I secure a paralegal certificate and work for some time, do I stand a chance of getting into a "'good" law school?
2006-09-18 06:17:44 · 3 answers · asked by CantBClever 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Higher Education (University +)
I got my MBA at Duke. There were lots of criteria that the school looked at. I saw lots of people who were weak in one area -- but very few that were weak in more than one area. The top law schools are the same. They will consider someone who is weak in one area -- as long as they are strong elsewhere.
This means that you need good recommendations, a decent LSAT score and good work experience. Working as a paralegal will help you on that last one.
You have a few things going against you. A GPA of 2.8 is going to be a little on the low side for the top programs.
You have a few things going for you. First, you have a good average in your major. Second you showed that you can improve. Improving from a 2.05 to a 2.8 is pretty impressive. In order to do this, you had to do pretty well in your last two years. When you apply to law schools, you have an opportunity to address this. You ought to point out that you had problems when you first started college (don't go into great detail why -- but you can give a one or two sentence explanation). Then point out how you turned things around.
If you are getting recommendations from your former professors, make sure that they are aware of your turnaround, too. It will help them write a better letter for you.
My last piece of advice is to do what you can to get high LSAT scores. A high score will improve your chances of getting in to a good school.
There is one other advantage that you have. I see that your avatar is a black woman, and assume that you are too. The top law schools don't want unqualified students -- but they do want diversity. That means that a black woman who might otherwise be on the border will probably be accepted.
If you can get decent LSAT scores, I think you have an excellent chance at getting into a very good law school. Apply to at least one that you think is a reach. Even with average LSAT scores, you should be able to get into a respectable school.
Good luck.
2006-09-18 06:42:31 · answer #1 · answered by Ranto 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you kick butt on the LSAT. Boston College and the LSAT people have predictor tools to gage your chances.
2006-09-18 06:32:51 · answer #2 · answered by emp04 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
good luck -_-
2006-09-18 06:20:31 · answer #3 · answered by Drexme 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