Picking a Cali school Forum

[SDAW2012]

I probably won't have the stats to get into any of the top-tier Cali schools. I had a ~3.6 UGPA but when it's adjusted by tCAS I expect it to drop into the 3.1-3.3 range. I'm PTing at ~160 and I'll be taking the LSAT in June. I'll probably continue to study all summer and take another shot at it in September, but I don't expect to improve much beyond a 160 -- I've been working on my score for almost two years and I think I'm performing about as well as I'm capable of. So my range will probably be from 3.1/~160 to 3.3/~160 (if I don't hit at least a 160 on either test I'll probably withhold my applications).

Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, and USC are off the board. I don't think I have great chances with Davis and Irvine either -- and if I were to get in, I don't think I'd get any money. Outside of that, Cali schools really fall off in terms of quality and placement rates. I won't attend a bad school at sticker price. This puts me in a sticky situation because I want to practice law in California.

Am I likely to get money at USD, Hastings, Loyola, or Pepperdine? Would it be better to spend a ton of money to attend Irvine or Davis (in the event that I got accepted) than to take a scholarship at a place like USD?

FWIW I have family in San Diego and that's where I'd really like to end up if possible -- but I'd be happy anywhere in Cali so long as it isn't north of Sacramento.

Thanks!

[Veil of Ignorance]

I probably won't have the stats to get into any of the top-tier Cali schools. I had a ~3.6 UGPA but when it's adjusted by tCAS I expect it to drop into the 3.1-3.3 range. I'm PTing at ~160 and I'll be taking the LSAT in June. I'll probably continue to study all summer and take another shot at it in September, but I don't expect to improve much beyond a 160 -- I've been working on my score for almost two years and I think I'm performing about as well as I'm capable of. So my range will probably be from 3.1/~160 to 3.3/~160 (if I don't hit at least a 160 on either test I'll probably withhold my applications).

Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, and USC are off the board. I don't think I have great chances with Davis and Irvine either -- and if I were to get in, I don't think I'd get any money. Outside of that, Cali schools really fall off in terms of quality and placement rates. I won't attend a bad school at sticker price. This puts me in a sticky situation because I want to practice law in California.

Am I likely to get money at USD, Hastings, Loyola, or Pepperdine? Would it be better to spend a ton of money to attend Irvine or Davis (in the event that I got accepted) than to take a scholarship at a place like USD?

FWIW I have family in San Diego and that's where I'd really like to end up if possible -- but I'd be happy anywhere in Cali so long as it isn't north of Sacramento.

Thanks!

Honestly I think the best advice is do anything you can to get a 165+. You've got three attempts, so just keep trying. Otherwise the options are not great. UCD without a big scholarship isn't a good idea.

[goldenbear2020]

USD has LSAT quartiles of 155-158-160, so you could get some money there with a 160+.

[SemiReverseSplinter]

What's your avg logic games score?

[dannyswo]

I probably won't have the stats to get into any of the top-tier Cali schools. I had a ~3.6 UGPA but when it's adjusted by tCAS I expect it to drop into the 3.1-3.3 range. I'm PTing at ~160 and I'll be taking the LSAT in June. I'll probably continue to study all summer and take another shot at it in September, but I don't expect to improve much beyond a 160 -- I've been working on my score for almost two years and I think I'm performing about as well as I'm capable of. So my range will probably be from 3.1/~160 to 3.3/~160 (if I don't hit at least a 160 on either test I'll probably withhold my applications).

Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, and USC are off the board. I don't think I have great chances with Davis and Irvine either -- and if I were to get in, I don't think I'd get any money. Outside of that, Cali schools really fall off in terms of quality and placement rates. I won't attend a bad school at sticker price. This puts me in a sticky situation because I want to practice law in California.

Am I likely to get money at USD, Hastings, Loyola, or Pepperdine? Would it be better to spend a ton of money to attend Irvine or Davis (in the event that I got accepted) than to take a scholarship at a place like USD?

FWIW I have family in San Diego and that's where I'd really like to end up if possible -- but I'd be happy anywhere in Cali so long as it isn't north of Sacramento.

Thanks!

I got money from Pepperdine and San Diego with a 163 and average grades, for what it's worth.

[tinyvessels]

Okay, this conversation is really premature to have until you have an LSAT score. Soooo many people PT at one score, and then either underperform or over-perform on test day. And, obviously, underperforming is a lot more prevalent than overperforming.

