Hey Askastudent!!! i love this site, its totally hilarious and informative at
the same time =)
I was just wondering what you’ve heard of the law program at UofT. How hard is
it to get in? I am considering completing a specialist in criminology, then
doing a masters in crim, then law school… i hope!
My gpa in first year was 3.6. I haven’t been volunteering, nor have I joined
any extra curricular clubs in my first year.
In your opinion, would joining a club or two and volunteering help in spice up
my application for a masters program/law school?
thanks a million
hey there. thanks again for the needless ego boosting. it’s getting bigger all the time.
since askastudent’s future probably entails the vast and wild world bracketed in the catagory of “the service industry”, i had to enlist the help of christine, a current law student in the oh-so prestigious university of toronto law school.
here’s what she says:
if you take a look at the law school’s website, you will see that the median average is 3.8 and median LSAT score is 95th percentile ( U of T law is the most competitive in the country– it is quite easy to get into law school with much less). 3.6 is certainly good enough to get into law school, especially coupled with a strong LSAT mark. There is no ‘standard’ background for law school– students have undergrads as varying as engineering, english, commerce, and computer science. some come straight from undergrad and some have a graduate degree or a few years of work experience behind them. it is not necessary to do graduate work before applying to law school, and it is not necessarily easier to get in if you have a graduate degree. the person asking this question may wish to note that U of T has a combined JD/MA in Crim.as for whether the student should start clubs/volunteering in order to get in to law school, i would advise simply doing whatever they are interested in. the student should not volunteer simply because they think it will help them get in. for one, they are in first year, and may change their mind about law school. secondly, volunteering should be about more than getting into a program. most law students do extensive volunteering in legal aid clinics and in youth mentorship programs (DLS, AIW, LAWS, etc). they do this because of an ongoing commitment to public service and a recognition of the many benefits provided by volunteering. they do not stop volunteering once they have gotten in to law school is what i am trying to say. i am very wary of ‘fake’ volunteering. law schools are interested in why you would make a good lawyer and what you are interested in doing with a law degree– you do not need to volunteer extensively to answer this question. just be yourself.
hopefully you find that helpful. i broke out in a sweat after the word “median” and had to revive myself with french toast and vitamin water. but then again, i’m not the ambitious lawyer type. i don’t even like law and order!
cheers, askastudent