What are my chances of getting into American University Washington (DC) Law School?

Question

Hi! I am currently a junior at a public university. In my three years, I have participated in numerous extra-curricular activities, interned on the Hill in DC for U.S. Senator Russ Feingold, worked as a research assistant for the Urban Institute, and have held some form of employment part time ever since I began college.

I have worked in my home community with local grassroots welfare policy advocacy organizations, and I have been active in yearly voter registration drives, and initiatives that educate young people about the history and significance of voting in the U.S.

I am passionate about utilizing my skills as an attorney to advocate on behalf of the most vulnerable populations: children, the elderly, and other victims of poverty. This is a personal choice for me, considering that I have grown up in poverty and can easily deduce its impact on the life chances of the populations it affects.

My first choice law schools are American, Emory, and Boston College. My only problem is that I have a 3.4 GPA, and I doubt I'll crack a 160 on the LSAT. I am working on strengthening my grade point average, which fell due to personal circumstances.

I do plan on working for two years upon graduating, and my ideal job is on Capitol Hill working as a legislative aid/correspondent, or doing policy work with a non-profit/think tank. I want to take the LSAT before I graduate, and again after.

From this very brief bio, what do you think my chances are of getting into my absolute first choice, American University Washington (DC) College of Law?? Your help is greatly appreciated!!

Answer 1

I think you have a good chance: "Roughly 25% (1,877 of 7,601) of applicants were granted admission last year. Of those admitted students, the 25th to 75th percentile GPA range was 3.15–3.6 and the range for the LSAT was 158-163—with medians of 3.42 and 162, respectively."

So just...try to bget as high an LSAT as you can--it's really important in this case.

Answer 2

My view differs greatly from those answers above. I think personally with a GPA of 3.4 and from your own admission, an LSAT score of under 160, then both Boston College and Emory are going to be reach schools. You with a GPA that low, you would need somewhere between a 165 and a 170 to stand a realistic chance of admission.

The key to getting into law school is really the LSAT score. The GPA is not a back-up, even if you had a 4.0 and a sub-160 LSAT score then you would still struggle for any 1st tier law school such as Boston College, you would need to be in the 170's.

American, I have very little information about so I really cannot comment. However I would advise you to check the selection of your law schools because the majority tend to average out your LSAT scores (if you take more than one) and use the average figure as your actual score, while others will take the highest score. So be careful.