Law Schools

[SWATJester_os]

Ok, so far I've been accepted to American University's Washington College of Law, (in D.C.), and University of Denver's Sturm College of Law.

I'm also 99% sure I'll get into University of Florida's Levin College of Law, and I've been provisionally accepted at University of South Carolina, and a couple of other schools.

Any thoughts on where I should go? I applied to 20 schools or so, so there's more acceptances and rejections on the way, although the only rejection so far has been University of Maryland because I messed up my application.

I'm going to keep this post like an ongoing sort of updated thing as I get into more schools.

Oh, before anyone asks, I want to to labor law, and trial advocacy/litigation. I've always wanted to live in colorado, but D.C. would be amazing as a lawyer.

American is one of the top 40 law schools in the nation, as is U.F. Denver is lower on the list, much more so, but has a program that significantly suits my interests.

I'm about equal in wanting to live in either D.C. or Denver. Don't really want to live in florida.

However, taking the Florida bar would be beneficial to me because I could work at my dad's firm, as would the South Carolina bar, because he's opening an office up there too.

[pk!]

I spent a couple of months in Aspen, which isn't Denver but might have the same ambiance and it was lovely. I cannot say the same of Washington.

Your main consideration might be picking a place you feel happy living. I'm mad about mountains, so Denver for me, but it's not me going there.

Anyway, wonderful news and very well done.

[Noirceur]

Ok, so far I've been accepted to American University's Washington College of Law, (in D.C.), and University of Denver's Sturm College of Law.

I'm also 99% sure I'll get into University of Florida's Levin College of Law, and I've been provisionally accepted at University of South Carolina, and a couple of other schools.

Any thoughts on where I should go? I applied to 20 schools or so, so there's more acceptances and rejections on the way, although the only rejection so far has been University of Maryland because I messed up my application.

I'm going to keep this post like an ongoing sort of updated thing as I get into more schools.

Oh, before anyone asks, I want to to labor law, and trial advocacy/litigation. I've always wanted to live in colorado, but D.C. would be amazing as a lawyer.

American is one of the top 40 law schools in the nation, as is U.F. Denver is lower on the list, much more so, but has a program that significantly suits my interests.

I'm about equal in wanting to live in either D.C. or Denver. Don't really want to live in florida.

However, taking the Florida bar would be beneficial to me because I could work at my dad's firm, as would the South Carolina bar, because he's opening an office up there too.
Can't you take the bar in more than one state? Unless the bar exams are extremely different, I see no reason why you can't go to school somewhere other than Florida but still take the Florida bar exam.

[SWATJester_os]

You can take the bar in more than one state, but it takes months of study, and it's a 3 day long exam.

BTW, update, I got a letter from FSU law school, I passed the first round of reviews, and my application is listed as "highly competitive", "very impressive credentials" and "outstanding academic record", so I'm in for the further review section.

FSU law has over 3300 applications for 220 seats.

[Noirceur]

You can take the bar in more than one state, but it takes months of study, and it's a 3 day long exam.
Ah, my law school friends never mentioned that one.

[FaKToR]

As I understand it different states have different requirements for their bar examines so really you need to become particularly familiar with that state's law.

[GrosPoisson]

As I understand it different states have different requirements for their bar examines so really you need to become particularly familiar with that state's law.

That's strange, I always hear people go on and on about how taking the bar either in California or New York is a solution as their bar exams are hard and therefore widely accepted. Any truth to that?

I would say DC seeing as it's a great place to make connections and get involved, but to keep in mind that American University is a smaller university. My friend goes there for undergrad, and likes everything except the (lack of) facilities you get at a bigger university. At the same time, I'm not so sure how much that has to do with law school and your needs, so grain of salt, etc.

Congratulations, in any case. I just took the LSAT this past Saturday and I'm waiting for the results whilst shitting many, many bricks.

[SWATJester_os]

Yeah, California, New York, and Florida bars are the 3 hardest ones, and many states grant reciprocity based on those.

