How do I get in to an Ivy League or other top-tier college?

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by jcm1986

These are not smart aleck questions, but what do you mean when you say Ivy Leagues aren't as "privileged" as they're purported to be? Would legacy students be children of current alumni (students who have higher echelon GPA and standardized test credentials, mind you)?

Yes, legacy means that your parents or other relatives went to that school. If you have an uncle who graduated from an Ivy League school then your chances of admission just went up. If you have multiple family members then you have a definite edge while if your family is generations deep in Ivy League then you are guaranteed regardless.

Pretty much everyone who applies to a top tier school has a high GPA, above average test scores, and so many extracurriculars that you wonder if these people ever sleep. However, you got to keep one thing in mind; it is the applicant pool that creates these high standards, not the school. Everyone applying is trying to edge out the competition while all the school really cares about is how who is going to contribute to the school itself.

Originally Posted by jcm1986

Sure, all schools might look for prospective great alumni. I can't say that I blame them. That said, a person with a degree but only an average GPA from Berkeley, Harvard, Yale, Texas, Michigan, Johns Hopkins, Princeton, or any other top tier school will carry more weight in the national admissions market of employment or future educational opportunities than will many people with above-average GPAs at a second or third tier school.

At one point, you are correct, but it is the schools name on the diploma and not the GPA. This could back-fire as certain second or third tier schools are nationally known for a particular program or department. So, while Joe Blow University might not be on everyone's hot list, their Geology department might be nationally, or worldly recognized for their research in say, ocean floor sediment. In this case, a degree from this third (or fourth?) tier school would trump a Yale or Harvard (et. al) diploma if this is what you are into (studying the ocean floor).

Originally Posted by jcm1986

Not being snooty or critical here, I'm proud to have received my Bachelor's from a third tier university. I also understand that it is what you do with your degree, no matter where you attended college, that will dictate how far you go in life; look at the likes of Ronald Reagan, Lyndon Johnson, Sam Walton, John Schneider, and other successful contemporary political and business figures. None of them went to "big name" schools..

There are many excellent state colleges and even a handful of 'Public Ivies', while there are many private colleges (not for profit) that are considered third tier or less and unfortunately, a schools ranking has less to do with the actual education a student receives (in most cases) then it does with everything else.

[another guy]

Honestly, how much research have you already done? No offense intended, I'm just confused why you'd bring in the GRE if you're talking about law schools (or maybe you're not? Your title refers to college, but you've already graduated.).

If your question is in fact what you need to get into a great law school, the most important things are LSAT score and GPA.

Your GPA is rather low, so a high LSAT score is a must. Even so, the top 5 schools are probably already out of the window.

Unfortunately, your low GPA probably means that even if you get a high LSAT score, and you manage to get into the T14 (Georgetown and up), you're not too likely to receive financial aid.

Also, unlike in a PhD program, grades actually do matter in law school. Better grades give you a better shot at being on law review and being on law review and better grades together gets you better summer jobs, and better offers from BigLaw and better clerkships. For that matter, better grades also give you a better shot at transferring if you want to go that route.

With all due respect to the posters telling the OP that there are so many other factors and LSAT doesn't matter and volunteering is what they're looking for, and grades aren't that important--that may well hold true for your degree, for your industry, etc.; however, with respect to law schools, it's also mostly wrong. LSAT and GPA reign supreme (and so does your law school GPA). Do other things matter--of course, but the field of law is notoriously prestige-conscious, so they mostly care about LSAT score and GPA.