Realistic law school GPA for the long-graduated

February 7, 2024 7:40 AM

Is there even a hint of a chance at law school admissions with a 2.2 GPA from long ago?

I am a successful professional with 20 years of experience in my industry (not law related) and a solid resume. I hated college, and scraped through with a 2.2 GPA. That said, I excelled in the core curriculum, easily had >3.8 GPA for those classes -- just fumbled through 'not interesting' classes. It's 20 years later, and I've changed a lot and have excelled professionally.

Law school is (and has always been appealing) and actually seems plausible for my life circumstances now. I did very well on the GRE when I took it (score expired many years ago). I expect I would have a relatively high GRE or LSAT score when applying. I would not have trouble getting professional reference letters.

How close to flat-out-disqualifying is the GPA? I do not have interest in or aspirations for a top school or a BigLaw job.

posted by anonymous to Education (14 answers total)

With a high enough LSAT, you should be able to get into a respectable regional school. My worry would be that your As and A-minuses were all in STEM classes and your Cs and C-minuses are all in courses that required essay- and long-exam writing. An admission officer might really question your ability to hack law school in that case.
posted by MattD at 7:53 AM on February 7, 2024 [3 favorites]

Seconding LSAT being the biggest factor.
Could you enroll in an LSAT prep as well as some writing classes? A semester of writing, philosophy, or logic with excellent grades would be an indicator that you're serious and capable, as well as being good preparation for study. Other ideas would be sociology, political science, or economics. Pick something that you know you're going to be able to enjoy and ace the grade. A plan that can't hurt, could help with getting accepted.
posted by BlueHorse at 8:50 AM on February 7, 2024

You'll want to look for what they call 'splitter' schools. Basically, some schools will seek some people with very high GPA, and some people with high LSAT, and not care about the other factor for each. Totally plausible; you'll just likely have to write an extra essay explaining about it.
posted by corb at 9:04 AM on February 7, 2024

Not disqualifying. I would talk to the admissions offices of schools you are looking at, in case you are not open to moving across the country, to see what your actual chances are. Some schools look differently at nontraditional students and if you have an idea of how you would use your law degree, a compelling case could be made for your admission depending on the strength of your LSAT score, reason for applying now, and recommendations.

To make this not a waste of your time, make sure you really want to go to law school and deeply understand what being a lawyer entails. It's not what most people envision. Lots of reading and writing required to be successful in law school as well.
posted by *s at 9:06 AM on February 7, 2024 [2 favorites]

Call a few admissions offices at schools of interest. This is a fantastic question to ask them. They may well have different metrics for folks who have been out of school for so long.
posted by bluedaisy at 10:51 AM on February 7, 2024

I would second the suggestion to take an undergraduate class in a related subject just give you a sense of how it feels (on a small scale) to be back in school in a subject that requires intensive analytical reading and writing plus the whole homework/doing what teacher says/getting grades ringamorole of being a student especially when the teachers are younger than you are. In your case, it would also give you a chance to measure yourself against the requirements of an academic environment and make sure you can get strong A's as well as double checking whether you really want to go back to school again.
posted by metahawk at 11:09 AM on February 7, 2024 [3 favorites]

I graduated with a similar gpa and got into 3 of the top 5 business schools as ranked by Newsweek (at the time). Those were the only 3 to which I applied. I had taken the GMATs 5 years earlier and they wanted me to retake them. I told them no. (I had gotten 760 out of 800 IIRC). The key to my acceptance as told to me by an admissions officer was an interview and a personal essay talking about my gpa and my subsequent work experience/success.

They want to know you can and WILL do the work. I think as you are a non-traditional applicant, they will look at you as an individual with your own metrics. They will look at the holistic you. I also think it would help if you are paying full boat.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 11:21 AM on February 7, 2024 [1 favorite]

I do not have interest in or aspirations for a top school or a BigLaw job.

If you aren't worried about the rank of the school, there is a 100% chance that you will be admitted to some law schools, regardless of the long-ago GPA. The important question will then be the cost of the school versus the realistic job prospects coming out of that school. There is a steep drop in lawyer salaries outside of top schools/big law/etc.
posted by Mid at 12:32 PM on February 7, 2024 [5 favorites]

Your question should not be "can I get into law school," it should be "can I get into a law school that will be worth the investment?"

Here's a simple thing you can do tomorrow to figure that out. Stop speculating about how you think you might have a high LSAT score. Go find a sample LSAT (they're available free or at your local library). Take the test with realistic time limits. Assess your score against the LSAT ranges accepted by top schools (LawSchoolNumbers.com is your friend). If less than 170, you probably don't wanna go to law school. Adjust that number downwards if you're black or Native American. (Yes, studying or doing test prep can improve your LSAT score, but it's not going to improve by as much as the test prep companies want you to believe.)

Some might see that as harsh, but law school really is not a good idea for many, if not most, people who contemplate it. I don't want you to put your life on hold for three years to end up mired in debt making mid-five figures.
posted by HeavenUnlimited at 3:11 PM on February 7, 2024 [2 favorites]

You can often find practice LSAT tests in library databases through your local public library with your library card, FYI. So, from home.
posted by bluedaisy at 3:29 PM on February 7, 2024

I got into law school straight our of undergrad with a 2.9 and an LSAT score in the low 160s on a full scholarship because my school needed to raise their LSAT scores. I earn about $150k and have a really fulfilling career improving my community. Take some practice LSATs and consider how much you like dealing with people at their worst.
posted by notjustthefish at 3:49 PM on February 7, 2024 [2 favorites]

consider how much you like dealing with people at their worst.

Alternately, if you work in criminal defense, dealing with them at their best. What they are alleged to have *done* may be bad, but I find them far nicer and more considerate to their attorneys than some of my friends' corporate clients.
posted by corb at 4:27 PM on February 7, 2024 [2 favorites]

corb, my spouse works in that field and that is definitely true. My client is a government so I'm always dealing with an annoyed constituent who we may or may not have wronged.
posted by notjustthefish at 4:36 PM on February 7, 2024 [1 favorite]

100%. I was in a similar position -- twenty years or so after college, where I had cut a LOT of classes and just pretty much enjoyed my time on campus, I decided to apply to law school.
I knew I could manage decent LSATs and I explained in my personal statement that I was not a serious student twenty years before, but could amply demonstrate my maturation and success since those days.
Got in everywhere I applied.
Enjoyed the whole experience, even the studying -- highly recommend.
posted by mmf at 6:49 PM on February 8, 2024