As for the university size, well FSU is 40,000 people and it's huge. But the law school is less than 800 students, and they generally don't associate with the undergrad portion of campus. A smaller university is actually beneficial for that.


Anyway as for the LSAT, if you think you did well, you did. If you don't think you did well, cancel your scores now, because they keep the history, and most law schools average your scores, instead of taking the better of the two. I got a 162...I wanted a 165, but there's no point in me retaking it because I won't get a 167 or higher.

[GrosPoisson]

Anyway as for the LSAT, if you think you did well, you did. If you don't think you did well, cancel your scores now, because they keep the history, and most law schools average your scores, instead of taking the better of the two. I got a 162...I wanted a 165, but there's no point in me retaking it because I won't get a 167 or higher.

Therein lies my particular problem. I'm terrible at feeling how I did on tests like the LSAT. I got a 1500 on the old SAT, and I had absolutely no clue how I did on it after I was done.

It goes against the advice I get from almost all corners, but I'm just going to wait until my score is released and figure out where to go from there. Too low, I'll most likely take it again in June, high enough for my tastes and I'll just let it go.

[SWATJester_os]

See I know I'm a good tester. I thought I got a mid 160's score on my LSAT, ended up with a 162. Same with the original SAT, I thought I got arond 1400, ended up with a 1490.

It's best to take your score with the LSAT. If you score too low for you to get into the schools you want, you can improve, retake it, and essentially, you'll get half of whatever improvement you make (i.e. if you go up 10 points your second try, schools will see your LSAT score as being 5 points higher when the average is taken).

odds are you won't go down on the LSAT, that rarely ever happens. But it's just too much stress to cancel your score. I'd go and take the scores.

[GrosPoisson]

But it's just too much stress to cancel your score. I'd go and take the scores.

Oh, definitely. I had a friend cancel his MCAT scores after taking a really thorough Princeton Review prep course, and to this day I think it was one of the stupidest things he's ever done. It's not just because of the money he spent, or the time he spent (almost the entire summer), but the fact that I think it shows just how badly prepared he was despite the prep course. He canceled the same day! I've questioned his decision to go to medical school before, but not so much as after that happened. He says he has "reasons" that he doesn't want to go into, but I still think it goes to show just how seriously he was taking it all.

The way I see it, what the hell did I take that Princeton Review prep class for if I end up canceling? I'm the kind of person who likes being informed that I screwed up in a prompt manner so I can go back, suck it up, and work on it until the problem is fixed. I'm determined not to end up like some people I've known over the years who freak out because they think their scores will make it so they can't get into their elite law school of choice and act like the world's going to explode.

[SWATJester_os]

One of my friends, actually the phi alpha delta president at FSU, cancelled her scores, on the same day as my test. She knew she did horrible right there on the spot, she was sick and hadn't slept well the night before etc. I can agree with that.

She's also a year behind me though. I graduate in april, I can't cancel or drop any scores or classes or anything.

[DunNa]

I think going with American would be a good choice, not only because I enjoyed living in DC for abit (technically virginia but you know :\ ) but I hear its a damn good school.

[Daffy]

I think going with American would be a good choice, not only because I enjoyed living in DC for abit (technically virginia but you know :\ ) but I hear its a damn good school.

rgr, my business law teacher last semester graduated from there, and he had no shortage of classroom stories to share with us. His teaching style was taken from his teachers, so, assuming they teach about the same way, it should be a great experience.

[SWATJester_os]

That's another thing I like about american. Their school of international studies, and their graduate schools in political science and congressional studies, and public policy are unmatched, and there are plenty of opportunities for a joint J.D./M.P.A. or J.D./M.A. in political science.

[GrosPoisson]

Son of a bitch, I got a 157. For reference, I got a 165 on a practice test proctored by the Princeton Review before I took the prep course; I'm talking to them to invoke the whole "higher score or refund/free class" guarantee but there's some complications because I didn't take "enough required tests," which they never bothered to inform me were required and that frequently clashed with my schedule.

