Columbia Law School

Graduate School Law School
1

<p>I’ve recently dreamed about going here one day…</p>

<p>I am still at my JC, this is my last year, and will be going to University soon.</p>

<p>But for law school, I would love to go Columbia…</p>

<p>Does anyone know what is a good LSAT for them (like they most def. should take you) ? Oh man I’d love to know…</p>

<p>And the g.p.a.? In my case, will my JC gpa be averaged out with my (future unknown) gpa that I should get at my University? Right now it’s around a 3.1, cumulative.</p>

<p>alright thanks.</p>

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<p><a href=“http://www.law.columbia.edu/prosp_students/jd_prog/applic_inf/Class_Profile[/url]”>http://www.law.columbia.edu/prosp_students/jd_prog/applic_inf/Class_Profile&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Nothing will guarantee you admission. However, if you are in the mid-50% range for both LSAT and GPA, you’re probably in decent shape. So - GPA around a 3.6 and an LSAT around 171 should make you a viable candidate.</p>

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<p>Unfortunately, baller4lyfe, I think you have a tough row to hoe. You’re exactly right - your JC GPA will be averaged with your future university GPA. With a 3.1 from your JC, it will be difficult to get that 3.6 that is the average for admitted Columbia Law students. I don’t want to discourage you, but you ought to know the odds.</p>

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<p>Good point, Sakky.</p>

<p>Some schools will overlook a low starting GPA if you really do well afterwards - but Columbia, with over 8,000 apps for less than 400 seats, might not need to do that. </p>

<p>As such, if you truly have your heart set on Columbia, you can follow my long-term process:
*Transfer to college and do as well as possible. You will not have the 3.6 you’ll need at the end, as your JC credits are averaged in. Don’t lose too much sleep over this. There’s more to come.
*Take a lot of time off between college and law school. Develop a stellar resume (i.e. more than just entry level jobs). Doesn’t matter the field - and a really unusual field might be good. This is a good time to foster your interests. Two reasons for this step: the further out you are, the less important your grades are; also, the resume will become important in admissions when it actually has stuff on it. I know people who are doing things like communications set-up in Afghanistan - that’s neat and will add to a legal community. Waitering - not so much. Oh, yes - and your experience will make great fodder for a personal statement.
*Step 3: obtain a masters degree, and really do well in those courses. Law schools understand that someone who can handle masters work, despite an unimpressive collegiate performance, can handle law school. Subject matter: whatever you are most interested in.
*Step 4: crush the LSAT. Even with the above steps, general thought is that if your GPA is below the 25% mark, your LSAT should be above th 75% mark - i.e. well into the 170s. I know someone who got into Columbia with a 3.2 - but that’s engineering and he had a 175. </p>

<p>Anyone? Thoughts? Agree? Disagree? More steps?</p>

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<p>sakky:</p>

<p>really? Even if I obtain like a 3.8 - 4.0 at my University, if it is averaged out with my, say, 3.3 JC gpa (i got one more semester to go…) will that not avrg. out to 3.6?</p>

<p>I want to go to law school straight from my undergrad (no break).</p>

<p>ouch…well I guess i’m gonna have to face it then?</p>

<p>I want to go to a prestigious law school.</p>

<p>do I have the chance though judging by my current stats and SUPPOSEDLY <em>future high</em> grades at my University that I attend</p>

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<p>do well at the undergrad college and study your ass off for the LSAT.</p>

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<p>If you finish strong at your JC and university, and crack 168, you have a shot. 171 would be better.</p>

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<p>cardozo:</p>

<p>finishing ‘strong’ at my JC seems unlikely as of right now…didn’t you see my gpa for my JC?</p>

<p>but i can very much easily still finish “strong” at the university in which i attend…because once i enter the gpa there will be new and i can start over again…</p>

<p>so what do you say now</p>

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<p>If you get a 4.0 this semester, you can raise your cumulative above a 3.2.</p>

<p>It’s not going to be any easier to get grades that merit attention from Columbia at a 4-year school. </p>

<p>Frankly, to have any chance at all of getting into a law school like Columbia, you’re going to have to start working a lot harder at school, and the sooner the better.</p>

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<p>Baller4lyfe, I take it that you’re an honorable person asking honest questions and wanting to hear honest answers and not just looking for us to tell you what you want to hear.</p>

<p>The main issue is that if you have been pulling a 3.1 so far, it’s going to be quite a sea-change for you to change your life around such that you will get a 4.0 in the following semester followed by a 3.8-4.0 in your 4-year college. And that’s not only because 4-year colleges tend to be significantly more difficult than JC’s are. More importantly, it’s because personal motivations and personal desires rarely change on a dime. The possibly harsh reality is that a person who has been pulling a 3.1 previously is unlikely to start pulling super-high grades later. Perhaps you can do it, and if you can, then more power to you. But the fact remains that most people will not be able to do that, either because they can’t or because they don’t want to. The fact is, after a while, most people’s behaviors tend to be set and once they are set, they are quite difficult to change. Think of how many people make New Years Resolutions, and then think of how many of those people actually follow through and complete their New Years Resolutions. You have to admit, not many do.</p>

