Seeking feedback - thank you!
Hi Everyone!
Long time lurker, first time posting!
I'm a student in my final year at U of T, majored in International Studies and Political Science with a minor in Sociology. I only realized recently that I want to pursue a combined Master's and Law degree, and the two programs that really appealed to were the MPA/JD program at Queen's and the MA/JD at Ottawa U/Carleton university. Both programs give me the impression that they're quite competitive and in demand. Queen's will only take 5 people max, not sure about Ottawa/Carleton.
Here are the links:
http://law.queensu.ca/prospectiveStudents/combined/MIRandMPA.html
http://www1.carleton.ca/npsia/prospective-students/m-a-ll-b-program/admissions/
Here are my stats:
cGPA 3.4 (out of 4.0), last two years 3.7 (I haven't accounted for my grades this year, but I'm hoping that I'll be at the 3.8-4.0 range.)
I have yet to take the LSAT, but am willing to keep writing it until I score at least a 165. I'm trying out practice questions from at home and they seem to be OK with me.
I've been involved in extracurriculars here and there, the most notable one being the VP Academics of a departmental student association this year.
I've worked for the past year as a policy analyst for the federal government, and prior to that I had a co-op work term as the assistant to the crime analyst for the police.
I have a couple of references in mind, one will be my former boss (federal government) and the other is a prominent professor in sociology (her work focuses on gender and political sociology). I could ask others if need be.
I want to apply next year because of financial constraints and because I would prefer to have more time to prepare for the LSAT. I intend to apply to both schools as an access applicant, though I seem to meet the general applicant requirements. It's more a personal thing for me - I guess I wanted to frame my experiences as more of something that has helped me become more aware and empathetic to social justice issues instead of something that has hindered me.
I spoke to a representative for Queen's yesterday and the moment I mentioned that I will be applying to the access category, she became dismissive and I feel really discouraged. I was wondering if any of you are in the program or a similar program and what I need to do in order to boost my chances. Also, what are some ways for me to prepare for the LSAT? Finally, I was hoping to get any advice or stories from you guys about grad school and/or law school in general.
Thank you all for your time! It means a lot to me.
Long time lurker, first time posting!
I'm a student in my final year at U of T, majored in International Studies and Political Science with a minor in Sociology. I only realized recently that I want to pursue a combined Master's and Law degree, and the two programs that really appealed to were the MPA/JD program at Queen's and the MA/JD at Ottawa U/Carleton university. Both programs give me the impression that they're quite competitive and in demand. Queen's will only take 5 people max, not sure about Ottawa/Carleton.
Here are the links:
http://law.queensu.ca/prospectiveStudents/combined/MIRandMPA.html
http://www1.carleton.ca/npsia/prospective-students/m-a-ll-b-program/admissions/
Here are my stats:
cGPA 3.4 (out of 4.0), last two years 3.7 (I haven't accounted for my grades this year, but I'm hoping that I'll be at the 3.8-4.0 range.)
I have yet to take the LSAT, but am willing to keep writing it until I score at least a 165. I'm trying out practice questions from at home and they seem to be OK with me.
I've been involved in extracurriculars here and there, the most notable one being the VP Academics of a departmental student association this year.
I've worked for the past year as a policy analyst for the federal government, and prior to that I had a co-op work term as the assistant to the crime analyst for the police.
I have a couple of references in mind, one will be my former boss (federal government) and the other is a prominent professor in sociology (her work focuses on gender and political sociology). I could ask others if need be.
I want to apply next year because of financial constraints and because I would prefer to have more time to prepare for the LSAT. I intend to apply to both schools as an access applicant, though I seem to meet the general applicant requirements. It's more a personal thing for me - I guess I wanted to frame my experiences as more of something that has helped me become more aware and empathetic to social justice issues instead of something that has hindered me.
I spoke to a representative for Queen's yesterday and the moment I mentioned that I will be applying to the access category, she became dismissive and I feel really discouraged. I was wondering if any of you are in the program or a similar program and what I need to do in order to boost my chances. Also, what are some ways for me to prepare for the LSAT? Finally, I was hoping to get any advice or stories from you guys about grad school and/or law school in general.
Thank you all for your time! It means a lot to me.