Okay I'm currently working on my apps to law school, just have to wrap up my personal statement. I would like to stay our her in the West for school and job after, since I figure I don't have much of a chance at a top 10 or 20 school. My wife and I started our family early, so I've worked full-time my entire undergrad career, I have a few years of personnel and project management at a fortune 500 company. It has been a great experience, but it did take a toll on my GPA, I'm graduating in Bioinformatics from BYU. So, I was wondering how much professional experience helps with admissions, I got a 165 on the LSAT. I would like to work in IP when I graduate. What advice would you give in selecting schools that could help me land a good job that will help pay for the hefty loans that will be needed to support my wife and 5 kids?

Little, if any. Your GPA and LSAT are at least 90% of the decision, if not 99%. The other stuff will only help you if you are among the handfull of applicants left (with equal/similar LSAT scores and GPAs) when the last offers (or wait list spots) are issued. Your experience would be much more useful for business school, where pre-school experience is valuable in admission. I would stay in the west and get into the best school you can.

If you can't get into a Top 100 school, I would not even bother, but instead consider business school (especially given that you already have five kids). A third or fourth tier school is just too much of a gamble in your situation. Also, don't take out more than $100K in debt (total, not just for tuition) for a 2nd tier school, you will be paying it off for years as you'll never get the kind of salaries you see on this site. Only a top 50 school is arguably worth that kind of burden.

Thanks for the pointers Anonymous. I've learned a lot by perusing the 'boreds' on this site. It's been hard no to let the fact that my B < GPA < B+ isn't somehow explained, and even better, bolstered by my leadership and industry experience. But, I guess those are the trade offs we choose in life, eh? Does a hard science major, like bioinformatics help out much, I've heard both yes and no on this?

Sorry, last post was from me--original poster.

A 165 LSAT is not bad. If you can afford to, take a shot at a few top 20 schools(top 10 may be stretch but you never know when you'll catch an admissions director on a good day). I scored a 167 and am at a top 15 school right now and the benefit of going to a highly ranked school when recruiting season begins cannot be understated.

I agree. With a 165, you should be able to get into a top 50, even with subpar grades, maybe even with a partial scholarship. I reiterate that your leadership and major will do little or nothing for you getting into law school. The major will, however, help you land a IP job.

Anonymous #5&#6, Thanks for chiming in and giving me some hope. I thought that when I got to this point it would be easier to deal with, since it is pretty much out of my hands and I just have to sit back and wait for the letters. But I don't think I've ever felt so much stress, excitement, and fear as now :).

I agree that you have a shot. I got a 161 and I went to a Top 20 school. I did have a great GPA, but from a school comparable to BYU. IP attorneys are in demand, and with your hard science background I would definitely apply to law school and see what happens. It is my experience that big firms, including mine, dont' care as much about what law school you went to or what your grades are if you are qualified to do IP work. Your undergraduate major is a big benefit to you.

Golden Boy, thanks for encouragement. I've spoken with some firms and some most of them have reflected what you said in different ways. I qualify for need based waivers from a few of the T20 that I would love to attend, so following your advice I'll throw my app out to a few and prey hard, since it will only run me $12 for the LSAC report.

Question, we could save quite a bit of money if we stayed in Utah, if it comes down to it, what are the chances of biglaw or good IP job from BYU or UofU Law school? I've heard they are quite reputable, depending on your class standing, and I have a friend who just graduated from (top 15% of the class) and got a fantastic offer in NY.

You'll have to work a lot harder. I wouldn't pass up a Top 20 school for BYU or UofU, but maybe a slightly higher ranked school like Arizona, UC Davis or Hastings (then again, unless you want to practice in AZ or CA).