<p>Look, we’re trying to help you out here. You’ve asked an honest question, so I’m trying to give you an honest answer. And the answer is, right now, your chances don’t look too good for Columbia Law. You are going to have to turn it up, academically, if you want to have any halfway decent chance, and so the question is, do you want it badly enough?</p>

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<p>"cardozo:</p>

<p>finishing ‘strong’ at my JC seems unlikely as of right now…didn’t you see my gpa for my JC?</p>

<p>but i can very much easily still finish “strong” at the university in which i attend…because once i enter the gpa there will be new and i can start over again…</p>

<p>so what do you say now"</p>

<p>Baller, </p>

<p>I think you’re confused. Whatever your current GPA is (and I did see it), you can still “FINISH” strong there. </p>

<p>So my advice stands (although you will obviously have to pick up the pace quite a bit to make it.)</p>

<p>If you don’t, there are many other law schools.</p>

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<p>sakky:</p>

<p>i do want it badly enough. i truly want to go there. </p>

<p>believe me though i did change my ‘studying habits’ and raised my gpa.</p>

<p>in high school i had a beyond horrible gpa. so you see people can change.</p>

<p>now i’m not saying a 3.1 is an awesome gpa generally, i’m saying for me it is awesome, since i’ve improved drastically compared to 3 years ago. </p>

<p>you’re saying i can get it above a 3.2…so? what could that do? a 3.2 avrged out w/ a, say, 3.8 at my UC, WHAT gpa will that average out to, and would this average meet the requirement for the gpa eligibility for Columbia Law?</p>

<p>like i said, i want to attend a prestigious law school if i decide to go to law.</p>

<p>i never had an actual “status” in high school, so now’s my chance to do something big, but then again, it’s my decision that i want to, i mean it’s okay if i choose to do something else but for the time being i want to do law.</p>

<p>columbia, nyu, or any major, well-known university is where i’d like to go to law school…i don’t want to go to something like “florida coastal” or whatever…i’m not saying it’s bad, i just want a prestigious place for my needs.</p>

<p>so anyone wanna help me out w/the gpa part?</p>

<h2>and I am planning to BEGIN studying (have not yet) for the Lsat in Fall of 2005, which is when I should be transfering to University <em>hopefully</em>.</h2>

<p>i just tried something: today was the first day of spring semester at my JC. currently i am taking a total of 6 classes. one class is a p.e. weight-lifting class worth 3 units, and it is uc transferable, so i kinda get one “free” i guess, with no lecture/studying material.</p>

<p>now, i have calculated a gpa. assuming i get 5 "A"s, and 1 “b” my cum. gpa would end up as 3.26. i tried it on this: <a href=“http://matrix.scranton.edu/academics/ac_ro_gpacompute.html[/url]”>http://matrix.scranton.edu/academics/ac_ro_gpacompute.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>so what would you say…the JC 3.26 gpa and a high UC gpa of about 3.8 ?</p>

<p>(if i were to get all straight A’s this term, then I would get a GPA of exactly 3.33…)</p>

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<p>Look, Baller – I think your Q has been answered. </p>

<p>If you do very well throughout the rest of your academic career, and do very well on the LSAT, then you have a chance to attend a top school.</p>

<p>So if that’s really what you want to do, strive for all A’s for here on out. If you get mostly A’s/A-'s, with maybe a few B’s/B+'s, then you should have a shot. (Focus on your grade trend in an addendum to your application.) </p>

<p>Also, if you have anything else that makes you distinctive (URM status, etc.), that will also help.</p>

<p>(A 3.2 JC gpa with a 3.8 UC GPA should give you around a 3.6, which will be fine for Columbia Law, provided you get the right LSAT score.)</p>

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<p>// cardozo:
(A 3.2 JC gpa with a 3.8 UC GPA should give you around a 3.6, which will be fine for Columbia Law, provided you get the right LSAT score.)</p>

<p>mathematically it may be a 3.6, but it’s more like a 3.6 plus, because you have a 3.8 UC GPA which is much more impressive than your 3.2 JC GPA (and more recent). The upward trend will diminish the importance of that 3.2 JC GPA should you finish strong like you intend to.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

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<p>// drop65:<br>
(mathematically it may be a 3.6, but it’s more like a 3.6 plus, because you have a 3.8 UC GPA which is much more impressive than your 3.2 JC GPA (and more recent). The upward trend will diminish the importance of that 3.2 JC GPA should you finish strong like you intend to.)</p>

<p>True. The OP actually has some leeway in this regard, as long as she finishes strong.</p>

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<p>wow, thanks for all this input you guys…really helped out…you guys sure know the ropes & strings of school admissions here…</p>

<p>btw i think you meant “he” card, this ain’t no girlie talkin over here… ;]</p>

<p>thanks again</p>

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<p>Sorry, Baller. There was a girl with a similar name on a different site.</p>