How did you narrow down your search for schools?

[sheltron5000]

I finally caved and decided to apply this fall, but I don't really know how to even START looking. I've looked at most of the information on the sites in the resources, but it feels like no matter how thorough I am there is something I will over look.


How did you narrow down your search?


(My info: GPA: 3.7; LSAT: 165(should I retake?); Undergrad at University of Oregon: Political Science and Linguistics. I'm looking at University of Washington, Lewis and Clark, and an extreme long-shot: Berkeley. I think the regional options here in the Pacific Northwest are kind of slim, so if you have any suggestions on that area I'd appreciate it.)

[non parata est]

I went through the hundreds of pages on the "Where Should I Go Next Fall" and "Reviews, Visits, and Rankings" boards.  It took several hours over a couple weeks, but I really felt that I had a decent handle on the conventional wisdom about these schools after that.  From there, I picked about 20-30 schools to investigate more deeply, and visited their websites, wiki pages, and BCG pages.  That's given me a pretty good list of schools that I'm interested in.

[California_RedRaider]

I would say go to USNEWS Report:http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/grad/law/search/c_final_tier+1

Decided where you would like to study, where you want to work and apply to schools within your range of numbers.

I would say at least 2 Reaches, 3/4 Targets, 2 Safeties.

Reach: You're slightly below their numbers. 25 percentile
Target: You're right there in the middle of their numbers 50-60 percentitle
Safety: 75% or above

Some other schools in the region you can consider. UC Hastings, UC Davis, Santa Clara (Dependent if you're interested in Intellectual Property), etc. You can apply to UCLA, USC (they can take you back up north).

Good luck. 

[pulvillus]

I finally caved and decided to apply this fall, but I don't really know how to even START looking. I've looked at most of the information on the sites in the resources, but it feels like no matter how thorough I am there is something I will over look.


How did you narrow down your search?


(My info: GPA: 3.7; LSAT: 165(should I retake?); Undergrad at University of Oregon: Political Science and Linguistics. I'm looking at University of Washington, Lewis and Clark, and an extreme long-shot: Berkeley. I think the regional options here in the Pacific Northwest are kind of slim, so if you have any suggestions on that area I'd appreciate it.)

Initially, I chose a few areas where I thought I might want to practice/study. In and around those markets I looked at schools that would be a good fit for me, given my numbers. Once I came up with a broad list, I started comparing and eliminating schools based on employment data, OCI numbers, etc. At the end of it, I was down to about 8 schools, some safety, some right in the middle and some reaches. Making my decision was actually pretty easy, since I got a much more enticing offer from Vandy than anyone else. Unless Cornell decides to make my life difficult by finally accepting me and offering me a large scholarship, I will be Nashville in the fall.

[casper13]

What is wrong with the law school at your own undergrad. I am actually going to apply there next cycle when i apply to schools just cause I like oregon and im kinda intrigued by U of O. Im also a huge running fan so what better place to watch some really good track meets.

[mbw]

What is wrong with the law school at your own undergrad. I am actually going to apply there next cycle when i apply to schools just cause I like oregon and im kinda intrigued by U of O. Im also a huge running fan so what better place to watch some really good track meets.

OPs numbers are above 75ths at Oregon.  S/he could potentially go to a more prestigious school.

[upgrade]

What about UCLA/USC as some more reaches? UC-Hastings & Arizona as some targets?

I was going to suggest the CA schools as well.  You may want to consider Notre Dame as well.  It seems to travel well throughout the country.

With your strong GPA, I would definitely study for and retake the LSAT.  Just a few points could drastically alter your options and/or your scholarships.  How much did you prepare for your first LSAT?

[Team Awesome]

I narrowed down my search in an buttbackwards way that I would not recommend to anyone just starting out. Wasn't that helpful?

[casper13]

What is wrong with the law school at your own undergrad. I am actually going to apply there next cycle when i apply to schools just cause I like oregon and im kinda intrigued by U of O. Im also a huge running fan so what better place to watch some really good track meets.

OPs numbers are above 75ths at Oregon.  S/he could potentially go to a more prestigious school.

As opposed to Lewis and Clark that are a spit above U of O's

[mbw]

What is wrong with the law school at your own undergrad. I am actually going to apply there next cycle when i apply to schools just cause I like oregon and im kinda intrigued by U of O. Im also a huge running fan so what better place to watch some really good track meets.

OPs numbers are above 75ths at Oregon.  S/he could potentially go to a more prestigious school.

As opposed to Lewis and Clark that are a spit above U of O's

When I first decided to go to law school and was looking through the lists of school, I put both of the above on my interest list, namely due to location.  However, once I learned a bit more about rankings and where my numbers/softs put me, I decided perhaps for higher ranked schools.  The OP hasn't really stated whether going outside the PNW is of interest, and their numbers would certainly support aps to some tier 1 schools.