Getting into Law School the Nutshell Addition

I was a student member of the Admissions Committee at my former TTT Law School. Surprisingly, no one has asked me until two weeks ago about my experience. She actually wanted to get into a TTT Law School. I honestly tried to dissuade her from going to Law School. I think I convinced her to try for a MBA at ¼ the cost. A small victory in a losing war. 

 

This is the briefest nutshell of admissions into a TTT Law School. My understanding, from a former faculty member who did T1 admission, T1 admission is different.  At Yale, each faculty member looks at the application packet and gives a + or -. At TTT, it is a little above an administrative task. Remember this! Law School admission is heavy monitor by the ABA. Whereas your undergraduate institution can cut wealthy Alum’s daughter a break; we would get nabbed for it. Here is a quick note: First, we only had one applicant request and interview. It just doesn’t happen at the TTT level. No one likes to take them and no one likes to give them. Cut us all a break and don’t ask for one. Second, the admission office gave a + point if the student did a campus walk around and asked about housing etc. It shows they had some interest in going to the school, e.g., we were not a safety school.

 The 1L class structure looks like this:

The first half of the class, these are the full or partial scholarship students. These are the MDs, DMDs, or high numbers people. They could get into a T1 at partial scholarship or no scholarship. They couldn’t get a full free or part ride. In essence, these people jack up the USNWR numbers and are assured to graduate and pass the Bar Exam.

The second half of the class, these are the people that deserve to be there. They are TTT Law School material in grades and LSATs. They may get a book scholarship, but that is it. Generally, if you see a lot of scholarships at a school, then the tuition is really inflated. No one gets something for nothing.

The third half of the class is unique. These are the people with marginal grades or LSATs. There is a high probability they may not make it past the 1L year. They do make the ABA’s official/unofficial cutoffs. You can point out these people in your 1L classes. You know the 2.5 GPA guy with 160 LSATs? The judge’s son with a low GPA. The BIGLAW Partner’s son with a low LSAT score? The local bigness executive changing career with a low LSAT score.

Do you see yourself? Next post of GPAs, LSATs, graduate degrees, and other stuff.