NOW. Choose a few law schools BEFORE you get your scores.

The better plan though would be to wait until the following year for law school.
At most law schools, the later in the cycle you apply, the less the odds of admission. If you wait til Dec to take the LSAT but have everything else IN before you take the test so your file will go complete the instant your score comes back. you might get in somewhere next fall.

If you wait until you get your scores to decide which LSs you will apply to, your file won't be complete until after the first of January, and most LSs will have filled a high percentage of their classes by then. Odds are your results will be substantially worse than if you had applied earlier in the admissions cycle.

Samuel01 · 10-30-2009, 09:07 PM

I appreciate your honest responses, i figured they were out but just seeing how much they would compensate.

Ok, so right now I go to the University of Cincinnati for undergrad. As to the letters of recommendation, I was planning on waiting till after this quarters classes were complete to get them (~ Dec 6th) because both are professors I currently have. Is that enough time to apply for next year because I really don't want to just sit around for a year doing nothing productive...also, I know I could probably get half paid or so at my University (i guess if I applied in time) but if i got a 170 would I be able to get into a top 14 school if I waited and did volunteer work to boost the application up a little.

Let me know, because if I can't get into a top 14 school then I'll 'just' go to UC and focus on being top 10% of the class to land a good job in the area.

Another question, the area of law I'm planning on getting into is Patent Law, does anyone know the job market, demand, or ease of getting a job after graduation?

Thanks...sux I waited so long to make up my mind but no use crying over spilt milk, try to make the best of what i got ya know.

bluedevilmike · 10-30-2009, 09:35 PM

If you got a 170 exactly, I think a T14 school would be a longshot, although schools 15-25 might still be in play. At this point I think the most sensible thing is to have you take a practice LSAT under timed conditions and see how you do.

Samuel01 · 10-30-2009, 10:21 PM

Thanks for the recommendation, I have taken the timed tests and i have ranged from 167-174 and have a month left for studying and hope for a 170. I have been looking at schools such as Fordham because of the job prospects after graduation. I would love to be in a top 25 firm and apparently Fordham is a good school if you can reach the top 50% (i'm going to work my ass of if I'm paying 60,000 a year and be better than top 25 at least i would hope)....but is it more a who you know kind of deal there or more of a local firms are around there and want to hire from around there deal.

Sorry for the butt ton of questions...tough question to graduate with 200,000 dollars of debt if I don't think I could land a job with the top private law firms in the country. Also Fordham appears to be a 75% acceptance rate with a 3.2 and 170 LSAT entered in lsac.org so i assuming i could get in, is it worth it from a completely monetary prospective.

Thanks for the speedy responses,
Sam

bluedevilmike · 10-30-2009, 10:23 PM

Fordham sounds realistic, but of course there's no way to know without an actual LSAT score. Sounds like a good tier to be aiming for. It's definitely not mostly a who-you-know kind of deal; firms have a well-structured interview process aimed at looking for bright kids. It's not perfect, but it's not based mostly on connections.

At this point let's get your actual score back. If you follow jonri's advice, you'll be delaying for a year anyway. Plenty of time to plan.

Samuel01 · 11-11-2009, 10:53 PM

Another question, right now I feel I am a good communicator one on one, two on two but in groups I get nervous. I feel like if I did it enough I would get the hang of it but I don't want to go into law school and have that hold me back. My questions, is this something that gets better with practice and if it does not get better will I have a chance to be a successful lawyer?