I need help!! Forum

[midwestgirl87]

Hey guys, I have a question I'm hoping someone can help me with...

I'm a graduating senior getting my BA from a big (and well respected) university. I've got a 3.2 GPA and a 154 on my LSAT (not strong numbers, I'm aware, I took the LSAT twice and a prep course and the low to mid 150's is just where I've always tested). My undergraduate GPA is just what it is, I took Arabic and got B's consistently, along with a couple of quarters where I got C's. I worked all through college, had a legal internship in a big city and I am really involved in activities on campus. My personal statement is solid and I have 3 great LORs.

I've applied to 7 schools, I've gotten rejected from one (GMU, kind of expected that) and I've been accepted to NELS (with a scholarship that leaves me paying roughly 15,000$ a year) and John Marshall - Atlanta. My other schools are Catholic, CUNY Law, U Balt and NYLS. Catholic I applied to part time, because it's expensive and I realize I'm not going to get a top paying job when I get out. I'm not looking to rack up a ton of debt because I realize my salary won't be huge when I graduate. The rest are full-time.

I'm mostly wondering what your thoughts are on these schools. I know Catholic is the only top 100 school (some count NYLS too, I guess) but that's the one I feel the least confident about. I want to practice public interest law or maybe criminal law. If I get accepted (in a dream world) to all of these schools, which is the best choice?

Also, I know I could take time off and try to get my LSAT up. I've applied to a few research positions and other jobs, so this isn't my only option, just something I'm considering. Any information would be appreciated.

[deadpanic]

I can't comment on all the schools, but I wouldn't recommend NYLS. Factor in that you probably won't get any scholarship money (tuition is extremely pricey as you know) + cost of living in/near NYC + poor job prospects in a highly competitive legal market = recipe for disaster.

Retake is probably the best option.