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J.D. Class of 2020

 

 J.D. Class of 2020 (first-year students 2017-18) as of August 25, 2017

  • 4,734 applicants
  • 168 students (three first-year sections of 56 students)
  • 22.57% acceptance rate
  • 52% women
  • 34% minority
  • 23 median age
  • 29 states, Washington, D.C., and international - view list
  • 95 undergraduate schools represented - view list 
  • 8 students (5%) hold advanced degrees: M.A.(3); M.Acc.; M.B.A.; M.Ed.; M.F.A.; M.S.

 

Experience counts               

The majority of the Class of 2020 (65%) graduated college at least one year before entering VLS; 46% were age 24 to 31 at entry. Collectively, the members of the class bring a wealth of experience in a variety of areas. Their backgrounds include business, science, education, technology, service, public policy, and graduate training in a number of fields.

Many have worked...                  

...for law firms or in-house counsel (sample): Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Baltimore, MD; Beijing, China; Beverly Hills, CA; Birmingham, AL; Burlingame, CA; Charlotte, NC; Chicago, IL; Columbus, OH; Coral Gables, FL; Costa Mesa, CA; Denver, CO; Dunwoody, GA; Fort Worth, TX; Gainesville, FL; Glasgow, KY Houston, TX; Huntsville, AL;Irvine, CA; Johnstown, PA; Knoxville, TN; Lakeland, FL; Lexington, KY; Longwood, FL; Los Angeles, CA; Melville, NY; Memphis, TN; Middlebury, VT; Nashville, TN; New York, NY; Parsippany, NJ; Philadelphia, PA; Plantation, FL; Salt Lake City, UT; San Francisco, CA; Santa Clara, CA; Santa Monica, CA; Santa Rosa Beach, FL; Shanghai, China; St. Louis, MO; Stillwater, OK; Tampa, FL; Washington, DC; Wayne, PA; West Long Branch, NJ; White River Junction, VT

... for government, prosecutors, public defenders, courts or municipalities (sample): California State Senate; City of Chicago Bureau of Housing and Economic Development; Congressional District Office; Consulate General of Israel; DuPage County (IL) Government; Georgia State General Assembly; Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulations; Monroe County (NY) Office of the D.A.; New York City Mayor’s Office; Office of the D.A., Glenwood Springs, CO; Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor (NYC); Scottish Parliament; Tennessee State Legislature; Texas House of Representatives; Municipal Court of Xiamen; Public Defender Service of DC; U.S. Attorneys Offices; U.S. Department of Energy; U.S. Department of Justice; U.S. Department of State; U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. House of Representatives; U.S. Senate; U.S. Trade Representative

... for public interest organizations, non-profits, or NGOs (sample): ACLU; Advancing Justice Asian Law Caucus; Alliance for Children’s Rights; Bet Tzedek Legal Services; Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center; Brooklyn Defender Services; California Black Health Network; Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Program- AmeriCorps; Coro Fellow; Council for Children’s Rights; Global Medical Brigades (Honduras); Grassroots Campaigns; Hudson Institute Center for Global Prosperity; Inherit Your Rights; Innocence Project; International Justice Mission; Louisiana Appleseed; Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination; Michigan Association of Counties; NARAL Pro-Choice America; National Governors Association; National League of Cities; Reading Partners, AmeriCorps; State Collaborative on Restoring Education; Save the Children USA; TalksOnLaw; Teach for America; The International Justice Project; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; VITA; World Relief

Members of the Class of 2020 ...                  

...have lived, worked or studied in: Afghanistan; Argentina; Australia (3); Austria (2); Belgium; Canada (2); Chile (2); China (11); Cuba; Czech Republic; Dominican Rep. (2); Ecuador (3); Egypt; France (9); Germany (3); Ghana; Greece (3); Guatemala; Honduras; Hong Kong (2); Hungary (2); India (2); Ireland; Italy (4); Japan (2); Jordan; New Zealand; Korea (2); Latvia; Nicaragua; Philippines; Singapore; South Africa (2); Spain (15); Switzerland (2); Tanzania; Thailand (3); The Netherlands; Uganda; United Kingdom (13)

... know these languages: Arabic (5); Bengali; Chinese (10); Farsi; French (10); German (5); Greek (5); Haitian-Creole; Hebrew; Hindi; Italian; Korean (3); Latin; Luganda; Russian; Spanish (40); Thai; Urdu

 

Some serious and some fun facts about the members of Class of 2020:                  

  •  U.S. Army (7)
  • Auditor
  • Business data analyst
  • Children's hospital clinical research assistant
  • Construction project engineer
  • Professional baseball pitcher in Belgium
  • Cytoprocessor
  • Financial analysts
  • USPTO Patent Examiner
  • High school wrestling coach
  • Independent filmmaker
  • Lead jazz singer
  • Literary journal associate editor
  • NASCAR racing team licensor
  • National Barrel Horse Association three time Youth World Championship Qualifier
  • Equine Assisted Therapist
  • NBA talent acquisition
  • Newspaper staff writer
  • Novelists
  • Production company creative executive
  • Professional photographer
  • Sotheby's valuation intern
  • American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Case Competition National Semi-Finalist
  • TV and commercial film production manager
  • Assistant film producer
  • Bicycle mechanic
  • Canadian hockey coach
  • USA Hockey Certified Referee
  • APA Poolplayer Championships Final competitor
  • Certified snowboard teacher
  • Classical harpist
  • Etruscan archeological digger
  • Founder of a fine art & fashion commerce syndicate
  • Freelance voice actor
  • Grand Prize Winner, 2016 “Beat the Pollsters” Contest
  • Hot sauce collector
  • Jewelry maker
  • Lobbyists
  • Long-distance runners
  • Semi-professional volleyball player
  • Debaters
  • Wado Ryu Karate Second Degree Black Belt
  • Eagle Scout (4)
  • Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (3)
  • Scuba diver (3)

 

A tradition of excellence               

While the members of the Class of 2020 comprise a diverse group in multiple dimensions, they share a common bond of academic excellence. As the following statistics indicate, they excelled in their undergraduate studies and show outstanding promise for law studies.

J.D. Class of 2020:               

  • 75th percentile GPA: 3.87
  • Median GPA: 3.75
  • 25th percentile GPA: 3.50
  • 75th percentile LSAT: 167 (94th percentile among test-takers)
  • Median LSAT: 166 (93rd percentile among test-takers)
  • 25th percentile LSAT: 162 (85th percentile among test-takers)

             

Historic J.D. entering class statistics and links to prior class profiles