<p>My goal is to go to Yale Law School (my mother always told me that if you shoot for the moon and fail, then you will land among the stars 
and I was wondering if any current students could comment on how hard it would be to get as close to a 4.0 as possible as an economics major. Also, what is the process like for taking LSAT classes in such a small town as Northfield?</p>
<p>Thanks in Advance for helping, it is much appreciated!!</p>
<p>It would be pretty difficult to approach a 4.0, in econ or anything else. In the class of 2005, nobody graduated with a 4.0 and there were 12 (I think) summas (3.9+) in a class of 500. So itās not easy by any stretch. On the other hand, there was also an econ major in the class of '05 who got into YLS. </p>
<p>I canāt remember if there were any LSAT classes at Carleton or St. Olaf. I honestly donāt think LSAT classes are especially useful or necessary. The LSAT itself is administered at Carleton in the fall, so you donāt have to leave campus to take it.</p>
<p>Thanks for responding. </p>
<p>Where did you find that data?</p>
<p>If my goal is to go to Yale Law School, what would you advise me to do? Go to Carleton, U of Michigan, NYU, or potentially Northwestern if cost isnāt a factor?</p>
<p>Carleton is definitely good preparation for law school. I know in my year, 2005, 2 people got into Harvard Law. Iām afraid I donāt know the stats on Yale Law or any of the other top law schools, but Carleton is very much well-known as a feeder school for all types of grad programs. And econ is a very difficult major at Carleton, so yes, it would be hard to get a 4.0. But then again, if you want easy, Carleton is sooo not the place to go. As for LSAT classes, you will probably have to travel up to the Twin Cities.</p>
<p>which would be a better preparation for law school: NYU, Carleton, or U of Michigan?</p>
<p>Thereās not really an objective answer to that question. They all would offer different preparation for law school, but people go to good law schools coming from all three. Having finished the undergrad experience, I can tell you that I think it would be a mistake to get TOO caught up in choosing among those three VERY different schools with the only criteria being āwhich one will get me into Yale law school.ā </p>
<p>I think youāll find that people go to all types of grad schools from every undergraduate school imaginable. You could go to Yale law school and do very well with an undergraduate education from any of those three choices. It has more to do with what you do with your time there than the school itself. College is supposed to be the best time of your life (it was for me so far) so try to enjoy the journey rather than just thinking about the destination the whole time. Think about which school youād most enjoy, that best fits you. Are you a big city person? Do you want very small discussion based classes? Do you want a strong sense of community among the students? What will you do for fun in college and do all three schools offer it? </p>
<p>If its your dream to go to Yale law school, you can achieve it from any of the three places. Start thinking in terms of what else is important to you these next four years.</p>
<p>A hearty āamen!ā to LACalum.</p>
<p>None of those schools will limit your dreams in the slightest, though they all might change and refine them. A 4.0 in a college like Carleton is nigh on impossible, but grad schools will recognize that fact. Furthermore, the difficulty of getting an astronomical GPA means that you will be challenged, be stretched, and ultimately learn more. </p>
<p>The atmospheres of those schools you mention are all extrordinarily different. Choose with your heart. Your head will get you where you want to go at any of those 4.</p>
<p>AmericanSki,</p>
<p>Just wonder if there is any stats data about the distribution of grades at Carleton, like āThere were 12 (I think) summas (3.9+) in a class of 500.ā a top2% GPA, or GPA of 3.8+ is top 10%, 3.5+ is top 25% etc for Carls. I know that itās very difficult for a Carleton student to get a good grade since it has least grade inflation. And most of good law schools will curve your GPA based on the your school (times a different factor:0.95 or 0.85). GPA of 3.8 for Carl is not the same GPA of 3.8 for student in Michigan.</p>
<p>I donāt think the data are published anywhere. I only knew (roughly) how many summas there were because they walked up separately at commencement. But the numbers you mention might actually be pretty close to reality. A 3.9+ is probably the top 2% and 3.8 or so might be top 10%, since thatās usually around the cutoff for Deanās List. A 3.5 might be closer to top third or so. Thatās the cutoff for magna, so if you really wanted to figure it out, you could try to get a commencement program and count them.</p>