Top Law Schools

Howdy,
I'm male non-urm that wants to to go to Columbia. My LSAT score is 170 and my GPA is 4.07. What are my chances of being admitted regular decision? Also, would my chances change if I apply early decision? Would early decision make sense for me?

-You have pretty good chances and the only way to measurably improve them would be to get up to a 172-173 LSAT.

-Apply to the entire T6 plus some T13s that interest you, because you're live for Stanford as well as full-ride scholarships anywhere between Chicago and Cornell. Even if you're weirdly ride-or-die interested in Columbia (which makes no sense, FYI), those competing offers would help you negotiate a bigger scholarship there.

-ED is a terrible choice, especially for someone like you who should have multiple large scholarship offers.

Thanks for the response. I definitely hear what you are saying about blanketing the top 6. However, I have no interest in Chicago and I wouldn't go there regardless of scholarships. Should I still apply to Chicago for leverage if I get a scholarship?

A1A2FG wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 05, 2020 3:04 pm

Thanks for the response. I definitely hear what you are saying about blanketing the top 6. However, I have no interest in Chicago and I wouldn't go there regardless of scholarships. Should I still apply to Chicago for leverage if I get a scholarship?

Definitely. Chicago likes the 4.0/170 profile a lot more than Columbia and they're a peer school whose scholarship offers would be taken seriously in negotiation.

And, while I don't know your reasons for preferring certain schools, I'd strongly advise you to reconsider that stance. Chicago (or Stanford/NYU/Penn, or any other T13) could all end up being much better options. Law school only lasts three years, but the impact on your career and finances will follow you for much longer.

Yes, apply to Chicago for schol leverage and in case you change your mind. Also obviously apply to NYU, and include Penn in your list of other applications. ED doesn't make sense basically for anyone because you're possibly leaving money on the table and restricting your options for the lone benefit of hearing back earlier (usually does not move the needle on admissions chances).

ETA: agree w/ LSAT Airbender entirely

The Lsat Airbender wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 05, 2020 3:27 pm

A1A2FG wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 05, 2020 3:04 pm

Thanks for the response. I definitely hear what you are saying about blanketing the top 6. However, I have no interest in Chicago and I wouldn't go there regardless of scholarships. Should I still apply to Chicago for leverage if I get a scholarship?

Definitely. Chicago likes the 4.0/170 profile a lot more than Columbia and they're a peer school whose scholarship offers would be taken seriously in negotiation.

And, while I don't know your reasons for preferring certain schools, I'd strongly advise you to reconsider that stance. Chicago (or Stanford/NYU/Penn, or any other T13) could all end up being much better options. Law school only lasts three years, but the impact on your career and finances will follow you for much longer.

Thank you so much for your advice. Columbia is my top choice but I could see myself going to a lot of other schools. The reason that I would not want to go to Chicago is that the idea of moving to Chicago does not appeal to me. I'll still apply there for leverage and the fact that I might change my mind.