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Sure I'll be your mentor.
Will he be my mentor?
Sure I'll be your mentor.
Great, we will be like Obi-wan and Luke. Except for dirty bathrobes instead of Jedi robes and beer cans instead of lightsabers holstered to our belts.
I think being his mentor involves making a lot of trips to the store for Doritos when he gets the munchies.
Its a small price to pay to learn from the greatest
You have no idea.
Could I keep my hair as Midgets apprentice, or do I have to get a horseshoe?
Im trying to weight out my options, if I can't be a lawyer/politician with long hair, then I will go with Midg.
Whatever is most suitable for yelling at idiot library-goers.
a 3.55 GPA gets you gradudation with honors I do believe.
and there is also a little entrance exam law schools look at.
some people have given you some extremely ty advice.
Law schools want degrees that emphasize reading and problem solving. Every degree is supposed to do this, but obviously some force you to develop those skills more than others. The idea is that law schools will teach you everything you need to know about law, so bring something else to the table.
Good pre-law degrees: nearly any science (including math and computer science), any engineering, english, philosophy, economics.
Degrees that seem like a good idea but won't score any points with law schools: history, political science, criminal justice, criminology, business law, legal studies.
Graduating with a 3.55 is awesome.
Trying to get into upper-level with a 3.55 at a compe ive school... can be a challenge.
most classes are closed and could still fit in a couple more. The professor can almost always get you into a class if they want you in it.
And of course there's your LSAT scores, which may or may not help.
upper level what? upper level schools? classes? programs? what?
and its not like he doesnt have time to improve on that score.
i was able to get into a quite prestigious school with a 3.3 GPA for my graduate studies.
its not the end all. and for anyone to tell you that GPA alone is what gets you anywhere then they are simply ing stupid.
Thanks every-1. I will go down and talk to some people Monday, hopefully I can get everything figured out. I don't mind a ty classload, as long as I can get classes that will work towards my major. I would like to have the classes I want because that would make it easier to enjoy what Im doing, and help me reach my goal of graduating with a 3.65 if they don't reset your g.p.a, or a 3.8 if they do. But, I know that it won't happen that way, nothing is how you want it to be.
Does anybody know if my G.P.A will reset when I enter U.T, so I can have a fresh slate here? Or does it stick together and equal one ulative score? And if it does change, will gradutation honors be based on my gpa from both schools, or just U.T? Because I have been doing some calculations, and the highest g.p.a I could end up with if I had a 3.8 from here out is around a 3.65, just enough for magna laude....but if it resets I would like to push for a 3.8, Summa laude.
GPA + LSAT is used first. It's an easy way for schools to sort applicants. Of course, they won't admit that up front but it's the truth. After that, there are other factors. Rep of your undergraduate ins ution is a factor. If your GPA is a little low but you went to an university with a great reputation then that should help you. Beyond that are the personal statements. Then you can talk about whatever extenuating cir stances you might have experienced growing up or why the world needs you to be a member of the bar. I will say that you should strongly consider applying to public law schools as your total cost of education will be much less (you will have to pay that back at some point and frankly, unless you are looking at a Harvard, Yale, Stanford, or Chicago, it doesn't make that much sense to go to a private school when there are plenty of public law schools that are just as good). There's a lawyer in my household who went to a public law school (top 15 though) and now has an awesome job. Also, if you don't get into the school you want to coming out of undergrad, don't give up. Law schools seem to be jonesing for applicants with 'real world' experience nowadays. Also, you could maybe get a MA in something and then go to law school after that. The one thing I will say is that if you haven't done so already, seek out attorneys and talk to them about what they went through when they were applying to law school. Also, ask them about what their daily life is like. Working 15 to 20 hour days like my little barrister does occassionally aren't that fun.
Also, majoring in Legal Studies isn't exactly going to give you a lock to getting into a school. What matters is your performance in a major. Schools will definitely give the applicant with a 3.0 to 3.3 in an engineering or hard science program some consideration due to the difficulty of the subject matter. I'd say pick a major you like. Also, a lot of times knowledge gained in undergrad can be quite useful when you are a practicing attorney. Majoring in accounting, for example, wouldn't be a bad idea. I'd also look at selecting your major with the view that you might have to make it in the world for a little bit based on that.
Beyond majors and GPA there are activities you are involved in. If you have a well rounded resume with solid academic performance plus plenty of outside activities then you'll look like something other than a drone who can read and take tests. People and leadership skills do matter to an extent. They won't make up for a weak transcript, but they will help to differentiate you from the rest of the library drones. This may seem trite, but a huge part of any attorney's practice, be it corporate, trial, tax or whatever is dealing with people and bringing in business. My lawyer has a personality and is doing well at her job because of it.
Last edited by SPARKY; 06-17-2006 at 05:01 PM.
hmmmmm...you have identified your weakness which is language/writing skills. Those are critical if you want to be an attorney. Don't get too wrapped up in "credits to graduate" and forget that you are there to learn life skills.
Your LSAT score will be critical to getting into a good law school. You are going to have to have good written language skills to smoke it. Take this "frustration" time as a blessing and take some classes to fill that void in your knowledge even if they don't "count" towards your major. You are there to learn, not rack up credits.
My son is an attorney. He ed off his first two years at UT majoring in music on 6th street and didn't turn it on till his last two years. His GPA was similar to yours, but he had good language skills. He smoked the LSAT and got into Michigan Law School (top 5 law school) and is making 160K working for a blue chip law firm in DC. Use this time wisely and don't get too wrapped up in what "counts" towards your major.
I know nothing about law school per se, but I have worked on admissions committees at grad and med schools.
First, there's nothing wrong with your GPA. And they absolutely do look at trends, so it rising is a plus.
It's good that you want to be a lawyer, but you don't have to have a single-minded focus on making all your academics revolve around that. What most good schools look for is evidence of achievement. So someone with a 3.4 who was a leader in substantial activities is more likely to be looked on favorably than someone with a 3.9 who only studied. Committees also like to think that excellence in one endeavor translates into another. So if you're an accomplished athlete or musician, that will count with them.
So take courses that interest you, not just those that you think will make you look better for law school. College is not supposed to be just for job preparation.
People have already made the points that I wanted to make, but there are a few points I'd like to add.
If you don't get into the law school you want, or a top law school after you graduate then it would be a good idea to take a year off and work at a law firm. I'm in my third year of law school at UT, and one of my friends was rejected from UT Law after she graduated. She worked in a law firm for the next year, and she reapplied and was accepted. The only thing that changed was her work experience and her personal statement letter.
A MA might be a good idea also. Another friend at UT Law had a poor GPA in undergrad, but she had a good GPA in a MBA program and worked for Enron before it went under, and she was accepted.
The key for next few years is to get involved in organizations and activities on campus. Law schools like it if you're involved at your school, and it shows you're well-rounded and not just a student. Also, you may consider taking a LSAT prep class. It has worked for some people, and a good LSAT will really help, especially if you don't have an especially high GPA.
Good luck!
Get involved in as many things as you can when school does get started, as Shoog mentioned. That kind of stuff looks so good on applications, whether it be mock Trial or a service project, or volunteer project. There's so many things to do. If you don't, and focus soley on your GPA they'll throw you out right away.
If you get into something, do it because you like it and want to, not because you're trying to check off a box. That usually comes through on the application.
I'm in so many things right now with people that are doing it just to pad their Grad school applications. I want to "punch them in the face."
That's laude ... with distinction.
That's laude ... with distinction.
my spanish grades and computer science grades made sure i didnt get to graduate with honors.
and my deaf ass math teacher who pissed me off so much that i just quit in that class.
*shrugs*
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