Question:I have an undergrad gpa of 3.1 from a state school and is considering law school. I'm studying for the LSATs but I wonder, how important is the undergrad GPA? Would they overlook my grades if I did well on the LSATs? What if I got a mediocre score on the LSAT. Can I still get into a mediocre law school with the 3.1 and a mediocre score? Or is it imperative that I get an incredibly high LSAT score.
Answers:
If you are worried about getting into law school, do not sweat. A 3.1 GPA and an average score will get you in. At the end of the day, it does not really matter what law school you go to unless you are in a tier 1 law school. You need to find a comprehensive guide on law schools to not just find out about their requirements but location, bar passing rate, and other factors that are important to you and not factors that others feel are important.
To answer you question more directly, your LSAT score is by far more of an important factor compared to your GPA. If you do well, you can not only get into a much better school but have available to you scholarships and actual choices of which law school you want to go to.
I've written some articles on getting into law school and preparing for the LSAT on my website, see the link below.
Surprisingly, there are plenty of law schools that will accept applicants with GPAs in the low 3.0 range and LSAT scores just a smidge above the high 140s.
You may want to take a look at LSAC, which has a list of accredited law schools and their application requirements.
The law school admissions committees will evaluate your transcripts- a 3.1 in Electrical Engineering or Chemistry is viewed much more favorably than a 3.1 in Sociology because you took much tougher courses to earn your degree.
A terrific LSAT score will certainly benefit your application, but even a 150-155 will almost certainly be enough to get into a mediocre law school. One word of advice- the better the law school, the better your career opportunities.
It's pretty much a combination of LSAT and GPA that they look at, although a few other factors, like special skills or a difficult childhood can come into play.
First of all, if you'd like to be a lawyer, you need to learn how to punctuate correctly. You're missing question marks. And, for the record, LSAT is singular (i.e. there is no "s" at the end).
Second, you should be fine with a 3.1 GPA, especially if you do well on the LSAT.
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