GPA padding.

[eric922]

I've played around with a LSAC GPA calculator and found that my GPA in Fall of 2013 would be 3.33.  My dream school is NYU which has the their 25th percentile in the 3.5 range.  I was thinking of waiting to apply till 2014 and spend the year in between working and take easy online courses to get my GPA up into the 3.5 range.  I'm just wondering is this a feasible plan or do law schools not like when people pad their GPA?  My goal is the top 14, but NYU is my dream since I want to work and live in NYC one day.

[bobol]

I do not want to discourage you but even if you are successful at "padding your GPA to the 3.5 there are approximately 75% of the accepted applicants that will have a higher GPA and substantially more of those with a 3.5 having been rejected.  Please note also that those admitted with the 3.5 may be underrepresented minorities, children of alums, contributors, children of celebrities, and more likely those that are "splitters" with very high LSATs.

New York City  has many good law schools- in addition to Columbia and NYU you should look at Fordham, and St.John's.

Good luck.

[Groundhog]

Also, I believe that only courses taken before the receipt of your first bachelors degree count.

[eric922]

Also, I believe that only courses taken before the receipt of your first bachelors degree count.

Yeah I will need to check with my school about deferring graduation As to other NYC schools I was thinking of Cornell. I was wondering for work in NYC would a T14 be better than say Fordham or St. John's? I'm not sure about biglaw but I'd like the option.

[Maintain FL 350]

Do you have an LSAT score yet? That's going to be an even bigger factor than your GPA. Assuming that you can successfully raise you GPA to 3.5, you'd probably need to score around 170 to have a shot at NYU or Cornell. No small task.

[eric922]

Do you have an LSAT score yet? That's going to be an even bigger factor than your GPA. Assuming that you can successfully raise you GPA to 3.5, you'd probably need to score around 170 to have a shot at NYU or Cornell. No small task.

Not yet. I'm studying hard for it. I realize its an uphill battle, but I realize I'll need at least a 170 for any of the T14 so that's what I'm setting as my goal.

[Maintain FL 350]

The good news is that you've got some time to prepare. The people who get accepted with GPAs in the 25% range are often either splitters (with very high LSAT scores to compensate) or have amazing softs, or both. Nevertheless, it can be done. Just remember, even if you don't get into T14 you can still get a solid legal education and have a great career. The vast, overwhelming majority of successful lawyers didn't go to a T14.

[bobol]

Eric.....

Cornell is a great law school whose recent entering class had a median GPA of 3.63 and a LSAT median of 168 which is not a heck of a lot easier than NYU which has medians of 3.71 GPA and 172 LSAT.

Your post that started this thread indicated that want to live in "NYC".  Although Cornell could certainly assist you in securing a job in "NYC" you should know that Cornell is located 3+/- hours outside of New York City in rural Ithaca, New York.

With all respect I believe you are "putting the cart before the horse" and should first take your LSATs before assuming you will attend either NYU, Cornell, Fordham (medians 165 lsat/ 3.53 gpa), St.John's (medians 160 lsat/ 3.49 gpa) or anywhere else.

Good luck.

[livinglegend]

I believe Bobol makes a good point get your LSAT score and see what your options are. You can putz around getting A's in frisbee golf for years and end up wiht a 3.8,  but with a 154 LSAT or something NYU is not accepting you.

In regards to your specific situation I don't think schools look down on GPA padding I inadvertently did it myself playing sports in college and my numerous A's in the sports I played got me a lot of scholarship money to law school, but to spend a year of life your doing that without even knowing your LSAT score is probably not a good idea. If you come away with a 170 then it might be a decent plan, but as Bobol says your putting the cart before the horse it will truly be a waste if you spend a whole year in college getting A"s in joke classes and come away with a 154 LSAT and end up in the schools you would have ended up in anyways.

Also you do not have to go to NYU to succeed as a lawyer. I myself did not go to Harvard or a T14 school, but I passed the bar and work as a lawyer now it happens.

A final thing I noticed is that your dream is to live and work in NYC. Now I might be reading into this, but have you ever lived in NYC? I have personally and there was a lot of great things about it, but a lot I did not like and if you have not lived there I think you would be much better served spending a year living in NYC getting the lay of the land and seeing if you can handle it before making a 3 year commitment in the most expensive city in the world.