QUOTE(missxmoody @ Nov 28 2006, 09:47 PM)
- Will law schools look at individual grades or just concentrate on my overal and major GPA?
- Do internships count for anything or it really about about #s?
- Should I bother double majoring?
- Is there a big different between LSAT classroom and LSAT extreme? I wanted to take the $1800 (classroom + 5 hours tutoring) class but I can't find it online.
They will look primarily at your overall GPA. They're not going to focus on individual grades unless you have some really terrible ones that stand out.
Internships really don't count for very much.
Double majoring probably won't help in admissions, and if you think it will hurt your GPA, it'll hurt your chances.
I honestly don't know how much the classroom courses are going to help you if you can already manage a 165 on the practice tests. I mean, that's not much lower than the score you need to *teach* the classes at some places. I've mentioned the Logic Games Bible and the prep tests before, and that was certainly what I found most effective.
QUOTE(TrungyBoi @ Nov 29 2006, 03:36 PM)
I apologize for the naive question (because I am absolutely sure this question has been answered somewhere in this 13 page thread), but at what importance and value does law school place on a student's GPA and LSAT score, and what other aspect of a student's application does law school admission committees consider?
*tacking on after numerous of hours*
I'm currently an electronics engineer on the fence about law school (really on the fence.. my other two options are engineering graduate school or going into the industry). Do you have any clue about what it is like to be a patent attorney? What are the hours? workload? social web? etc? I think I've heard that doing patent law can be the equivalent of driving your head against the table 30 thousand times a day.
In an ideal world, I would love to work "part time" (from what I've heard-- I may be mistaken-- that is regarded as about 40 hours a week for attorneys). I definitely don't want to say that I wouldn't go into law if patent attorneys spend upwards to 70 hours a week, but I really would love to do other things in my life besides being a lawyer.
And just two more questions:
1. What is it like being a law student? What are your hours like?
2. What is the main differences between the education of a top 14 school and the rest?
Your LSAT (first) and your GPA (second, except at a handful of schools) are going to be the most important aspects of your application by far. After that, your personal statement might make a difference. If you have significant work experience (full-time, not a campus job or something), that could certainly help. Beyond that, unless there is something really exceptional in your record, the schools probably won't put too much weight on anything.
Being a law student is what you make of it. You can be insane and work 100 hours a week, make a 200-page outline for each course and take each practice exam five times. Or you can skim the casebook, study from a commercial outline and skip most of your classes. It's up to you.
I don't think there's a big difference in the "education" you get at a top 14 compared to anywhere else. The schools all have roughly the same curriculum. The major difference is in your job prospects, especially in terms of where you can get a job. As I've said, the top 14 are more "national" schools, which means the name carries further and you're not limited to the local market. The atmosphere is also probably different for much the same reason; you don't need to be in the very top of your class to get a good job, so there is less competition and pressure.
