GPA: 2.3 LSAT 160 Forum

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radeoye123

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GPA: 2.3 LSAT 160

Post by radeoye123 » Wed Jul 12, 2017 3:11 pm

Alright TLS.COM

First I can handle any critique I want honesty. Please be brutally honest, no point in sugar coating anything because law schools sure won't

So a little about me I am a URM (african american male) from the great state of PA. I am a rising senior at a small liberal arts school in upstate new york. I am posting on here to figure out what schools I should apply to and what I should do in regards to law school. I would like to go to law school right after but with my grades that is becoming less and less of a reality, due to my low GPA.

Pros:
I have a very good resume. In high school I was the chief advisor of the mayors of my town electoral campaign winning him the vote by over 60%, I worked on a congressional campaign in highschool as an organizing fellow (losing unfortunately). During this past election I was the lead organizer through a club i am president of, in which we planned a voter outreach program. Through this program we registered the most students in the nation at any college or univeristy. Through these two things in high school I have been able to score three pretty prestigious internships in college. I was able to intern for a top-notch foreign policy think tank, work for the largest fundraising firm on capitol hill and work on the Hill and at the White House for a summer, and this summer i am currently interning in the NY Office of Federal Affairs as a Legislative Intern.

Cons:
I have a very awful GPA. To be honest I take responsibility for my low GPA, it took me awhile to take political science classes I actually liked resulting with me taking economic and language classes I did poorly in. Which tanked my GPA. If i get into law school I WILL improve and do better. I WILL work hard and not make these types of mistakes again.



I have been studying for the LSAT for the past 4-5 months and have been scoring in the 160 range during practice test. I would like to go to school in Philadelphia hopefully near my town in PA (but tbh i'm open to any good school that will accept me) because I would like to pick up some of the political work I did in HS but with a law degree. What would the great people of this forum advise.

Thanks,

(P.S be brutally honest, no point in sugar coating anything because law schools sure won't)
Last edited by radeoye123 on Wed Jul 12, 2017 3:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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usaorbust

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Re: GPA: 2.3 LSAT 160

Post by usaorbust » Wed Jul 12, 2017 3:16 pm

You may want to post this in the under respresnted students section to get some better feedback. Being AA changes things and that forum will probably have better insight.

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UVA2B

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Re: GPA: 2.3 LSAT 160

Post by UVA2B » Wed Jul 12, 2017 3:17 pm

How do you see a law degree benefitting a career in politics, or are you just hoping to get involved in grass roots politics as a side thing while in school and after school? What do you want to do ultimately with your law degree?

Your GPA locks you out of all the better schools in the nation, so if you can get a 160+ LSAT, your best bet would be targeting schools like Nova and Temple. You'll want to get the price down as much as possible, so apply to schools that allow you to negotiate scholarships and better financial packages. And if you don't end up having something like Nova for free, you should probably reconsider going at all since it seems what you really want is to be involved in politics. You don't need a JD for that.

radeoye123

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Re: GPA: 2.3 LSAT 160

Post by radeoye123 » Wed Jul 12, 2017 3:22 pm

UVA2B wrote:How do you see a law degree benefitting a career in politics, or are you just hoping to get involved in grass roots politics as a side thing while in school and after school? What do you want to do ultimately with your law degree?

Your GPA locks you out of all the better schools in the nation, so if you can get a 160+ LSAT, your best bet would be targeting schools like Nova and Temple. You'll want to get the price down as much as possible, so apply to schools that allow you to negotiate scholarships and better financial packages. And if you don't end up having something like Nova for free, you should probably reconsider going at all since it seems what you really want is to be involved in politics. You don't need a JD for that.
Great question, well I would really like to help the people oh my hometown. With the things that I have done I noticed alot of economic issues etc etc. I've noticed the people that have been able to represent them the best have law degrees that give them access to help these people more. I would like to do grass roots stuff on the side

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pancakes3

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Re: GPA: 2.3 LSAT 160

Post by pancakes3 » Wed Jul 12, 2017 3:53 pm

don't apply to law school until you've maxed out your LSAT. prevailing TLS wisdom says 170+ but with the AA bump, maybe 167+?

you need to do some research as to what kind of jobs you want. law school is no joke and even if you top out at 170+, and are URM, I don't think the T14 is in the cards for you. definitely a stretch and probably no scholarship.

your best case law school admission scenario would be to go to a state flagship on full scholarship. being from PA, I don't think there are any such schools but full-ride at Temple then getting a job with a DA's office is a "best case scenario, but not unattainable goal" outcome for what you've provided thus far.

above all else, going to law school means being a lawyer. if you have other interests/aspirations, don't go to law school.

