Dream Job

[OtterXO]

Definitely follow ktsnake's advice. Also you should look at lsac.org. This is the law school admission council's website and they have this cool function where you can plug in your lsat score and gpa and kind of determine your chances (percentage wise) of getting in. It's all based on the admissions info that ktsnake mentioned. That way you know if you should really be counting on that school or not! Good luck, I'm sure everything will work out for the best! PM me if you'd like!

[WCUgirl]

I didn't mean to sound negative - if I did, I apologize! I just wanted to point out that if you were going to have work experience, it would be much more beneficial for it to be, in my opinion, at least 2 years.

Part of the problem is that my office manager has been out of school for 11 years now...and she hasn't done anything except work. She has 2 kids and they take up all her time. She doesn't volunteer anywhere, she isn't a member of any professional organizations, etc. So, she has this average GPA (I think she said it was a 3.2 or a 3.4) and an average LSAT (she scored a 150 and a 152), so she really doesn't have anything to supplement her applicaton. USC only admits 20% of their students from out-of-state (she would be commuting from Charlotte), so she's at a bit of a disadvantage there b/c I'm sure there are some stellar out-of-state appliants that made her look terrible in comparison.

The advantage is she's guaranteed a job whenever she graduates, so she won't have to worry about competing w/ her classmates.

I think she decided to wait to see when this law school opens in Charlotte (Charlotte International School of Law or whatever), even though my attorneys sort of look down on the school b/c it isn't going to have a very good reputation to begin with. She's just concerned w/ passing the bar...she doesn't care to go to a well-known school or one w/ a good reputation.

[CarolinaDG]

Just a little FYI about USC...

They look for VERY VERY VERY active people. I know three people there. Two of the three were on Student Senate. All 3 were in Omicron Delta Kappa. One was president of ODK. All 3 were in fraternities, and all 3 were officers of their fraternities. Two of the 3 were on Dance Marathon Exec/Morale. AND all 3 were honors college. I was told by a friend of mine (who is currently going to Columbia Law School) that he thought with my GPA and LSAT (practice) that I had a pretty good chance of getting in, but I also was very active in college. I was on Dance Marathon Exec, in ODK, and graduated Who's Who... which is top 50 out of all 3 classes of graduates (Spring, Summer, Winter). Oh, yeah, and one of the three was the Sullivan Award winner, which is the number 2 award at USC.

Just a little FYI for you. USC is getting tougher and tougher to get into, but if you have the right extra-curriculars (active in ZTA?) than you'll have a pretty good shot. I think trying to get a job at a law firm is a great idea, but don't forget your volunteer work!

Thanks CarolinaDG!

I am an alumna of ZTA, was in the Model UN as a collegiate, and on the collegiate yearbook and newspaper staff at Winthrop University. I am now working retail (yuck! I couldn't find another job and needed the $$) and am going to start volunteering at a girls home for the abused and neglected in January.

Is there anything else I need to do (besides taking the LSAT, filling out the law school application, and getting recommendations)?

ETA: My grades weren't stellar in undergrad. I am getting an associates degree in Paralegal Studies. Then, I'm going to Clemson Univ. to get a Masters of Arts in American History before law school. I think a masters degree would look good on my record to enter law school, ya know?

[KayDeeLady]

My boyfriend got into USC law (he doesn't go there) but he wasn't super active or anything, yeah he was in a fraternity and on thier council but nothing really else. He didn't even have a 3.0. Granted he got a 168 on the LSAT...from his experiences that is all that really matters. He got into Wake Forrest, and BU, he got wait listed at Duke but told them to take them off the list bc he decided not to go there. Really it's all about the LSAT, he had friends who had better GPA's than he did that were even a little more involved than him but they only got around 157's and didn't get into a lot of thier top choices.

[CarolinaDG]

I think the thing is, none of us really know what the Admissions Council is looking for. Your boyfriend could have had a killer essay, for example, that made them look past his bad grades. I'm just telling you about the 3 that I know that went there. And I'm basing what I know by the people that didn't get in as well. High GPA's, no extracurriculars.