Does your undergraduate college effect your chances of getting into a good law school?

Question

What Im asking is, do you have to go to a top notch university to have a good shot at getting into law school, or does it really not matter what undergraduate college you go to?

Like...I plan on attending Northern Michigan University and I would like to attend a good law school like Georgetown or Michigan.

Answer 1

Yes, your undergrad college is considered by law school admissions committees.

The "quality" of your undergrad college is supposed to show the quality of the education that you received, but it is only one factor in the decision. Many other factors are also used by the committee to measure your potential academic contribution and your future success in their school, including:

-Entrance essay (extremely persuasive?)
-Your class rank
-GPA
-Major, double-major, minor etc (looking for rigorous majors that teach critical thinking and writing like philosophy and literature OR majors that are considered very difficult like math and science)
-Major GPA
-Individual grades (All A's and 2 D's versus All B's?)
-Other degrees (MBA, Masters, etc)
-Letters of recommendation (from president of college, adjunct professor, Senator?)
-Your LSAT score
-Your LSAT score compared to other students at YOUR school
-Your age
-Your life experience
-Your outside interests
-Your geographic location (most important at state schools)

So, you don't HAVE to go to a top notch university, but it helps.

Your undergrad college is only one factor, but it is considered. In a way, it wouldn't be fair to students who worked very hard to get into top schools to NOT consider the school they attend. But, since money and advantage can also have a lot to do with the college students attend, comparing you to other students at your own school is a very fair way to determine your academic ability.

And note:
Willie Gary, AKA the Giant Killer, is one of the country's most successful attorneys, yet he was rejected by all undergrad colleges but one:
Shaw University in North Carolina (he then attended North Carolina Central for law school).

He has since won over 150 jury awards of a million dollars or more for his clients, including a record jury award of $500 million dollars (that is half of a billion!). He flies across the country in a custom designed jet plane named Wings Of Justice with a gold-plated toilet. And he has donated millions of dollars to charity, including over $10 million dollars to his undergrad college - Shaw University.

Answer 2

It really shouldn't matter. If you go to a smaller state school for undergraduate studies for example and then apply to the biggest state school which has the excellent law program (Michigan or University of Wisconsin-Madison) then you should be fine. I think it is mostly about your G.P.A. and how solid your application is. A state school like UW-Madison for example would definitely have to respect the fact that you did well at another school in the state that is in the state system (UW Milwaukee or UW-Green Bay or UW- LaCrosse, etc.). Otherwise they would indirectly be admitting that the state system isn't very good. And I can't imagine that. Same goes for states that have reciprocity with another state. Like if someone from UW-Eau Claire applied to the law school at the University of Minnesota. I went to the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse which is a pretty good smaller school in the system. I looked into going to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for law after I graduated. So I kind of studied up on this topic that you are asking about. I was a political science major. And that definitely is connected to pre-law. Michigan would be a fine choice for law school by the way. Well respected program.

Answer 3

Nope... as long as you get a good score on your LSATs (test you have to take to get into law school, kind of like the GRE or the SAT) you should be ok!

It really doesn't matter which school you went to as an undergrad, but they will look at your undergraduate transcripts to decide if they will admit you.

So, the LSATs and your undergrad transcripts are what they will look at. Some schools even require letters of recommendation. There are many different arenas of law that you can study... go for it!

Answer 4

I am under the impression that as long as you do well in your courses and do well on the LSAT then you should be able to get into a good law school. It might depend a little on your major... like if your major is theatre then you might not have as good of a chance to get into law school as a student who had a major in criminal justice.

Answer 5

It doesn't matter much. Like the cream of firms will get to pick the 'best' colleges but it won't matter to 95%.

Answer 6

No, just as long as you have good grades.

Answer 7

nope