Choosing right schools to apply to

[prefuse73]

Hi
I'm a rising senior interested in applying to law schools this fall. However, I have a problem. My GPA isn't too great. I have a 3.28 GPA from a pretty tough school(Cornell, Comp. Sci major in engineering). I don't have any special reasons for my low GPA. I just didn't try hard enough and partied too much. The good news is that I scored 174 on my LSAT. I also have decent amount of extracurricular stuff if that helps at all.

So I'm just wondering if I'd have reasonable chance at top 10 law schools with my numbers. Obviously, I'm not expecting to get into Harvard or Yale here. My top choice is NYU, but that also seems to be a bit of stretch. How about schools like Michigan, Penn, Chicago, or Duke? I haven't done much research about these schools yet so I'd really appreciate if someone can let me know what my chances are at these schools.

Thanks

[L1]

I actually think you have a great shot  at T10 schools w/ a 174. You'd be suprised how much law schools are willing to forgive when you get a 174. It's not like you have below a 3.0. Check out this site lawschoolnumbers.com. Everyone self-reports but the graphs and stuff can help give you an idea.

Also, apply to as many schools as you can. Soon you'll be getting unsolicited fee waivers from schools. Take them. You'll be suprised where you get and where you don't and what schools you want to go to now and what schools you want to go to when you find out you have a scholarship.

[Robespierre]

I'm also at Cornell with a less than great GPA (3.4, Arts & Sciences, History).  If I had your LSAT score (I haven't taken it yet), I'd be shooting for the very same schools you are.  You're at or below their 25 percentile GPA, but you're above their 75 percentile LSAT, so anything can happen.  Apply to lots of schools, try to set yourself apart on the applications, and one T14 will probably come through, plus some non-T14s with money.  You're on the right tractk; Good luck.

[marista]

I forget what the address is but there's a site called chiasu's law school calculator (or somethign like that).  You put in your numbers and it tells you what percent chance you have of getting into each school with your numbers. I wish I'd known about it before I applied, I would have probably applied to different places.

[Victor]

Hi
I'm a rising senior interested in applying to law schools this fall. However, I have a problem. My GPA isn't too great. I have a 3.28 GPA from a pretty tough school(Cornell, Comp. Sci major in engineering). I don't have any special reasons for my low GPA. I just didn't try hard enough and partied too much. The good news is that I scored 174 on my LSAT. I also have decent amount of extracurricular stuff if that helps at all.

So I'm just wondering if I'd have reasonable chance at top 10 law schools with my numbers. Obviously, I'm not expecting to get into Harvard or Yale here. My top choice is NYU, but that also seems to be a bit of stretch. How about schools like Michigan, Penn, Chicago, or Duke? I haven't done much research about these schools yet so I'd really appreciate if someone can let me know what my chances are at these schools.

Thanks

I like Prefuse73 stuff, that reminds me I havent played One Word Extinguisher in a while.

But to talk about your issue, Yeah I know a kid from Cornell . . . he told me about the big beer fests each week. I think your numbers are what top lawschools look for. They pay more attention to the LSAT, and your GPA is far from bad. I think you have a good chance at some of the top 10 law schools, especially if your gpa kept rising each semester. Good luck!

[L1]

Also, everybody knows that Cornell is really the toughest Ivy. I'm not just saying that to make you feel better, but b/c it's true. There is probably less grade inflation there than at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.