How do I deal with the problem of a low undergraduate GPA?

"I have been out of school for three years now. I am considering applications to law school. My problem is that my GPA is very low compared to the GPAs demanded by my target law schools. I haven't taken the LSAT yet but I know this is something I want to do. What can I do to offset my low GPA? Do schools automatically reject you if your GPA is low? Should I attempt a second degree to raise my GPA?"

Here's how you deal with the problem of a low undergraduate GPA:

1. Get a brilliant LSAT score. Your goal should be to be beyond the 75th percentile of the LSAT scores of the enrolling students at your targeted law school. Do not, do not take the real LSAT until you have scored three points above this LSAT scoring goal--repeatedly--in timed practice tests. Don't give yourself a constrained, artificial timeline to master the LSAT. Take whatever time you need.

2. Craft a personal statement that blows them away. Strive to meet the Yale Law School standard of "subtle, complex and nuanced."

3. Present the most positive resume you can.

4. Prepare carefully selected recommenders with a copy of this personal statement and resume.

5. Consider earning a graduate degree, such as an MBA, or at least a program certificate, before law school, if your undergraduate grades are really troubling. While these grades won't count officially in the reporting of the grades of enrolling students seen in the data of LSAC and US News & World Report, they can demonstrate growth and new competence.

6. Consider a period of challenging law-related work before law school, so that a skilled attorney (or attorneys) can be in the position to be your informed recommender.

7. Apply early in the admissions cycle. This shows that you are organized and eager. Law school admission staffs tend to be a bit more generous early in the admissions cycle, when they have all their slots to fill.

For more information about strategies to deal with the challenge of law school admission, please see my website www.PrelawAdvisor.com.

LSAC's "Law Forums" are coming up. Should I attend?

Yes. The LSAC Law Forums can be a good use of the law school applicant's time. In a short period of time, you can meet key admissions officials, pick up the latest law school material and attend valuable workshops.

When attending a forum, look for an opportunity to spend a few minutes with each target law school's admissions representative, ideally when the crowd around that law school table is small. Let him/her know that you will be applying. Listen carefully to the response. Ask a thoughtful question. One example: "Tell me something about the most persuasive application you've ever read." Or, "What mistakes drive you crazy in the applications you review?" You may gain some powerful and valuable insights from the answers receive.

Try to get the business card of the representative. Thank him/her for the time given. Don't extend the conversation in a manner insensitive to others if they are right there with you, eager to talk as well. Shake hands and say goodbye with a firm, dry handshake and good eye contact. Later, write a short, handwritten thank you note, expressing appreciation for that person's time and interest in you. You are hoping to create a bit of an "inside advocate" for you, built from the foundation that first Law Forum conversation.

For more information about my ideas, please see my website www.PrelawAdvisor.com.

Can I really go to law school as a second or third career choice?

Yes, you can. Law schools like to have at least a few mature, experienced adults in each law school class. Mature adults can bring a valuable perspective, with insights gained from life and work experience far beyond that of the typical 23-year-old law student. Here are the key factors to consider when thinking about law school as a second or third-career choice. First, go to law school part time. Plan to accomplish earning your J.D. degree over four years. You'll need and want to continue working at least some of the time during the day. And part-time law students tend to be older and more mature. You don't really want to be in full-time day law school surrounded by a bunch of 23-year-olds. Second, do not apply until you've mastered the LSAT. Take as many timed practice LSATs as you need to to reach--ideally-- at least the 75th percentile of the enrolling students at your target law school. Such an LSAT will reduce law school concern about your ability to succeed. Nothing speaks as emphatically to a law school as a powerful LSAT score. Third, gain ground by submitting a brilliant personal statement. Aim for the Yale Law School standard of "subtle, complex and nuanced." For more information and assistance, see my website www.PrelawAdvisor.com.

Does Teach for America enhance one's ability to be admitted by top law schools?

The June 29, 2006 Wall Street Journal published an insightful column by Sue Shellenbarger that discussed the idealism of recent college grads, tempered by their parents' concern about their finding "real work". "Doing Well vs. Doing Good: Parents Struggle With Their New Grads' Idealism" revealed the story of a recent University of Pennsylvania grad, Rachel Kreinces, who chose two years of Teach for America rather than her parents' goal of an immediate start to law school.

As a long-time consultant to law school applicants, there is good news for both Ms. Kreinces and her parents in this situation. Top law schools welcome veterans of Teach for America. It is one of the most powerful ways to interest elite law schools in one's application (along with the Peace Corps). And as demonstrated by Ms. Shellenbarger's account, the learning experience on the job in Teach for America can be positive and profound, for the graduate and her entire family.

I once had as advisee an ivy league graduate who chose a tough inner city school as his Teach for America job. Despite circumstances so difficult that he found himself in a war not of his choosing with the school's principal and in trumped-up litigation, he persevered, eventually telling the story in his application to his target law school, an elite institution ranked in the top ten. He was welcomed there and is flourishing, all the stronger because of the real-world experience he earned on the job in Teach for America.

So America's current generation of idealistic college graduates shouldn't worry a bit about a period of public service before professional or graduate school. They, their families, their communities, and the nation will all be stronger for such service, and their ability to apply, gain admission, and succeed in elite settings like top law schools will only be enhanced by such work before law school.

Get solid answers to your tough questions about law school admission at www.PrelawAdvisor.com.

Should rising college seniors take the LSAT this fall?

Many college students aiming for law school feel pressure to take the LSAT during the fall of their senior year. In general, I oppose this. Seniors in college should be focusing on the unique opportunities of their last year of college. College will come to an end--forever--for these undergraduates, in May of their senior year. But the LSAT will continue to be available four times a year, every year, on and on into the future. Seniors, make your final year special, in terms of: (1) academic excellence; (2) extracurricular activities; and (3) creative use of the community around your college. Do not be pressured into a premature LSAT. It can have a highly negative impact on your ability to reach top law schools in the future. If you put a low LSAT score on your record as a senior, you've damaged your record before top schools. Even a later high LSAT is somewhat diminished by an initial low LSAT (though the law schools are now permitted to report only the highest LSAT of each enrolling law student, rather than the average LSAT score. This change was announced during the summer of 2006.) Thus if you get a mediocre 150 as a senior, and then two years later a brilliant 170, for law school admission purposes, while you are still a 170, your record is not as persuasive if you had earned just the brilliant 170 alone. Therefore, consider the timeline I provide at my website PrelawAdvisor.com.