It sucks, but at least I know I really need to sit down and bust my ass even more than I did before. The way I see it my current options are to try and wrangle another LSAT prep course with the guarantee and to take the June LSAT, or to just forget about it for now, concentrate on boosting my college GPA and take a prep course during the summer so I can take the September LSAT.

Lots of pros and cons to consider, but I'm leaning towards the June plan so I can take advantage of being able to remember more of the material now then after a one month pause rather than three months, as well as being in a better position to take advantage of the rolling admissions. The September plan would be nice seeing as I'm staying in San Diego for most of the summer anyways, and would mesh very well with my ridiculously free schedule since I'll likely only be taking one class over the break.

What say you, SWAT?

[Discobird]

I recommend taking the September LSAT for a few reasons:

1) GPA is as important as LSAT score

2) You will have a whole summer to prepare, with presumably fewer time demands than now

3) The kind of knowledge you need for the LSAT is procedural, not declarative. There really isn't much to memorize, hence not much to lose between now and June (and whatever you lose will be made up by your summer prep course anyway).

4) Most law schools start taking applications around September 15th. As far as I'm aware, most law schools review their applications in large batches-- e.g. one review in November, another in December, etc. They don't use an individual first-come first-serve system. This means that you can take the September LSAT, apply as soon as possible (you don't need to wait to get your score back before applying), and still be considered in the first batch.

Even if you wait to get your score back before applying (~3 weeks after the test date), you might still get in the first batch. I spoke with the Dean of Admissions at Boalt Hall (UC Berkeley) in mid-October, and he said Boalt wouldn't send its first round of acceptance letters until sometime in November. So I'd expect other schools to do something similar.

5) You'll need time to get recommendation letters and possibly a Dean's letter anyway.

[GrosPoisson]

This means that you can take the September LSAT, apply as soon as possible (you don't need to wait to get your score back before applying), and still be considered in the first batch.

Even if you wait to get your score back before applying (~3 weeks after the test date), you might still get in the first batch. I spoke with the Dean of Admissions at Boalt Hall (UC Berkeley) in mid-October, and he said Boalt wouldn't send its first round of acceptance letters until sometime in November. So I'd expect other schools to do something similar.

Ah, this I did not know. September is sounding better and better. Thanks for the advice.

[SWATJester_os]

Son of a bitch, I got a 157. For reference, I got a 165 on a practice test proctored by the Princeton Review before I took the prep course; I'm talking to them to invoke the whole "higher score or refund/free class" guarantee but there's some complications because I didn't take "enough required tests," which they never bothered to inform me were required and that frequently clashed with my schedule.

It sucks, but at least I know I really need to sit down and bust my ass even more than I did before. The way I see it my current options are to try and wrangle another LSAT prep course with the guarantee and to take the June LSAT, or to just forget about it for now, concentrate on boosting my college GPA and take a prep course during the summer so I can take the September LSAT.

Lots of pros and cons to consider, but I'm leaning towards the June plan so I can take advantage of being able to remember more of the material now then after a one month pause rather than three months, as well as being in a better position to take advantage of the rolling admissions. The September plan would be nice seeing as I'm staying in San Diego for most of the summer anyways, and would mesh very well with my ridiculously free schedule since I'll likely only be taking one class over the break.

What say you, SWAT?

157 is competitive only if your GPA is strong. If your GPA is not strong you really need a 161+. September is DEFINITELY the best LSAT time, because it allows you to have your scores available for the early action and rolling admissions schools as soon as Jan. 1 comes around (assuming you're on the ball with filing at LSAC).

If I were you, I'd consider the Sept. LSAT. But only if you think you can pull at least a 165 on it (since most schools average that will end up giving you a 161.)

I recommend taking the September LSAT for a few reasons:

1) GPA is as important as LSAT score

2) You will have a whole summer to prepare, with presumably fewer time demands than now

3) The kind of knowledge you need for the LSAT is procedural, not declarative. There really isn't much to memorize, hence not much to lose between now and June (and whatever you lose will be made up by your summer prep course anyway).

