3.79/172 but... substandard Undergraduate institution?

[Sprintz]

Hello all. I am a recent graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and I graduated with a double major in English and Economics. I have already taken the LSAT and was very happy to get a 172. Anyway, I know that my undergraduate school is marginal at best, but will this factor into Law school admissions? I did graduate in the honors program (James Scholar program), and with high honors in English, but from what I've heard this means little if anything. I am planning on taking a year off anyway, to travel around Europe (very excited!!!), but I would like to know what my options are. Also, I'm not URM and, while I have what I would consider strong LORs, my softs aren't really anything special.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[sluglaw]

huh?  uiuc is a very good school.  if you want to stay in illinois you have a good shot at chicago.  but i suspect you just need some ego-stroking, so i don't have much sympathy for you.

[Sprintz]

Thanks for your reply.

I am just worried because I know a lot of people in Law School who went to Ivy League schools, to the University of Chicago, to Northwestern, etc., and wasn't sure about the importance of 'name-dropping' in getting into decent Law Schools. From anecdotal stories from friends, UG institution means everything to admissions people... are you saying this isn't true?

[Jamie Stringer]

I'd apply everywhere in the T14, but you probably have the best chance at NYU on down, with Michigan, Virginia, and Penn being strong targets.

[Jamie Stringer]

Thanks for your reply.

I am just worried because I know a lot of people in Law School who went to Ivy League schools, to the University of Chicago, to Northwestern, etc., and wasn't sure about the importance of 'name-dropping' in getting into decent Law Schools. From anecdotal stories from friends, UG institution means everything to admissions people... are you saying this isn't true?

Your friends are wrong.

GPA + LSAT is what the schools care about. 

[UnbiasedObserver]

Your friends are wrong.

GPA + LSAT is what the schools care about. 

This is true to a large extent. 

[Sprintz]

Thanks for your help all!

I'll definitely consider applying to the schools you mentioned, I would love to get into the University of Chicago but never really thought that would be a possibility (from what I've heard, it's for ultra-academics, a group I can't say I belong to). Also, yes, I suppose I am not giving my UG enough credit, as it definitely helped me to achieve my score. I'm just worried, though: for anyone who attends one of these 'T14' schools, are they tailored towards super-intelligent, no-fun-allowed students? I'm not saying I don't appreciate the joys of learning and classes, but I wouldn't want to pay an incredible sum of money to find I'm completely out of my depth.

[Matthies]

Thanks for your reply.

I am just worried because I know a lot of people in Law School who went to Ivy League schools, to the University of Chicago, to Northwestern, etc., and wasn't sure about the importance of 'name-dropping' in getting into decent Law Schools. From anecdotal stories from friends, UG institution means everything to admissions people... are you saying this isn't true?

Your friends are wrong.

GPA + LSAT is what the schools care about. 

Well that and the fact he is economically disadvantaged in that he can only spend one year traveling around Europe. I’d play up that angle because if there is any underrepresented group in law schools it middle class white folks who went to Europe/studied abroad.  

[Sprintz]

To be fair, Matthics, my 'traveling' is not exactly what you probably think. I was born in England, and am moving back there for a year as part of a job offer. While there, I will have the opportunity to travel as part of my work. While I am looking forward to it immensely, I am also getting paid a living wage to do so. Although, I am white and middle-class, so you have me there.

[Matthies]

To be fair, Matthics, my 'traveling' is not exactly what you probably think. I was born in England, and am moving back there for a year as part of a job offer. While there, I will have the opportunity to travel as part of my work. While I am looking forward to it immensely, I am also getting paid a living wage to do so. Although, I am white and middle-class, so you have me there.

Well you need to mention that in your application, the point of my post is that if you don't at least put it on your resume as such, adcoms will assume you just spent a year backpacking, smoking pot and having affiars with Polsih gilrs you met in a youth hostel. Travel to eroupe/study aboard is so common place it can be a negative (ie. privladge) than a postive. Just spend one weekend while your there builing a house for some imgrants and write a DS on it about how it made you underdtand what it was like to be poor and apprceate all the benfits of your life and you can negate and entrie year of being drunk in a forgien country.