First, some basic info. LSAT=172, GPA=4.0 (graduated last spring). I opted to work for a couple of years before attending law school, and I'm currently employed by a large global firm as a consultant. Well-rounded college activities list, I think (hope?).
Now, several questions that, quite frankly, I just don't have much of a clue on and I would love some opinions. Feel free to answer any or all of them.
1. All else equal, would it be better to attend a highly-ranked school and rank, say, in the top third, or to attend a tier twoish school and rank very highly? Or does it kind of depend on where you want to work and the nature of the work you want to do?
2. Does anybody get scholarships for law school that aren't need-based? The one conversation I ever had with a law advisor during undergrad made it sound like the prospects for merit-based scholarships are slim to none.
3. I'm working 60-70 hours a week...should I be expecting to ramp up that time committment for law school?
4. Would attending law school part-time be looked upon poorly?
As I said, any opinions would be greatly appreciated!
Initial question: if you graduated last spring, how did you opt to work for a couple of years? Unless of course you mean you graduated in Spring '08 and will attend law school in Fall '10, which is what makes sense to me.
1. Depends on what you hope to do with your degree. If you plan on starting out at a big firm, then top third at a top ten school will generally be better than ranking very highly at a tier twoish school. Frankly, with a 172/4.0, you're probably looking at substantial grant money from schools well above tier 2.
2. Plenty of people get grant money not related to need. I have friends who basically attended school for free, and that wasn't due to need-based scholarship aid. Schools regularly use money to poach candidates with strong numbers from higher-ranked schools.
3. 60-70 hours is more than enough time invested for the academic demands, though depending on what other commitments you take on during law school, you may have to occasionally put in more.
4. By whom? I know people who attended part-time programs and ended up with very selective employers, so I don't think it would be too much of a problem. Depends on the program, of course.
All of the above is, of course, just one person's opinion, and should be taken with a grain of salt.
Good luck!
