Which school should we look at with this LSAT score

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP does not work in Biglaw.

What does she want to do?

[Anonymous]

I’ve worked in BigLaw and in public interest. School rank matters a great deal for both, if you want to be in the running for highly sought after jobs. Law is very focused on prestige. Go to the highest ranked school possible given your options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve worked in BigLaw and in public interest. School rank matters a great deal for both, if you want to be in the running for highly sought after jobs. Law is very focused on prestige. Go to the highest ranked school possible given your options.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a lawyer pushing 50 who lives and works in Dcumlandia. I routinely advise kids considering law school. FWIW:

1. Where does your kid claim residency? Apply to any law school where in-state tuition is an option. (Tell me the state, and I’ll give you my two cents.)

2. Where does your kid ultimately want to work? What state? If they are aiming for NY or CA, they might want to go to school there. Sometimes it helps with the bar.

3. What do they want to do? If they are willing to sell their soul to big law, then aim for a top 10 school. If they want to do social justice work, school rank doesn’t matter as much (their grades and networking/internships during law school matter more). Certain fellowships are useful. Do they want to be a fed? School doesn’t matter as much.

If they don’t know what they want to do, they probably should not bother with law school unless they get a full ride or can easily commute to state school with merit aid. Truly.

Note: some guidance changes if your kid isn’t white. Diversity applicants have more wiggle room in terms of resume when firms and Feds are hiring diverse candidates.

To point 1. this rarely is helpful to manage costs. It was cheaper for me to go to a different T14 with modest aid over UVA.

To point 3., that does not square with my experience. Public interest jobs are as snobby, and often actually much snobbier, than big law.

Also, if you plan to do non profit work, you will get your loans fully forgiven through PSLF and similar programs.

In summary, PP, you're very out of date, and maybe should stop giving so much advice to kids considering law school if you're not going to catch up with the times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because this generation of immature adults is causing ripple effects for whole society. They are not being allowed to grow up or feel that they have competence to handle things themselves without mommy’s help. This is partially fueling a mental health crisis. It’s shocking how much things have changed in one generation.

Again, just focus on your kid. Who says your kid is any better?

Whoosh. This type of helicopter parenting affects us all.

Don’t be stupid. How others raise their kids is none of you fking business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t even imagine my mother trying to come up with law schools I should apply to back when I was your daughter’s age. I handled all of that myself including loans and financial matters. It’s sad that you think you should be involved in researching this.

Have you never researched anything for your child? I just helped my adult child figure out where to invest some money in mutual funds. My child asked for help, and I was happy to oblige. I love it when my child asks me for help.

This mom is likely also curious and enjoys talking with her DD about her future plans. What's wrong with that? I talk to my kids about what they're doing. I give them advice only if they ask for it.

There are LOTS of lawyers on this forum, so it's a good place to ask for law school advice.

Why can't you just post some useful information and keep your snarky opinions to yourself?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is this a “we” situation?

Literally, the only use of "we" was in regard to paying, which is a natural thing for a parent to mention. No helicopter here, she's just letting us know that "they" as parents, cannot pay. Sheesh.

[Anonymous]

The title of the thread is “we”! And OP’s post said they were probably not paying.

[Anonymous]

I got a 170 and went to YLS. Turned down full scholarships from several T14s including UVA. Best decision of my life, easily.

[Anonymous]

Friend's kid had 172 and got tuition full ride paid at Columbia

[Anonymous]

For YLS Class of 2024 the median LSAT was 174 and 171 put you in the 25th percentile
(https://law.yale.edu/admissions/profiles-statistics)

For Columbia, the class of 2024 had a median LSAT score of 174 and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.84. 75% of the class had a 172 or above
(https://lawschooli.com/school/columbia/)

Your stories don’t reflect current reality

[Anonymous]

Kid’s friend got 180 but hasn’t applied to law schools yet. Doesn’t seem very interested.

[Anonymous]

Not to be crass, but is your daughter a URM? If yes, with that GPA and LSAT, all of the top law schools are likely to roll out the red carpet for her. If not, she is still a very strong candidate and should not shy away from applying to all the T14 schools if that is what interests her. Granted it has been nearly 20 years since I applied, but I was accepted to nearly all of the top law schools I applied to with similar scores as your daughter.

[Anonymous]

With a 172 and 3.8, just a few years ago an applicant most likely would have been accepted to multiple (if the not the majority) of the T14 schools. However, over the last few years things have changed somewhat dramatically in law school admissions. The new digital take home format of the LSAT has contributed to a surge in high scorers, along with extremely lax grading policies during Covid, and combined with a record number of applicants to law schools during Covid, have sent LSAT and GPA medians at the T14 schools soaring. It is not uncommon nowadays to hear stories about people with 170+ LSATs and 3.9+ GPAs being shutout of the T14 altogether whereas just three years ago they would have been admitted. In general, top law schools nowadays do have an active preference for those who have a few years of work experience, which does disadvantage applicants applying straight from undergrad. It’s tricky to speculate, but I don’t think a 172 and 3.8 (especially from a KJD) will be a slam dunk for a T14 school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t even imagine my mother trying to come up with law schools I should apply to back when I was your daughter’s age. I handled all of that myself including loans and financial matters. It’s sad that you think you should be involved in researching this.

Did you not read the part about her working while carrying a full loadx2. So yes, she manages on her own just fine. We are having a lot of discussions because it’s a huge financial decision.

Don’t let these posters get to you, OP. Most people understand what you meant and this forum is filled with young, arrogant dude bros who never miss an opportunity to show their $ss.

Your daughter has lots of great options. Happy for her!

+100. There are a lot of trolls who compulsively read this forum but will jump on any parent who asks a question about grad school or jobs with some stupid comment to the effect that "if your kid can't figure it out, they shouldn't." Probably speaks volumes about the fact that their child no longer talks to them about anything and is just waiting for the estate sale at this point.

My understanding is that the "no name school" part doesn't matter at all as long as she has the grades and GPA. Good luck, OP!