Also, do not go to any of these schools at sticker. The idea that Davis or whatever is any way worth going to for sticker over schools like Loyola, USD, or some of the other ones you posted is laughable considering their employment outcomes are pretty on par (check out law school transparency for bar passage and employment rates, rankings outside of the top ten-ish or so schools mean shit to be quite honest).

If you can't get into the top schools in Cali, then look at region. If you want to work in SD, going to Davis or even Irvine over USD makes no sense. Or if you want to work in LA, going to Davis over Loyola makes no sense either even if Davis is like twenty or so spots higher.

Also, apply EVERYWHERE, I ended up either getting into schools or getting waitlisted at schools this cycle that every predictor I checked out said I had no shot in hell even getting waitlisted at. So, you never know, BUT if you GPA really is that low, this means LSAT matters a hell of a lot more. So, just focus on studying for that and doing the best you can.

How have you been studying the past two years?

[CALaw717]

Okay, this conversation is really premature to have until you have an LSAT score. Soooo many people PT at one score, and then either underperform or over-perform on test day. And, obviously, underperforming is a lot more prevalent than overperforming.

Also, do not go to any of these schools at sticker. The idea that Davis or whatever is any way worth going to for sticker over schools like Loyola, USD, or some of the other ones you posted is laughable considering their employment outcomes are pretty on par (check out law school transparency for bar passage and employment rates, rankings outside of the top ten-ish or so schools mean shit to be quite honest).

If you can't get into the top schools in Cali, then look at region. If you want to work in SD, going to Davis or even Irvine over USD makes no sense. Or if you want to work in LA, going to Davis over Loyola makes no sense either even if Davis is like twenty or so spots higher.

Also, apply EVERYWHERE, I ended up either getting into schools or getting waitlisted at schools this cycle that every predictor I checked out said I had no shot in hell even getting waitlisted at. So, you never know, BUT if you GPA really is that low, this means LSAT matters a hell of a lot more. So, just focus on studying for that and doing the best you can.

How have you been studying the past two years?

Agree - there hasn't been consistency with my applications either. Waitlist at a lower ranked CA school and then admission with over 50% scholarship at higher ranked schools (after negotiations). I had a low cum GPA and higher LSAT. Especially if your numbers are skewed, take the apply everywhere advice.

[Npret]

I probably won't have the stats to get into any of the top-tier Cali schools. I had a ~3.6 UGPA but when it's adjusted by tCAS I expect it to drop into the 3.1-3.3 range. I'm PTing at ~160 and I'll be taking the LSAT in June. I'll probably continue to study all summer and take another shot at it in September, but I don't expect to improve much beyond a 160 -- I've been working on my score for almost two years and I think I'm performing about as well as I'm capable of. So my range will probably be from 3.1/~160 to 3.3/~160 (if I don't hit at least a 160 on either test I'll probably withhold my applications).

Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, and USC are off the board. I don't think I have great chances with Davis and Irvine either -- and if I were to get in, I don't think I'd get any money. Outside of that, Cali schools really fall off in terms of quality and placement rates. I won't attend a bad school at sticker price. This puts me in a sticky situation because I want to practice law in California.

Am I likely to get money at USD, Hastings, Loyola, or Pepperdine? Would it be better to spend a ton of money to attend Irvine or Davis (in the event that I got accepted) than to take a scholarship at a place like USD?

FWIW I have family in San Diego and that's where I'd really like to end up if possible -- but I'd be happy anywhere in Cali so long as it isn't north of Sacramento.

Thanks!

Honestly I think the best advice is do anything you can to get a 165+. You've got three attempts, so just keep trying. Otherwise the options are not great. UCD without a big scholarship isn't a good idea.

You have unlimited attempts. The 3 attempts rule has been rescinded.

[sjwoods]

.

[dannyswo]

Nobody's going to mention that USD has the 6th-highest percent of unemployed grads in the country? Less than half of C/O 2016 had JD-required jobs ten months out. Something to keep in mind.

https://www.sandiego.edu/law/careers/st ... a-2016.php
http://abovethelaw.com/2017/05/the-law- ... ates-2016/

IIRC, San Diego's legal market is particularly flooded right now, and anywhere you'd like want to live in CA (Bay Area or LA, rather than Fresno or Sac, I'm guessing) is, I imagine, going to be a hard market to crack. Taking on much debt for any of those schools would be a dangerous move IMO. Best of luck with the LSAT and funding offers!

Once you move to San Diego, you're not willing to leave. Unemployment in San Diego is better than working in the winter.