[dudnaito]

I remember that when applying for college, there was this thing about applying under a somewhat obscure major to increase your chances of being accepted, playing to the college's desire for a "diverse" student body. I was wondering, if this could at all be true of law school and your bachelors too? ><

I'm trying to decide between English or Classics as a major. I much prefer Classics, but since it's not a very popular major, I wonder if admissions will just think "wth?"

Also, is it normal to take time off after undergrad to do things and get experience prior to going to law school, heightening your chances of being accepted?
The majority of students just apply immediately after undergrad, right?

Honestly, it shouldn't play too much of a difference, if any at all. Their desire for a "diverse" student body speaks more to URM's (under-represented minorities), people of tremendously difficult socioeconomic backgrounds, and people who have unusual work experiences (CSI, 3 years in Iraq). Honestly, though, and I think ronmexico would agree with me, law school admissions is very much a numbers game. Just stick your LSDAS gpa and your LSAT into a law school admissions calculator, or check out lawschoolnumbers.com to see how people with your numbers did in the ABA approved law schools. You should be able to get a general idea of your chances.

Life isn't fair. Why go to a top 20 school with a harsh GPA curve when I could have gone to Georgia State with a full scholarship, had fun, and got a 3.8+. And please don't lecture me on the quality of students in state schools outside of the upper echelon UC's... It's about the numbers. They'd take a 3.8 from flunkalot state over a 3.5 from Vanderbilt with the same LSAT.

[KIM_SAYS:]

I have a question about asking for letters of recommendations...I haven't gotten to know any of my professors yet so next quarter I'm really hoping to get to know them. Do you usually ask for letters really soon like after you take their class or around the time you're applying for law schools? Can you ask the same professors for letters to different schools? Also (this has probably been asked before, so I apologize) what is the best way to study for the LSAT? Is it just basically a lot of practice exams and study guide books? Or are there prep classes that are similar to the SAT ones?

[peacee]

im takinhg political science so how do i transfer into law school?

[ronmexico]

I remember that when applying for college, there was this thing about applying under a somewhat obscure major to increase your chances of being accepted, playing to the college's desire for a "diverse" student body. I was wondering, if this could at all be true of law school and your bachelors too? ><

I'm trying to decide between English or Classics as a major. I much prefer Classics, but since it's not a very popular major, I wonder if admissions will just think "wth?"

Also, is it normal to take time off after undergrad to do things and get experience prior to going to law school, heightening your chances of being accepted?
The majority of students just apply immediately after undergrad, right?

Either major would be fine. Classics isn't as popular as English, but it's not really unusual or poorly-regarded.

Only about a third of law students come straight from undergrad. But some of the ones who don't come straight through apply as seniors and then defer for a year or two.

What is the personal statement like? What do they ask and what are they looking for?

It can usually be two pages of whatever you want. You can write about an important event, job or whatever. It's better to have it narrowly-focused, rather than a rambling biography. It helps if you can use it to explain why you want to go to law school.

I have a question about asking for letters of recommendations...I haven't gotten to know any of my professors yet so next quarter I'm really hoping to get to know them. Do you usually ask for letters really soon like after you take their class or around the time you're applying for law schools? Can you ask the same professors for letters to different schools? Also (this has probably been asked before, so I apologize) what is the best way to study for the LSAT? Is it just basically a lot of practice exams and study guide books? Or are there prep classes that are similar to the SAT ones?

You can use the same letters for every school. You just need to print out a form from LSAC's site and give it to the professor, who then mails the form and their letter back to LSAC. Then they send the letters along with your score report to the schools you apply to. You can also send letters targeted at particular schools (if, say, your professor went there or knows people there). People generally ask for letters when they're applying.

The best way to study is with the real exams and PowerScore guides. There are classes, but they're expensive and I haven't heard great things. I think they're probably least useful if you're trying to get your score up over 165.

im takinhg political science so how do i transfer into law school?

I'm not really sure what you're asking. You can't "transfer" into law school.

[hyunnitea]

Hi everybody. I'm currently a freshman Gov major with a secondary International Business major, thinking of applying to law school after undergrad. I don't want to feel like I wasted my B.A., because really, majors don't matter much when it comes to law school. I want to major in something that can stand alone even if I decide that law school is not for me. At the same time, I think having a Gov/Poli major would still be useful, in terms of internships and outside opportunities. Then again, I go to school near the DC area.

Would it be a good choice to stay in my current majors? Are they good "standalone" majors? or Would it be more impressive to double major in, say, two languages?

[ajjang]

nevermindddddddd~


20 characters.

[aznyo]

how bad does a withdrawal grade look when ure applying to laws school?