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MediocreAtBest

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Re: GPA: 2.3 LSAT 160

Post by MediocreAtBest » Wed Jul 12, 2017 3:59 pm

I can empathize with you on the gpa, mine is terrible as well, but lucky for you, you have your senior year to try and bring it up as much as you can. Keep studying for the LSAT, you'll want to get as close to perfect as you can to make up for your gpa. You have good leadership experience and you're involved in extracurriculars, which is good. Since you're looking to stay local, aim for the Pennsylvania schools (you're gonna be out at Penn though), try to max out scholarships since you seem to want to go into PI.

Like someone else said, make sure you want to actually be a lawyer. It's a big investment of time and money, so you really want to be sure.

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cavalier1138

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Re: GPA: 2.3 LSAT 160

Post by cavalier1138 » Wed Jul 12, 2017 4:02 pm

Based on your description, it's still not clear why you want a law degree. Do you actually want to be a practicing lawyer, or are you just seeing people with JDs who look like they're being helpful?

radeoye123

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Re: GPA: 2.3 LSAT 160

Post by radeoye123 » Wed Jul 12, 2017 4:12 pm

cavalier1138 wrote:Based on your description, it's still not clear why you want a law degree. Do you actually want to be a practicing lawyer, or are you just seeing people with JDs who look like they're being helpful?
With some of the things that I have done, I have realized the individuals that are able to help the most people are the practicing lawyers, that is why i want to go to law school. Because I believe i will be able to help the most people being a practicing lawyer.

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UVA2B

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Re: GPA: 2.3 LSAT 160

Post by UVA2B » Wed Jul 12, 2017 4:18 pm

radeoye123 wrote:
cavalier1138 wrote:Based on your description, it's still not clear why you want a law degree. Do you actually want to be a practicing lawyer, or are you just seeing people with JDs who look like they're being helpful?
With some of the things that I have done, I have realized the individuals that are able to help the most people are the practicing lawyers, that is why i want to go to law school. Because I believe i will be able to help the most people being a practicing lawyer.
But help people do what? You don't suddenly become a caped crusader with mythical powers when you graduate law school, capable of righting any societal wrong. Do you want to prosecute or defend criminals? Do you want to work with non-profits that represent the interests of unrepresented kids in court? Do you want to help struggling businesses dealing with tax collections and debt problems? There's a whole wide world out there of things lawyers do, but the empty platitude of helping people can't inform what your future career will look like. It seems like you have relatively modest career aspirations wanting to stay local in Philly, but you should really think about what types of people you're looking to help, because that will help better inform your decisions in entering this profession.

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MarkScott

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Re: GPA: 2.3 LSAT 160

Post by MarkScott » Thu Jul 27, 2017 6:58 pm

Try to ask URM that are actually in law school and/or graduated from law school. I've noticed that 0Ls surf the blogs and become counter productive (no shade). This site is great for LSAT prep advice and some outside advice but overall it's a case-by-case basis.

I've literally saw on this site people say don't be a lawyer unless it's T20 & stuff like that. As a URM, getting advice from a non-minority is taken with a grain of salt. Especially the "you don't need to be a lawyer to do that" committee. (Watch the reaction to this post). Take the information you get here and cross check it with actual lawyers and law students. That's where you get the best advice.

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cavalier1138

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Re: GPA: 2.3 LSAT 160

Post by cavalier1138 » Thu Jul 27, 2017 8:08 pm

MarkScott wrote:Try to ask URM that are actually in law school and/or graduated from law school. I've noticed that 0Ls surf the blogs and become counter productive (no shade). This site is great for LSAT prep advice and some outside advice but overall it's a case-by-case basis.

I've literally saw on this site people say don't be a lawyer unless it's T20 & stuff like that. As a URM, getting advice from a non-minority is taken with a grain of salt. Especially the "you don't need to be a lawyer to do that" committee. (Watch the reaction to this post). Take the information you get here and cross check it with actual lawyers and law students. That's where you get the best advice.
1. Find me a thread where people say you shouldn't be a lawyer unless you go to a T20.

2. Why would URM 0Ls have different career tracks than non-URMs? Do people of color need law degrees to do things that white people do without the JD?

