Is BYU a Feeder School?

[OLY]

Hi, I am a pre-law student at BYU-Idaho. I plan on graduating with about a 3.75 and (fingers crossed) a 165 LSAT. My question is will going to a lower rank under-grad school decerase my chances of getting into the BYU law school.  I assume because most of the law students at BYU are mormon it is probably a big feeder school.  In the mormon community BYU-Idaho is often looked down on as a school for people that "couldn't get in at provo."  That is not the case for all of us. I could transfer to Provo but I would have to re-take come classes and my GPA would probably take a hit. Is it worth it? Any advice would be great. Thanks.

[MorningStar]

Am I the only one laughing at this post?

[MCB]

If you want to go to Provo for reasons in addition to law school admissions, and it wouldn't be too much wasted time and energy, then go for it.  But law schools mostly just care about GPA and LSAT when it comes to admissions.  I don't personally think it'd be worth the trouble to transfer if the only reason you'd be doing it is for law school admissions.  Soft factors can count for a lot, of course.  But of all the possible soft factors, I think that where you went to undergrad is pretty close to being the least important one.

That said, I don't know anything about BYU Law specifically and how much going there for undergrad, given the whole religious element, counts for anything.  If I were you I actually might just email the law school admissions office and ask them.  You'll probably get a canned answer, but you might get some meaningful advice and you don't really have anything to lose by asking.

Oh, and just as an aside, are you really pre-law?  Like officially?  

[OLY]

I would not think that under-grad location would matter too much either.  I thought that was kind of the point of the LSAT to even the playing field for colleges and make it easier to judge them all equally.

The only thing that makes me feel otherwise is looking at the lists of some of the 1 tier schools of where their students did their undergrads.  The top ranked law schools usually come from top ranked under-grad schools.  That is probably because those people really did receive a better education and are better prepared for the LSAT but I was just wondering if anybody had any opinions on that.
BYU is unique in that it receives far fewer applicants(and likewise selects fewer candidates) then other similarly ranked schools due to the "Mormon factor"  I would like to know the opinion of somebody that has actually attended BYU law. Are there many BYU-I graduates there? My emails to the admissions office have not been returned as readily as I hoped.
No I am not a "pre-law" major. Is that what you're asking? Does such a thing even exist? I'm a poly sci guy.

[*devo*]

I am at BYU Law right now. Undergrad school does not matter. I know kids from all over the place, including a few from BYU-Idaho (one of which had a similar gpa and a lower lsat). You will be fine.

Edit: feel free to PM me.

[MCB]

The only thing that makes me feel otherwise is looking at the lists of some of the 1 tier schools of where their students did their undergrads.  The top ranked law schools usually come from top ranked under-grad schools.  That is probably because those people really did receive a better education and are better prepared for the LSAT but I was just wondering if anybody had any opinions on that.

Better education?  Bah.  Call me a cynical old a-hole, but I think the connection you are noticing has much more to do with the fact that students who test well enough to get into top undergrads in the first place are the most likely to also test well and get into top law schools.

I've heard of pre-law majors still existing at some schools though it's rare, as it should be.  I thought that's what you meant when you said you were pre-law.

[OLY]

Thanks Devo. That's pretty much why I posted this, so somebody would tell me that. Pathetic yes but, I was in need of a self-esteem booster that day. Thank you!

[Burnanator]

I'm also a BYU law student and know several BYU-Idaho undergrads here. At my V20 firm this summer, I met two other BYU-Idaho grads who are attending Yale and UVA. If your objective factors are solid (GPA/LSAT), you can get in just about anywhere, and your GPA and LSAT make you competitive for BYU Law. Good luck!

[bigs5068]

Honestly if you are still in Undergrad find any B.S. easy A classes that you can if there is an ultimate frisbee or weightlifiting class enroll show up and get a free A. Law schools could care less about your major or what school you came from they have to satisfy the B.S. U.S. news and ranking system and they do that solely on numbers.  It would probably not be a good idea to transfer and like I said to pick up as many easy A's as you can.  Then hope you nail the LSAT.