Can You Really Go to Law School?

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thank you for the refreshingly honest post about what it does and does not take to get into law school. at a time when i am pondering law school with a mediocre gpa and no hope in my heart, this article inspires me to at least try to put my dreams into action.

smileygirl of MA 10:22PM March 23, 2012

I have a friend who wants to go to law school. He has a 2.7 GPA and scored
a 150 on the lsat. What are his chances of getting into law school? What can he do to enhance his odds of getting in?

Rick of WV 4:26PM August 13, 2011

i have a 3.3 from Creighton University- I am just no going into my junior year but am afraid that it will look bad. What is your opinion?

Shane of NE 12:49PM June 28, 2011

Inna G,
If you received a 143 LSAT score after several weeks of preparation, attending law school is not a good idea. No respectable law school will accept you, and your job prospects after graduation will be obsolete. Any school that accepts a 143 LSAT is not worth attending, and would likely not be ABA approved. Moreover, having a 3.3 GPA from the University of Phoenix is meaningless. If you are adamant about attending law school, I recommend taking the LSAT again, but the best economic decision would be to not attend law school at all. The legal job market is extremely competitive, and some students at top 25 law schools are struggling to find work; you would be spending 90K plus with not payoff.

@11 of CA 2:11PM January 16, 2011

I just took the December 2010 LSAT for the first time and got a 143. I studied very hard for it and constantly scored better in my practice tests but for some reason didn't do well on the actual test, despite being as prepared as I could be. I graduated from University of Phoneix with a 3.36 GPA. Surely I understand that UOP is not an exceptional school but my GPA is relatively good. Lastly, I've been working as a pralegal for the last 4+ years.
I quess my question is.... Because I studied so hard for the LSAT I feel that I maxed out my potential, should I try to take the LSAT again?? Or should I try to apply with the score that I have??
Please advise.

Inna G. of CA 7:25PM January 07, 2011

Hi Ann,
I want to get into a top 25 law school but I'm not sure how strong my credentials are. I go to a top 50 undergraduate university as well and I'll graduate with around a 3.55 and about 167. I also have held internships with the DA's office and other unrelated ones with financial brokerage firms. Are my chances good for making the top 20?

Anthony of CA 1:08AM September 15, 2010

Carlos, I think you emailed me personally and I answered your question but I'll also respond here for the benefit of other readers. I don't think the writing class is really useful unless you'd be using it to get a letter of rec from a professor. I refer you to the ABA LSAC OFFICIAL GUIDE TO US LAW SCHOOLS to see what schools might work for you with a 160 and your GPA, but I think it's too soon (without an actual LSAT score) to think about what schools might be possibilities.
That leads me to Evan. Evan, without knowing your exact GPA and a lot of other details (like an LSAT score!!!) I can't tell you whether you'd have a shot at law school. If you check out my website, you'll see testimonials from people with very low GPAs who got into fine law schools (and even very good law schools) but the LSAT and other factors saved them. My book has a lot of guidance for people with low GPAs and other problematic issues and you may find that helpful.

Ann Levine of CA 10:34PM September 01, 2010

I am hoping if you could shine some light on how realistic my chances of getting into law school are. I attended a top 50 undergraduate institution but didn't do very well due a illness in the family. I was also working, volunteering and interning in college as well. Upon graduation from college, I went immediately into graduate school and got a 3.0 GPA and interned with a major corporation. With all of this in mind, does it seem realistic for me to apply? Thank you so much for your advice.

Evan of AZ 5:39PM August 26, 2010

I read your blog post Anne and it struck me as, well, defiantly realistic. I am currently in the application process for Law School and was wondering if there was anything more that I could do to stand out from the crowd. I have a 2.9 GPA from a good college and a 157 LSAT score. I am about to take an LSAT test preparation class in order to boost that number; I'm hoping something over a 160. I have also worked a year for a non-profit law firm and am about to start working for another firm to cover experience on both defendant and plaintiff sides. My only other idea is to pick up an additional writing class, although I am not sure if this would help me in any substantial way. Would you recommend that I do something more? What do you think are my chances of getting into a Tier 1 or even high ranking Tier 2 school if I could get a 160 on my next LSAT?
Reaching a dead end,
Carlos

Carlos of CA 9:07PM August 25, 2010

I think it also bears mentioning that many people mistakenly apply to lower-ranked schools with the expectation that they will out-perform their classmates and transfer to a better school. This is extremely difficult to do. In order to transfer, you need to be among the top handful of people in your class and even then you may very well not get taken by the higher-ranked school of your dreams. In short, you shouldn't go to a school if you aren't willing stay there. So look closely at things like the bar passage rate for the school; if it's less than 50% (and many such schools exist, for example, CA), you're probably not even going to wind up practicing law. Whatever people may tell you about a JD opening doors outside of law, this is mostly bunk (and the more so when you're talking about law schools no one has ever heard of).

Brian of CA 12:23PM August 18, 2010