3. What utility do you see this OP specifically getting from a JD based on what they've written here?

4. On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to claim that I fall in the category of "watch the reaction to this post" responses?

DolnaRay

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Re: GPA: 2.3 LSAT 160

Post by DolnaRay » Fri Jul 28, 2017 4:28 am

Retake the LSAT.... ( if this is your first LSAT i.e) ..

You will get a law school no doubt, but probably not one you should attend at all. T3 and T4 law schools are just way too risky to attend.

lnsl123

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Re: GPA: 2.3 LSAT 160

Post by lnsl123 » Fri Jul 28, 2017 10:10 am

My advice would be for you to not go to law school straight through. It's not clear what exactly you're hoping to accomplish. You seem to have some great internships on your resume, so why not continue that work in DC as a start to your career? Then you can decide whether you enjoy that, whether that kind of work will accomplish your goals, or whether you do really want to be a lawyer.

I think too many undergrads go straight through without having a grasp of what they want to do professionally (and why would you at that stage in life). And working as an intern or during summers is very different from working as a professional.

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Re: GPA: 2.3 LSAT 160

Post by mcmand » Fri Jul 28, 2017 11:36 am

lnsl123 wrote:My advice would be for you to not go to law school straight through. It's not clear what exactly you're hoping to accomplish. You seem to have some great internships on your resume, so why not continue that work in DC as a start to your career? Then you can decide whether you enjoy that, whether that kind of work will accomplish your goals, or whether you do really want to be a lawyer.

I think too many undergrads go straight through without having a grasp of what they want to do professionally (and why would you at that stage in life). And working as an intern or during summers is very different from working as a professional.

Second this. OP, you are rushing this decision, which is a particularly bad idea because your GPA isn't good. Your focus right now should be acing every single class you have left to take. And if you aren't limited by finances or time, maybe take an extra quarter/semester and ace those classes too. You probably won't reach a 3.0 GPA but you should at least try to salvage it before it becomes locked in forever.

You're too vague about your goals. After acing the rest of college, go out and meet lawyers. Have lunch or coffee, interview them about what they do. Meet up with URM lawyers across a range of practice areas. You need to understand the full spectrum of what people do with a JD and how they got there. We can't explain that easily in a forum post, and it will be more valuable to you personally and professionally to learn it from networking.

If you're serious about moving forward in this process, you'll do both of what I described above at a minimum.

And you will take at least a year or two off between law school and your college degree. I still haven't met someone who doesn't regret going straight through from undergrad.
Last edited by mcmand on Fri Jan 26, 2018 4:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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HillandHollow

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Re: GPA: 2.3 LSAT 160

Post by HillandHollow » Fri Jul 28, 2017 1:40 pm

-Focus on 4.0ing this year so you can at least say "I was sort of rudderless and disenchanted, but then I grew up a lot in 2017 and came back really determined to do something with myself"

-Work after college in a relevant field for a year or two. This is something you can do that will help you (1) clarify what you want to say when admissions officers ask what "help people" means to you, and (2) bolster your resume in a powerful way

-Consider whether a Masters in Public Policy gets you where you want to go for less risk

-Study other LSAT strategies and see if you can consistently score 165-170 before taking it for real.


Good luck, though.

MarkScott

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Re: GPA: 2.3 LSAT 160

Post by MarkScott » Thu Sep 07, 2017 1:57 pm

cavalier1138 wrote:
MarkScott wrote:Try to ask URM that are actually in law school and/or graduated from law school. I've noticed that 0Ls surf the blogs and become counter productive (no shade). This site is great for LSAT prep advice and some outside advice but overall it's a case-by-case basis.

I've literally saw on this site people say don't be a lawyer unless it's T20 & stuff like that. As a URM, getting advice from a non-minority is taken with a grain of salt. Especially the "you don't need to be a lawyer to do that" committee. (Watch the reaction to this post). Take the information you get here and cross check it with actual lawyers and law students. That's where you get the best advice.
1. Find me a thread where people say you shouldn't be a lawyer unless you go to a T20.

2. Why would URM 0Ls have different career tracks than non-URMs? Do people of color need law degrees to do things that white people do without the JD?

3. What utility do you see this OP specifically getting from a JD based on what they've written here?

4. On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to claim that I fall in the category of "watch the reaction to this post" responses?
1. lol
2. I don't understand how this is relevant to what I said. With that said stop watching SUITS for a season or two lol
3. My post was in general
4. lol and between 7-8 but closer to 8

P.S. 5. Try not to take words from a stranger so serious. One of those insecure things.

