Chances on going to law school

mommyrocks
Sun, 02 Apr 2017 15:33:19 +0000

USC Columbia Law School says that grades are not everything in admissions, and that recommendations and other factors (such as your work experience at a law firm) will be considered: “In making admissions decisions, the Committee on Admissions employs a holistic approach, taking into consideration all information available about each candidate. No single factor is conclusive. While undergraduate grades and the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) score are important, the Committee’s decision is also influenced by other factors including the strength of the applicant’s undergraduate curriculum, trends in grades, information gained through the applicant’s personal statement, work or life experience, military service, graduate study, residency, contributions to campus or community through service or leadership, the assessment of recommenders, and the applicant’s potential for contribution to a diverse educational environment.”

You always have a shot at being accepted if you apply. If you don’t apply, it is guaranteed you won’t be admitted.

What you have going for you is that six years have gone by since you had those low grades. You have matured. You have grown up and shown discipline working at the law firm two years. You have won over your lawyer employers to where they want to give you a recommendation for law school. You seriously have a good shot at being admitted to a law school, based on your LSAT score and your recommendations and work experience. How many undergrads coming straight from their bachelor’s degree will have law firm work experience and lawyer recommendations? Not many. And not all will have your LSAT score, which counts a lot in law school admissions. So those are your strengths.

As a lawyer myself who just got finished paying off law loans in middle age, and who has had many struggles in a law career since the recession – and watched countless other lawyers struggle, both experienced like me and new out of law school – I have to warn you to think about this decision very carefully. There are other ways to have a legal career besides taking this leap, including going to paralegal school. But it is very empowering to be an actual attorney, and if that has become your dream, then go for it.