Do law schools weigh LSAT scores more then your undergrad GPA?

Question

Im about to take a law enforcement job down in Washington, DC and I'm interested in pursuing a JD in Criminal Law after I get settled in down there (after the academy and probationary period), Im really interested in either Catholic University or American University's Law Schools. However, my undergrad GPA is mediocre at best for both of those schools at 2.95. So my question is, how high do I have to score on the LSATs to be considered by either of those schools or any other school in the area? Thanks!

Answer 1

Law schools worth going to (T14, T1, and some T2's) typically weigh the LSAT much higher than GPA, with the exception of schools like Virginia, Penn, and Berkeley. Unfortunately, because you are not above a 3.0 cutoff, you will require a very high LSAT score even to get in to Catholic U or American. Your LSAT would have to be at least a 163 for Catholic and at least a 166 for American with that GPA. In order to get a good idea of what sort of LSAT score you should shoot for, put your GPA and a future LSAT score into this website's predictor: www.lawschoolpredictor.com



You are facing an uphill battle, though not an impossible one. I have seen many people with GPA's like yours get into a top 14 or tier 1 (roughly top 30) school after nailing the LSAT and hitting the coveted 170+ mark. In order to do this you will need to either pay for an LSAT prep course or spend your time reviewing books like the Logic Games Bible and taking many previous practice tests. Fair warning, however--I studied very hard for the LSAT using these materials and was only able to pull a 163, twice.



A final note: the legal profession is undergoing severe restructuring and it is well-known that schools like Catholic will most likely not land you a job, nor be worth the amount you pay in tuition, leaving you with crippling debt and no way to pay it back. I would strongly advise that if you do not hit at least the 165 mark on the LSAT you reconsider the choice of law school.

Answer 2

It varies by school. The difference can be as much as 60-40 either way, although as a very, very general rule top schools put more emphasis on the LSAT and lower-ranked schools look more at GPA - but that is a huge generalization. Some schools do publish their formulas, so you can do a web search and see what comes up.



You can check the admissions stats for various ABA-approved law schools at lsac.org.



Even with a 160 (putting you in the top twenty percent of test-takers) you would still be a long shot for Catholic and American would be out of the question. You wouldn't even be an automatic admit at UDC, which is a truly terrible law school.



I would really recommend you work for several years (5-7) before you consider applying to law school. After about 5 years, your GPA starts to matter much less than it currently does. Then, with a decent LSAT and a good promotions/work record, you would have a much better shot at the schools you're considering.

Answer 3

I agree with daaaave - "soft factors" usually only have a positive impact if you're borderline. I disagree with daaaave that soft factors could turn a 3.3/156 into an accept at a school with medians at 3.5/163, though. That's just not going to happen unless you're URM (underrepresented minority) or exceedingly special - like curing-cancer special. Matt provided you a good explanation of how law schools calculate your index score and how that score is used to determine whether you'll be accepted; however, law schools don't really weight the prestige of your undergraduate institution. There isn't a formula for that. The school will calculate your index score based on your raw numbers, look at your soft factors, and, as part of that subjective evaluation, they'll consider your undergraduate school. If you attended an ivy or a very prestigious school, like Stanford, you may get a very small bump, but a prestigious school won't turn bad numbers into good ones. You already have to be in range, on the cusp, and then a really amazing undergrad may tip the scales in your favor. Law schools do like some "softs" more than others, but they're not going to be a backdoor into law school. You'll have to have the numbers, even borderline ones, and then a really interesting background can help you a tiny bit. Here are some: military, Teach for America, Rhodes Scholar/Fulbright Scholar (or equivalent), ivy undergrad, work experience, and being URM. To a lesser extent, volunteer work, clubs/organizations, senior thesis, graduate school, etc. As far as "softs" go, the more unique, the better. The more interesting, the better. And if you can spin your soft into an interesting personal statement or diversity statement, that's the icing on the cake. While the law school admissions game is probably 95% numbers based, the common wisdom is that softs don't matter unless you don't have any, so get some, and make them as interesting as possible so that you look like more than numbers.

Answer 4

Hey Shane,



While there are a few exceptions, most schools weight your LSAT more heavily than your GPA. The ratio averages out to about 60/40.



That being said, a sub-3.0 makes law school admissions relatively difficult. Most have a soft GPA floor around 3.0. You're just under it, but you're under it nonetheless.



You have a solid job, however, and job experience can mitigate a low GPA. For it to be a mitigating factor, however, you'll have to stay in that position for at least 5 years.



On top of work experience being a mitigating factor, I also believe that it is going to become as important as your GPA/LSAT within a few years. There's already a trend at the top schools to admit a larger percentage of students with work experience (though that could be the economy causing more applicants to leave the work force to go back to school), and I think it's because they're viewing it as a good indicator of the ability to excel in law school. 5 years from now, I'd expect 5 years on the force to be a great factor in your favor.



Good luck!