Can I Get Into Law School With a 2.9 GPA?

Yes, you can get into law school with a 2.9 GPA.

However, you’ll have to work harder than students with a higher GPA on your application, and you might not get into your dream/reach schools.

But law school is definitely possible.

Let us explain.

Can I Get Into Law School With a 2.9 GPA?

Law schools take a very wholistic approach to the admissions process.

While top tier law schools place minimum requirements for LSAT and GPA, the remainder often don’t.

This allows a very well-rounded student with significant work experience or other qualifications/education to be a competitive candidate.

If you have a 2.9 GPA and you really want to go to law school, here’s what we recommend you do.

First, make the list of the law schools you want to apply to.

Find out their requirements, and confirm what you need as far as GPA and LSAT (if the LSAT is necessary).

Classify them into “reach” schools, “that would be alright” schools, and “backup” schools that might not be the best choice, but in the end, a J.D. is a J.D. and you need one to be a lawyer.

Once you done that, get started on preparing to apply.

A major priority for a student with a low GPA is a great LSAT score.

This means taking a break from life to study for the LSAT, maybe even investing in an LSAT prep course.

This might also mean waiting until the next cycle to apply to law school to give you time to prepare and take the LSAT again if necessary.

You might even want to wait until you’ve graduated, so you can focus all of your efforts on it.

If you are taking a gap year (which is not a bad idea with a low GPA), this is a great time to make yourself interesting.

Law schools want well-rounded candidates, and if all you’ve done is school, this extra time is a neat opportunity to volunteer or gain meaningful work experience that you can put on your resume or write about in your personal statement.

Engage in something that you have passion for, whether it is fitness, entrepreneurship, traveling, or politics.

When the opportunity arises, take on leadership positions or management roles.

Write a draft of your resume and personal statement in advance, and take them to people you trust to review them and edit them.

Find out whether you can write an addendum to your application to explain your GPA and the circumstances that produced it.

Many potential law students do not approach the application process seriously.

But if you take a little extra time and put in some extra effort, you’ll have a better chance of succeeding in the admissions process.

Should You Apply To Law School?

With a 3.0 GPA, a student should think long and hard about law school.

A 3.0 GPA is not bad, but not that awesome either.

Even with a good LSAT, a 3.0 GPA suggests that the student might have a tough time in law school.

Law school is a pretty rigorous program, and it requires that the student treat the program like it is a more than full time job.

For example, I used to study in the morning before driving to school, always arriving by 9am. Then I’d attend class and study in between classes, and then stay after classes ended until sometimes as late at 10pm-12am.

Then repeat.

If you aren’t prepared to put in those kinds of hours to get through law school, then it might not be for you.

As a lawyer, I see many people who attended law school who didn’t really do a lot of work before apply to confirm that they would actually like being a lawyer or working in the legal field.

Being a lawyer sounds cool, sounds like you’d make a lot of money, and when you tell your parents and grandparents, they get all excited.

But the truth is that being a lawyer is really tough, and most people who graduate from law school and join the legal profession leave the practice of law within 10 years.

Law school is also extremely expensive.

If you complete only the first year of school and decide not to continue, you’ll owe $30k-$60k in student loans for an education that won’t help you get a job to pay those student loan payments.

If you are preparing to apply for law school, I highly recommend that you spend some time in the legal field, either as a volunteer, intern, or even file clerk somewhere.

You’ll get a better idea of what the practice looks like, and how you feel about it.

You might come out more sure than ever that you want to be a lawyer.

Or, you might decide that you will keep looking for a way to make money that fits you and your lifestyle a little better.

Wrap Up

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