How Graduate Grades Factor into the Law School Admission Process

[vonska]

So I would really appreciate it if any informed person could give me an honest assessment on my situation

I'm a student at USC, did both my undergrad here and finishing up a 1 year masters in accounting program this year. I plan on working a couple years and earning my CPA before law school. My Undergrad GPA is 3.87 and I've taken the LSAT three times, 167 being my highest score. I know the only hard factors for your index number assigned for admission are those two figures (LSAT weighing moreso for most schools).

However, I fudged up my first semester of the masters program getting me a flat 3.1 GPA. I've heard time and time again and read on forums that graduate degrees and grades are only a soft factor and don't affect your admission to law schools the way UGPA and LSATs does. But I was wondering if anyone knew something I overlooked on the matter. Will that semester in grad school I didn't do so well in obliterate my chances at a lot of schools I had a chance of getting in at initially, say UCLA or USC?

I would appreciate any honest and truthful assessments. You will not hurt my feelings.

[nealric]

It's rather unlikely that it will hurt you too much. They really don't look to hard at graduate school grades (unless you failed or something).

At the same time, I question the point of getting a CPA before law school. Do you plan on practicing law or accounting?

[Thane Messinger]

It's rather unlikely that it will hurt you too much. They really don't look to hard at graduate school grades (unless you failed or something).

At the same time, I question the point of getting a CPA before law school. Do you plan on practicing law or accounting?

Vonska -

I agree with nealric on both points.  Where it might need some explaining is for your reach school, and there you'll need to address the second point: namely, the accounting angle and law school.  The admissions committee won't look at it negatively, but they will wonder.  (The same is true for the MBA, by the way.)  The main risk, which *would* cause harm, is either a stars-in-eyes assumption that these credentials belong together, or a lack of real focus in how they might and should fit together, for you.  (For example, an interest in forensic accounting with an agency investigating securities violations, based on earlier work or a *real* interest, sufficiently explained.)