The answers to all your questions

[legends159]

Lets think about this logically, Who gets into the top UG? Kids who have the best grades get into the top UG. How do they get such great grades? Study habits, devotion, motivation, innate abilities e.g. In addition, those who get into the top UG also have top SAT scores and there is a correlation, however miniscule between the SATs ann the LSats.

So who are the students that get into the top law schools that come from not so top notch UG?
-Usually those that screwed up in HS but had the potential to get into those top UG
-Those who chose a lesser UG because of financial, location or other reasons
-Late bloomers

The thing with Law school admissions is that determination and perserverence alone will not get you in. The Lsats is studyable but someone without the inborn potential to score in the top percentile (165+) may never be able to accomplish such a task. Collegeboard always eliminates any part of the test that is studyable, which is why some people can walk in and get a 170 without studying while another who preps for years can barely manage a 160.

Still, a 4.0 at Harvard would be weighted more than a 4.0 at Boston University even if Harvard inflates grades.
This is why the Lsat carries so much weight.

[V00Jeff]

Ok well you discussed the quality/reputation of the undergrad school not being a paramount factor in law school admissions....However, on LSN, almost everyone getting into the T-14 come from Top 30 undergrads

Of course this may be because the caliber of kids at the Top 30 schools is higher, with more ambition etc but I have noticed that kids from outside the Top 30, 40, 50 are put in a back seat...I know most law adcoms wont favor Harvard over Dartmouth or Cornell but there is surely a distinction between Harvard and Boston University (which is still quite a good school)

How much of a distintcion is this...For example, if two applicants had identical credentials, everything the same except for GPA's, who would get in if the Harvard grad had a 3.4 and the BU grad had a 3.65

My advice to you is this: go to the school that fits you the best, unless that school is a whole tier below another school that you got into.  In other words, if you get into a couple of Ivy leagues, go to the Ivy league that fits you the best.  If you get into one Ivy league and a few lesser-known state schools, go to the Ivy League unless you can't afford it or think that you'll absolutely hate life there.  If you get into a top-50 school and a top-300 school, go to the top-50 school.  Etc. 

I think law schools look more at "tiers of prestige" than the USNEWS ranking of undergrad schools.  Basically, I think it works like this: if you go to a top-15 (or so) undergrad, that gives you a very small advantage.  If you go to a top-100 undergrad, you will be OK.  If you go to a non-top-100 undergrad, it will work to your disadvantage.  Of course, those are broad guidelines; I wouldn't stress too much about going to whatever school is ranked #101 if that's where you really want to go.

Also, remember that there is a value to going to a good school beyond what it will do for you in terms of law school admissions.

[ace0260]

Thanks alot...but my situation is somewhat different

Im an American in Canada but I grew up in the states...I didn't study for the SAT because I was an arrogant moron and I got a sub-par score...Now, im paying for it in American admissions...I have been rejected at Wake Forest and Tufts, waitlisted at Tulane, Case Western, etc and the only acceptance I have right now is from Boston University (im still waiting for some others)....However, I have also applied to Canadian universities (which are generally very good)...In Canada there is no standardized test and Im in the top 6th percentile of my class so Ive gotten into/getting into everywhere from University of Toronto to McGill,UBC, Queen's Western etc

Now I have to think about what I want to do...I dont personally like UofT and McGill (which are ranked 1 and 2) and I prefer Western Ontario and Queen's...

How do the "reputation tiers" work in this case? Its like comparing apples to oranges except Canada is much more similar to the US than other nations...

If my options were: University of Western Ontario, Queen's University, Boston U, Univ. Miami, and George Washington...which ones are more reputable?

Sorry that its so long but im sure you can see that this is a little more confusing than picking your best area state school. Thanks

[V00Jeff]

Sorry, I ignored your earlier question because, to be honest, I don't really know what law admissions officers think of the top tier Canadian schools.  So I won't BS you.  I would recommend asking an admissions officer (if you can), or post on other sections of the board to try to find Canadian students going to law school in the U.S.  Also, you can look around Law School Numbers to see how people from Canadian schools have fared.

[mli]

Aw no, does this mean that that as an undergrad, I should look to fill my transcript with as many community service, leadership roles, and other various activities? As a high school students, it's already tiring, I can't see going through it again for four years. Granted, the stuff I did I was interested in and genuinely wanted to do, but being in 7 clubs, 3 of which are honor societies, and doing a lot of other crap is very tiring. Are co-curricular activities a big deal for grad school admission? Or is it like what I've been hearing, just gpa and LSAT?

[V00Jeff]

Just find a few things that you like and do them well.  Extracurriculars do matter, but they're not as big of a deal for grad school as they are for getting into undergrad. 

[180]

Aw no, does this mean that that as an undergrad, I should look to fill my transcript with as many community service, leadership roles, and other various activities? As a high school students, it's already tiring, I can't see going through it again for four years. Granted, the stuff I did I was interested in and genuinely wanted to do, but being in 7 clubs, 3 of which are honor societies, and doing a lot of other crap is very tiring. Are co-curricular activities a big deal for grad school admission? Or is it like what I've been hearing, just gpa and LSAT?

I don't do extracirriculars.  Never have, never will.  My Dean, prelaw advisor and a number of professors have all said the same thing: extracirriculars mean squat.  Sure, at top, top schools they will separate the 179 superstars, or compensate for a few low-number admits.  But, they don't matter in most cases.

[180]

What do you do with yourself all day? If i hadn't done sports, student groups, and volunteer service, i would have had a lot of friggin free time with nothing to do.

I work 20 hours a week (full time during breaks).  I hang out with my friends and smoke pot.  I spend too much time lurking on this board.  Yeah, pretty much nothing.  I do wish I participated in soccer in some form.  However, those who recruited me for my mind offered me more than those who were seeking my golden foot. 

[dollarbill]

Extracirriculars don't matter for *&^%, and it makes no difference where you go or what you major in, unless you make disastrously bad decisions.  In that case, you probably weren't bright enough to go to a decent law school, anyway.

[alb]

As for attending a Canadian undergrad, be careful about GPA.  I think I remember reading that Canadian universities have a lot less grade inflation than their american counterparts.  While law school admissions may take that into account as a soft factor, numbers are numbers, and UGPA is a number that counts.