M.S. Degree in Genetic/Cell Biology give any bump?

[pico135]

I graduated from BYU in 2002 with a B.S. degree in microbiology (3.50 GPA), and will graduate this winter with an M.S. in Genetics/Cell Biology (3.75 GPA).I should also have 2 publications by the time I'm out. My question is how much will the difficulty of my undergrad, and M.S. degree + publications weigh when I am applying to law school. Also I am preparing for the LSAT now and I am scoring around 157-160, how high should I set my sights?
Thanks
P.S. What are some good schools in the West (in my range) that I should consider...Any help would be much appreciated!!!

[wstaffor]

It probably won't hurt, but a 3.75 in a master's isn't great. I would say it will be a neutral factor. Your publications are much more meaningful IMO. With a 3.5/160, Id say you should be looking at Tier 2/3. You might get into a couple low tier ones, but they would be reaches. By west, do you mean west coast? If so I would look at Pepperdine, maybe Santa Clara.

[pico135]

But will law schools look at a 3.5 undergrad and 3.75 grad in a hard science i.e. microbiology/cell/biology as carring more or equal weight as the same grades in say poly-sci. or English? Do they even look or care? I personally thought a 3.75 is pretty good for a science M.S.. But I guess that's why I'm here looking for some perspective. Thanks!

Oh and by West coast I mean west of Colorado. Especially any with strong IP emphasis. I know a guy with an M.S. in Genetis/ Cell who wants to go into IP what is the world coming too!   

[melissamw]

From what I've read, law schools are aware of the fact that there is heavy grade inflation in graduate schools.  So, the 3.75 probably won't mean a whole lot... not that that's a bad gpa, but from a law school perspective, they may not appreciate it as much as you do.  Are you going to have an LOR from someone in grad school?  This could help you, especially if it's a GREAT LOR.

[nonobvious]

Yes, they do take into account the difficulty of the major, and even though grad school grades may tend to be inflated, the adcoms are aware that in general science grades are less inflated than other majors. [Though also with science majors they are often concerned whether you have developed writing and analysis skills, by taking some advanced courses in humanities subjects]. But overall, I think that is a stronger background to have than what you would have had if you'd gone straight from undergrad--- and certainly puts you in a MUCH better position to practice IP, since from what I've read you need at least a master's to be competitive, at least for the prosecution side of things (whereas litigators can get away with a BA/BS and don't even have to take the patent bar).

As for how much they take your science major and extra degree into account, that depends on the school, can't really make a quantitative estimate of the impact.

Also: There was a thread on IP programs in the Rankings folder, which has the USNews rankings of schools with good IP programs. I would definitely say Santa Clara would be a good place for you to look.