172/3.75; T14/T20; Retake? Forum

[uion1715]

Hello.

First, my status:

LSAT: 167/166/172
GPA: 3.75
Soft: Average

I have looked at LSN. Quick question:

1 - Will be blanketing T14; What are some schools below T14 beside WUSTL which are generous on scholarships?

2 - Should I retake for the fourth time aiming to get 174/175 so I can be in Hamilton/HYS range? Seems like my stat puts me just outside Harvard. I'm international student and public service seeking (I have work permits, so no need for sponsors) so Harvard's international loan and PSLF are really appealing to me (Although I understand free ride > Harvard). I also believe I should be getting close to max scholarship at Harvard if I get in given my financial situation.

[jstanhope14]

What are you career goals? If you want NYC biglaw then half-ride at Cornell would be excellent. Full-ride to UCLA is great, too. They send about 40% to biglaw or fed clerkship, mostly in NYC and in California. I'd shy away from GW full-ride partially because I think you'd have better options and additionally because there are too many lawyers (read: Georgetown) in GW's home market. If it were me, and I wanted biglaw without preference as to location, I think full-ride UCLA would be about equal to half-ride at a T6. If you're getting a full-ride then you'll likely be one of the better students there, so when you take that 40% biglaw figure, account for your academic ability which is above average for the school, and factor for self-selection, the chance you get biglaw looks pretty good. Of course this advice is basically irrelevant for non biglaw pursuits.

[AJordan]

For someone who is fairly debt averse I agree with the poster above where you should look at a place in the ~20 range and try to get a full ride. If you can raise your LSAT to ~171 then you'll likely have some more luck in the T14.

[chargers21]

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[dm1683]

Hello.

First, my status:

LSAT: 167/166 (Did really bad (-10) on LG the second time)
GPA: 3.75 with two quarters to go... think I can max it at 3.8 or so. (I withdrew a quarter, for what it's worth)
Soft: Average???

I will retake probably in June, and I have looked at LSN.

Here are my questions:

1 - I am planning to retake, but is it still good for me to apply this cycle and see my results and then reapply with a better LSAT score? Or is it better for me to sit the entire cycle?

2 - I am fairly debt averse due to some legal ramifications. Given my GPA, what LSAT score will score at least a half ride to any T14? (LSN on scholarship was little iffy for me) And is a half ride at T14 a good idea compared to a full at T1 (UCLA or GW, for instance)? I know I am playing hypothetical, but understanding this will help me determine at what point if I should give up studying LSAT and seek other career path.

I got a quick acceptance and full ride from Iowa with a 167 and they're #20 if you were looking at options like that. With low COL, that's a cheap JD

And it's also a virtual guarantee of permanent residence in Dubuque...

Not to shit on the school but don't go to Iowa because it's cheap and ranked #20. Go to Iowa because it's cheap and you f*cking love cornfields and electoral politics.

[chargers21]

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[uion1715]

Hello.

First, my status:

LSAT: 167/166 (Did really bad (-10) on LG the second time)
GPA: 3.75 with two quarters to go... think I can max it at 3.8 or so. (I withdrew a quarter, for what it's worth)
Soft: Average???

I will retake probably in June, and I have looked at LSN.

Here are my questions:

1 - I am planning to retake, but is it still good for me to apply this cycle and see my results and then reapply with a better LSAT score? Or is it better for me to sit the entire cycle?

2 - I am fairly debt averse due to some legal ramifications. Given my GPA, what LSAT score will score at least a half ride to any T14? (LSN on scholarship was little iffy for me) And is a half ride at T14 a good idea compared to a full at T1 (UCLA or GW, for instance)? I know I am playing hypothetical, but understanding this will help me determine at what point if I should give up studying LSAT and seek other career path.

I got a quick acceptance and full ride from Iowa with a 167 and they're #20 if you were looking at options like that. With low COL, that's a cheap JD

And it's also a virtual guarantee of permanent residence in Dubuque...

Not to shit on the school but don't go to Iowa because it's cheap and ranked #20. Go to Iowa because it's cheap and you f*cking love cornfields and electoral politics.

Oh, by no means am I talking it up. It is my safety because I'm from the Midwest and I wouldn't completely hate doing small time lawyering in Iowa if I didn't have a heap of debt. But I do love cornfields... But the OP indicated debt aversion and I was just making them aware that Iowa is an option that is basically in the bag no matter what. They didn't indicate any certain region to live in or biglaw so I was just providing an option.

Appreciate the help! I prefer Gov./PI jobs, but I understand that even a half-ride at T14 probably means at least some biglaw work. I am from the West Coast so I don't know if the Midwest outside of Chicago is a market I'm looking for...

[chargers21]

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[existentialcrisis]

If you're getting a full-ride then you'll likely be one of the better students there, so when you take that 40% biglaw figure, account for your academic ability which is above average for the school, and factor for self-selection, the chance you get biglaw looks pretty good.s.

This is terrible advice, please do not listen to this. It is incredibly difficult to predict your law school success, and the skills that apply to law school exams do not necessarily overlap with admissions statistics.

Furthermore, the idea that a school places is 40% in BL+FC , so therefore the top 40% of the class is safe at OCI is frankly ridiculous. Some of those jobs will be reserved for URMs, IP people, people with connections, etc.

[uion1715]

Bumping to reflect my new situation.

[chargers21]

You should crush your cycle. Not sure what else to tell you. Great job on the LSAT in June.