Went from 167 to 174 on the June LSAT... reapply? Forum

[throwaway777665]

~3.5 GPA. I want to be in California. I was planning on attending UC Davis with a full-tuition scholarship, but now it seems worth it to withdraw and reapply to UCLA/USC/T13.

I'm really struggling with this decision because I don't know what I would do for a year. I've been stuck in retail management for 2 years because I couldn't find a good job with my degree in philosophy. I can't see my prospects changing in the next year, and I'll kill myself if I have to keep working retail.

Anyway, I guess the question I'd like to know the answer to is: Are the career prospects from UCLA/USC/T13 so much better than those from Davis that I can justify introducing this much stress and uncertainty? I'm not necessarily biglaw-or-bust, but I am definitely successful-career-or-bust.

Thanks in advance.

[t-14orbust]

Definitely reapply

[cavalier1138]

Are the career prospects from UCLA/USC/T13 so much better than those from Davis that I can justify introducing this much stress and uncertainty?

Yes.

[screwtapeletters]

100% reapply

also, why not teach the lsat, or the SAT/ACT, or go abroad and teach English for a yr? after all, this will be your last yr before you go into the eternal stress, pain and suffering treadmill :p

[existentialcrisis]

Are the career prospects from UCLA/USC/T13 so much better than those from Davis that I can justify introducing this much stress and uncertainty?

Yes.

[barkschool]

Are the career prospects from UCLA/USC/T13 so much better than those from Davis that I can justify introducing this much stress and uncertainty the certainty of an easier time in school because you're way more likely to get a great job

[cron1834]

I would not go to Davis with a 174. As others have said, you can get a far, far better chance at whatever job you want, at a largely similar cost, if you go elsewhere with your new score. Congratulations.

[Dcc617]

I'd for sure reapply. If you hate your job then quit and do something else for a year. But with that lsat you're looking at big money at much better schools.

Good luck.

[Bach-City]

.

[rpupkin]

I'm really struggling with this decision because I don't know what I would do for a year. I've been stuck in retail management for 2 years because I couldn't find a good job with my degree in philosophy. I can't see my prospects changing in the next year, and I'll kill myself if I have to keep working retail.

Reapply. This is not a close question.

As for the retail management position you dislike, I would just stick with it. Up to a certain point, every additional year of work experience (and increase in age) improves your chances for legal jobs. I mean, if you're 38 and have been bouncing around various jobs for 15 years, then what I just wrote doesn't apply. But if you're like 25 and this retail management position is your first real job, then an extra year of maturity will be a plus. Also, this is a little dark, but learning to deal with work situations you don't like is actually a pretty important skill for succeeding at a law firm.

None of this is reason alone to put off law school for a year, but when you consider the much better outcomes you'll have with your 174 LSAT, reapplying is a no-brainer.