How soon is too soon?

Graduate School Law School
1

<p>Well, i completly effed up undergrad admissions and have vowed not to do the same thing when it comes to Law School. I had friends who began SAT prep as freshmen, would it be a bad idea to begin prepping for the LSATs as i begin my first year of undergrad? Is it going to be harder for me to get into an Ivy League law school coming from a public school (UC Berkeley). I am currently a double major in History and Poli Sci, bad idea? Is law school admissions anything like undergrad? Do i need any defining attributes expirences? Any general advice</p>

2

<p>You screwed up big, NO ONE respects Berkeley.</p>

3

<p>yeah….some people dream of getting into Berkeley…isn’t it the best Public School in the country or highly considered?</p>

<p>these books have helped me out and I plan to buy the ones recommended after i get all my textbooks…$400+ <em>sigh</em></p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=84814[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=84814&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>anyways, best of luck at Berkeley, my cousin went there and she’s doing just fine now ;)</p>

4

<p>i did mess up :(</p>

5

<p>genxyboi20, yacktacki is being sarcastic…</p>

<p>berkeley is a VERY good school…-------------></p>

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<p>"Is it going to be harder for me to get into an Ivy League law school coming from a public school (UC Berkeley). "</p>

<p>compared to what? </p>

<p>compared to a private school? yeah cuz the private schools have grade inflation.</p>

<p>compared to other public universities? no, berkeley sends a large number of alums to yale and harvard law schools among public universities. </p>

<p>harvard law students who did undergrad at berkeley:
<a href=“http://www.law.harvard.edu/admissions/jd/colleges.php[/url]”>http://www.law.harvard.edu/admissions/jd/colleges.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>yale law students who did undergrad at berkeley:
<a href=“http://www.yale.edu/bulletin/html/law/students.html[/url]”>http://www.yale.edu/bulletin/html/law/students.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

7

<p>If you want to get into a top law school coming out of Berkeley, you ought to know your odds. Pay careful attention to the GPA’s and LSAT scores of the Berkeley prelaws who got into the top law schools like Harvard Law, Yale Law, and Stanford Law. Also pay attention to the number of applicants to the top law schools compared to the number who were accepted. </p>

<p><a href=“http://career.berkeley.edu/Law/lawStats.stm#school[/url]”>http://career.berkeley.edu/Law/lawStats.stm#school&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

8

<p>genxyboi20…First of all, I assure you that you did NOT screw up. I can, however, understand how you feel. A good friend of mine was rejected by several (4+) of his top choices and was extremely disappointed for a week or so after the decisions came out in April. I had to continually remind him that he had been accepted to Cornell and should be proud of his accomplishment!! He now accepts that and can’t wait to go. Berkeley is an awesome school with a great reputation and certainly nothing to be ashamed of. </p>

<p>As for the LSAT prep, I also just graduated from high school and plan to go to law school after college. I must admit that a few weeks after graduation the thought of buyng some LSAT prep books did cross my mind. After all, I had started prepping for the SAT after freshmen year and then managed a 1500+ score in October of JUNIOR year. Most people thought I was crazy for having prepped so early and thought of me as a stressful, over-motivated, obsessive kid. In actuality, prepping early had the exact opposite effect. While everyone else was stressing over SAT prep during the AP-packed Junior year, by the time March of junior year came, I had been finished with the SAT for months!! By starting so early I had REALLY reduced my personal stress level rather than increase it. </p>

<p>SO, while I am completely in favor of starting preparation well in advance of the test date, DON’T start any hardcore reviewing now. At most, pick up an official LSAT book and take a test just to acquaint yourself with the material. Then, put it down, go to college, enjoy your classes and get good grades. Don’t worry about it until at least after Freshmen year. You’d miss out on too much if LSAT prep became a focus right now. </p>

<p>It doesn’t hurt to be ahead of the pack, unless early prep ADDS to your troubles. All early prep should be helpful, not hurtful. Hope that helps and was not just a whole page of rambling from someone without a whole great deal of experience with law school admissions :)</p>