HELP! Will I get into law school?

[Pistil Peat]

Hello, I registered on this site so I can ask you guys a question.  Basically, I'm trying to figure out if a poor GPA will prevent me from getting into law school. 

A little background info: I am a senior English major at the University of Georgia and my goal is to attend law school at Georgia State in Atlanta starting in 2012.  I recently returned to UGA after serving 5 years in the Navy.  Before I went into the military, my grades were very uneven.  No real focus, too much partying in downtown Athens.  Anyhow, when I started back taking classes this summer, my GPA was an anemic 2.12.  I've done well since my return, and I've gotten it up to 2.26.  Also, I applied for academic renewal in November and recently discovered that it was approved (academic renewal GPA is 3.53).

I have not taken the LSAT, but I expect that I will do well.  I usually score highly on standardized tests (in 1998 I got a 1410 on the SAT with an 800 English score).  So, assuming that I score, let’s say around 163-170 on the LSAT, write a great personal statement, and get solid recommendation letters, will I have a shot at getting into a school like Georgia State? 

I would only want to attend a law school that is considered a great value because I hate debt and think taking out huge loans to attend law school is a poor investment.  I do not want to pay more than about $15k per year.

Also, I know that law school is what I want to do.  It's not just something to stall for time while I figure out my life plans; I want to be a lawyer.

So, bottom line:  Will applying to a Tier 1 or Tier 2 school be pointless for me due to my low GPA?

Thanks!
   

[bigs5068]

Check out lawschoolnumbers.com it will give you most of the answers you seek. Unfortunately, below a 2.5 will hurt your chances at getting into any aba program.  If you pull a solid LSAT score you may have a chance.

[JDGuy86]

If you want to be a lawyer, does it really matter what school it is? Or, you only want to be a lawyer if its under 15k and a top 100 law school?

[Pistil Peat]

Since you are not planning on entering law school until 2012, see if there are other things you can do to up your chances a bit on the GPA side.  I know you are a senior and so this upcoming term would be your final term, but is there any way you can extend graduation out an extra semester in order to bring your GPA up further?  I am not going to lie to you.  Your GPA is terrible, and though you have received academic renewal, your LSDAS GPA will include your grades prior to renewal.  Could you perhaps hold off on your final English seminar/paper/major credits and take a semester mostly full of easy courses?  I know that there are cost and maybe some self-respect considerations here, but at the same time, every tenth of a GPA point will help you in your admissions.

Tossy, thanks for the insight.  But just to be clear, all courses I would take before receiving my degree would count towards the LSDAS GPA even if they were not necessary for graduation?  I bought Ann Levine's book last night and she seems to say this, too.  I have the GI Bill, so pushing graduation out to summer would be doable.   

[bigs5068]

I beleive you can hold off in graduation and manipulate your stats. I played bball in college and got a million free a's in classes like varsity basketball, theory of basketball etc. I. Stayed in school one yearlonger putting off graduation to play. I had no idea I was going to school, but those 30 units of free a's helped my CPA and got me scholarship money. I imagine you take some weightlifting, frisbee golf etc classes while taking one or two serious classes. That could boost your Gpa although you may be in undergrad a year longer. It is quite a manipulation of the system, but sadly you are rewarded in law school admissions for taking the easy route in undergrad. A 4.0 in religious studies from timbucktu state will be more helpful than a 2.7 in molecular biology from UCLA. This is because of the u.s news system, which is pretty flawed because it fleshly go very in depth. Top law schools like Harvard, Yale etc won't fall for this manipulation. However, schools like Georgia State and the schools are so concerned they don't care about the substance of their applicants. Merely the numbers they are
manipulated or earned