<p>Thanks for the great articles sybbie! Appreciate your perspective as well ivypbear. I took a diagnostic LSAT without any prior study for it as a rough measure of what my “starting point” is going to be, and I actually scored exactly the 168 I had estimated weirdly enough. So hopefully with some hardcore studying over winter break, this number could get up into the low or even mid 170s!</p>
<p>As for the GPA/ graduation question, I DO have the option of sticking around in undergrad for 4 years on my full ride scholarship. However, in the context of life, this just seems like a waste of time! If I can get my degree in two years, I don’t want to waste ANOTHER two years just taking random classes so I can pump up my GPA to look better for law school admissions.</p>
<p>This being said, one thing I could do is try to study abroad on a scholarship like the Boren and use the grades from my year abroad to raise the GPA. I was planning on participating in an international English-teaching grant program next year, but could consider just studying abroad with my university instead simply for GPA reasons. At the end of the day though, I really have to choose what’s best for me in general and not base my life decisions on “what’s going to look good”, if that makes sense? So I guess we’ll see what happens. Regardless, I will definitely be applying for schools outside the T14 (i.e. Wisconsin) in addition to those “dream schools” I initially listed.</p>
<p>Thanks again for your helpful perspectives!</p>
<p>P.S. bluebayou, a summer internship with the State Department at the United States Embassy in Paris is inarguably one of THE most competitive internship posts available to American undergraduate students. If your son HAD been accepted to this program, I am willing to bet you would be announcing it loud and proud on this thread (and you would also be abreast of how truly competitive it is)! Not saying it will affect law school admissions at all, but that doesn’t change the fact that the internship itself, contrary to your statements, is indeed quite competitive. But that’s not the question at hand, now is it? ;)</p>