4) Most law schools start taking applications around September 15th. As far as I'm aware, most law schools review their applications in large batches-- e.g. one review in November, another in December, etc. They don't use an individual first-come first-serve system. This means that you can take the September LSAT, apply as soon as possible (you don't need to wait to get your score back before applying), and still be considered in the first batch.

Even if you wait to get your score back before applying (~3 weeks after the test date), you might still get in the first batch. I spoke with the Dean of Admissions at Boalt Hall (UC Berkeley) in mid-October, and he said Boalt wouldn't send its first round of acceptance letters until sometime in November. So I'd expect other schools to do something similar.

5) You'll need time to get recommendation letters and possibly a Dean's letter anyway.

1: GPA is less important than LSAT score, but it's still the second most important thing (order is basically LSAT, GPA, Essay, ExtraCurricular and LORs)

2: September LSAT is definitely the best one to do.

3: spot on. The more time you spend doing logic games, the better you will do on your LSAT, period.

4. About half schools do rolling admissions, i.e. review apps as they finish processing them, thus all the Jan. 2nd completed apps will be reviewed over the next two weeks or so. About half of them do large batches over the course of 1 week. Generally those schools have lower quality applicant pools as they are forced to do the old "3 piles" system: Accept immediately, Reconsider, Reject immediately, style system.

Also not all schools offer spring admission.

5. Very few schools require a deans letter. BU is a notable exception. I applied to 20+ tier 1 and 2 schools, and only 2 required a deans letter.

[SWATJester_os]

update: Accepted at University of Miami Law School

Rejected by Georgetown.

Thus far that makes:

Acceptance: University of Denver, American University, University of Miami
Passed first review stage: Florida State
Rejected: Maryland (procedural), Georgetown (substantive).

[GrosPoisson]

157 is competitive only if your GPA is strong. If your GPA is not strong you really need a 161+. September is DEFINITELY the best LSAT time, because it allows you to have your scores available for the early action and rolling admissions schools as soon as Jan. 1 comes around (assuming you're on the ball with filing at LSAC).

If I were you, I'd consider the Sept. LSAT. But only if you think you can pull at least a 165 on it (since most schools average that will end up giving you a 161.)

Yeah, my GPA's not competitive at all. Kind of a legacy from coming in as Computer Science, then Economics. It's hovering somewhere around 3.2 now, and if I remember my calculations right it can only go up to 3.4 by the end of senior year. At this point I'm leaning towards taking the June LSAT so I can free up my summer for a possible research position within the political science department, but I still have time to change as the Princeton Review guarantee entitles me up to a year's time to sign up for my free class.

[GrosPoisson]

Screw it, September LSAT for the win. I just looked at the schedule of classes for spring quarter and realized that I need to take some of these classes now or they may never be offered again. A lot of these are linked into my Political Science/International Relations degree, and I need some of these to graduate on time; the department has a nasty habit of giving us International Relations peope the shaft on a regular basis, offering the critical classes maybe once a year if we're lucky. That made the decision real easy.

[Discobird]

:D that's the right decision IMO.

How much time does the Princeton Review class take? Can you schedule it for the evenings during the summer?

Worst comes to worst, you can pursue your summer research and study for the LSAT on your own with a practice book or two.

[GrosPoisson]

:D that's the right decision IMO.

How much time does the Princeton Review class take? Can you schedule it for the evenings during the summer?

Worst comes to worst, you can pursue your summer research and study for the LSAT on your own with a practice book or two.

Their "Hyperlearning" line of classes is 3 hours a day, usually twice a week, although there are weeks where you have an extra day devoted to taking the LSAT under proctored conditions. I'm looking at one that runs from 7/7-9/16, with the September LSAT being 9/29.

There's another one that runs from 8/11 to 9/26 that's more intense, but I'm not sure if I'll hold the information as well because they tend to run Mon-Tues-Wed over and over, which doesn't seem conducive to doing all the homework on time and thoroughly.

I think this will work out. No matter which one I choose, they always run from 6-9 on the weekdays with the occasional 9AM-12:30PM test on Saturday.

[SWATJester_os]

Good, sounds like a good decision