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pancakes3

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Re: GPA: 2.3 LSAT 160

Post by pancakes3 » Thu Sep 07, 2017 2:19 pm

you don't get to pull the "y so serious" card in a thread where ppl are offering serious advice

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Johann

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Re: GPA: 2.3 LSAT 160

Post by Johann » Thu Sep 07, 2017 2:34 pm

i had a similar gpa and lsat. your gpa is largely set in stone at this point. because you have limited time (if you insist on going to law school next year), i would prioritize your efforts as the following:
1) study for the lsat a lot. 1 pt there will mean a whole lot more than a 4.0 on your gpa this year (because no matter what you are likely to be below the 25th percentile of the schools youre applying). fuck your college gpa at this point. use any and all free time on studying the lsat.
2) talk to practicing lawyers about what they do. lots of people go to law school because they dont know what else to do ( i went to school with a ton of them after the economy cratered), and you should make sure you actually want to do something that a lawyer does. you dont need to know exactly what you want to do, but probably something beyond "help people."

this advice is based on you being firmly planted in your "must go to law school after college" stance. if you are flexible, i think the most wise thing to do at this point would be (1) focus on getting your gpa right and networking to find jobs after college. (2) get a job and work in that for a couple of years while studying the lsat at night. (3) take the lsat 3-5 times after studying lots and then go to the law school that makes sense.

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cavalier1138

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Re: GPA: 2.3 LSAT 160

Post by cavalier1138 » Thu Sep 07, 2017 5:21 pm

MarkScott wrote:
cavalier1138 wrote:
MarkScott wrote:Try to ask URM that are actually in law school and/or graduated from law school. I've noticed that 0Ls surf the blogs and become counter productive (no shade). This site is great for LSAT prep advice and some outside advice but overall it's a case-by-case basis.

I've literally saw on this site people say don't be a lawyer unless it's T20 & stuff like that. As a URM, getting advice from a non-minority is taken with a grain of salt. Especially the "you don't need to be a lawyer to do that" committee. (Watch the reaction to this post). Take the information you get here and cross check it with actual lawyers and law students. That's where you get the best advice.
1. Find me a thread where people say you shouldn't be a lawyer unless you go to a T20.

2. Why would URM 0Ls have different career tracks than non-URMs? Do people of color need law degrees to do things that white people do without the JD?

3. What utility do you see this OP specifically getting from a JD based on what they've written here?

4. On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to claim that I fall in the category of "watch the reaction to this post" responses?
1. lol
2. I don't understand how this is relevant to what I said. With that said stop watching SUITS for a season or two lol
3. My post was in general
4. lol and between 7-8 but closer to 8

P.S. 5. Try not to take words from a stranger so serious. One of those insecure things.
Damn, girl. Look at that necro game.

And yeah, kind of hard to play the "OMG so serious" card after you post a bitter little rant.

MarkScott

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Re: GPA: 2.3 LSAT 160

Post by MarkScott » Thu Sep 07, 2017 6:11 pm

cavalier1138 wrote:
MarkScott wrote:
cavalier1138 wrote:
MarkScott wrote:Try to ask URM that are actually in law school and/or graduated from law school. I've noticed that 0Ls surf the blogs and become counter productive (no shade). This site is great for LSAT prep advice and some outside advice but overall it's a case-by-case basis.

I've literally saw on this site people say don't be a lawyer unless it's T20 & stuff like that. As a URM, getting advice from a non-minority is taken with a grain of salt. Especially the "you don't need to be a lawyer to do that" committee. (Watch the reaction to this post). Take the information you get here and cross check it with actual lawyers and law students. That's where you get the best advice.
1. Find me a thread where people say you shouldn't be a lawyer unless you go to a T20.

2. Why would URM 0Ls have different career tracks than non-URMs? Do people of color need law degrees to do things that white people do without the JD?

3. What utility do you see this OP specifically getting from a JD based on what they've written here?

4. On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to claim that I fall in the category of "watch the reaction to this post" responses?
1. lol
2. I don't understand how this is relevant to what I said. With that said stop watching SUITS for a season or two lol
3. My post was in general
4. lol and between 7-8 but closer to 8

P.S. 5. Try not to take words from a stranger so serious. One of those insecure things.
Damn, girl. Look at that necro game.

And yeah, kind of hard to play the "OMG so serious" card after you post a bitter little rant.
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