[wjun3]

im currently a senior and im majoring in marketing...i have only 2 more quarters until they kick me out of college (i have a lot of credits)...The thing is i dont know if i want to do law school...ive interned at a law firm and talked to lawyers but i dont know if its right for me. My whole life ive just been doing whatever because I dont have any subject I like, seriously...does anyone have any recommendation? like are there people that dont really have a passion for law but still do it?
i dont know what id do with a marketing major today.

whats a better major, marketing or finance? w/o going to law school that is... i can change my major to finance if i take summer school..

i go to the unviersity of washington btw

[kight]

I'm a freshman at USF, and my GPA right now is a 3.0

what are my chances of getting my GPA up to a competitive level by the time I graduate?

also do you think SAT/ACT scores predict what scores you will get on the LSAT?

[V12Juice]

SAT/ACT =/= LSAT Go look over a previous year LSAT online and read the questions. Its all about practicing the tests over and over, and some people are naturally better at Logic games than others.
You're only a freshman, you still have a long way to go and a lot of time to raise that GPA. Try to get it above a 3.6~ and go for an LSAT above 169-170 and you'll be in a T14. Don't worry about law school yet....Just focus on your grades for now.

[Lady Violette]

so i spoke to my law school advisor and he said that i don't need to work as hard in my senior year. ronmexico, did you slack a little during undergrad senior year? it's going to take all of my energy to increase/maintain my current gpa and i would really like to rest a little during senior year and i plan to take one hard class in senior year and the rest pretty easy xD

[chibiblue88]

Sorry for all the questions!

I'm planning to stay an extra semester because originally I was planning to minor in a foreign language but I'm not sure about that now.... I'm basically taking the minimum to be considered a full-time student. Do you think I will be at a disadvantage when I apply for law school? Will they look at my course load as "less" since I'm staying an extra semester? Or does it not really matter as long as my GPA is good?

Also, I've heard a lot of varying things about working at a law firm as an undergrad. I know most people who are working for a law firm are basically just file clerks, but the the fact that they are working for a law firm looks good on your application. Other people have said that since they are JUST file clerks, law schools wouldn't give favorable weight towards them and considers it to be the same as someone working in retail. I'm totally confused.

[V12Juice]

Aiba: As long as you increase/maintain your senior GPA, its fine to take a little less of a courseload, but you should still try to raise your GPA. Also, working and doing some EC's wouldn't hurt your app.

Chibi: It doesn't matter how strong/weak your courseload is as long as your GPA is strong. Working at a law firm is good, but they aren't going to differentiate retail work and filing at a law firm by a large margin. Work experience is def. important to some schools to show a sign of maturity.

[LUX.]

The summer after my Freshman year of undergrad is coming up, and most likely I will be unable to score an internship. Is there anything else I can do that'd look somewhat impressive on my law school app?

[V12Juice]

You dont HAVE to work at a law firm or get an internship to make a strong app. Just grab any work you can, work experience is key. Also, start briefing over the LSAT books to get the gist of what you're dealing with.

[longbong]

how important is an high LSAT score

[V12Juice]

Very important. It is AS important as GPA, if not more (to some schools). But don't become a splitter....lowgpa/highlsat or vice versa. A high LSAT would be something 169+

[je_amourx]

Say, I'd like to work in the US Embassy in a forgien country, or open an Immigration non-lawyer office, is it necessary to go to Law School for that?

[ronmexico]

Aiba: As long as you increase/maintain your senior GPA, its fine to take a little less of a courseload, but you should still try to raise your GPA. Also, working and doing some EC's wouldn't hurt your app.

Chibi: It doesn't matter how strong/weak your courseload is as long as your GPA is strong. Working at a law firm is good, but they aren't going to differentiate retail work and filing at a law firm by a large margin. Work experience is def. important to some schools to show a sign of maturity.

In the context of law school applications, "work experience" means full-time work experience after college. Someone who had an internship or summer job (which virtually every applicant will) won't be considered to have work experience.

Say, I'd like to work in the US Embassy in a forgien country, or open an Immigration non-lawyer office, is it necessary to go to Law School for that?

To work in an embassy, you wouldn't need to go to law school. You would probably need to pass a Foreign Service exam. I'm not sure what an "immigration non-lawyer office" is. You couldn't practice immigration law without being a lawyer.

[ace4va111]

hi...i've been lurking this thread for some time now... i have a question if you don't mind, if you're in your undergrad majoring in accounting/accountancy, i wonder about the transition to law school? i mean, is it ok? and i've been dwelling on the idea of taking up law at a foreign law school...and i was wondering how to do so? thanks in advance...