deleted Forum

[dqn4]

deleted

[gta]

My first thought was that NYU would be a good fit due to your high LSAT and PI interest; a quick look at LSN confirms that your odds are pretty good there.

Why not apply early next month and see how things go? Your LSAT is at the 75th for both Chicago and NYU. Perhaps an increase would have some bearing on scholarship offers, but if you're all in for LRAP, that may be less of a concern for you

[Ramius]

Hi TLS,

Longtime lurker here. Per the title, I'm debating whether to retake a 172 in September for the purposes of admissions this cycle. Two years of average, professional work experience.

Target is "Big PI," which is usually conscious about prestige, so I plan to choose my school based on ranking and LRAP. Want to end up in California, where I have strong ties, but S and B are out with my GPA.

Tentative plan to is to ED Chicago for its generous LRAP and to maximize chances at CCN. Mylsn data suggest that my chances at NYU and Columbia won't be any better with an ED there. The data also suggest little admissions benefit with a higher LSAT score.

I'd appreciate the collective wisdom on TLS to validate that I'm not just rationalizing to avoid retaking. I also realize that many people change their minds about PI, but I'd appreciate it if you'd all humor me for the purposes of this thread.

What exactly do you mean by "Big PI?" Do you have any background in that field? Someone like worldtraveler or twenty would be better off weighing in, but with things like prestigious PI, your resume pretty much has to scream it, beyond the prestigious school you attended.

This has nothing to do with whether you should retake (which you should if you can perform better), but just something to think about.

[McAvoy]

Doesn't NYU have a better LRAP than Chicago? Either way TCR is generally not to ED anywhere unless you are either rich as fuck or the school gives a very large incentive to ED (e.g. Northwestern).

Ten years of general public service is a huge fucking commitment if you don't have specific goals in mind that you're certain you would enjoy/find fulfilling. There are a few big threads around here that chronicle such concerns. Great grades on the cheap at a lower T14 (Duke places pretty well in Cali IIRC) seems like a still-preftigious route that allows more flexibility, but do what you will.

To your main question: Pretty diminishing returns when retaking a 172 with that GPA. You have really no shot at HYS with a better score, and you're already high enough to get into CCN but your GPA prevents you from big scholarship increases with a better score. If it were me, it's a killer score that I'd be pretty content to stand pat with. When you're considering 250K in loans, enjoying a few more months of your earlyish 20s might be more valuable than an additional 10K in scholarships.

[03152016]

you're not getting any money from nyu with 172/3.4 non-urm that's for sure
so if nyu is on your list you should probably retake, you can always withdraw before test day if you don't improve
they'll give $$ to splitters, but the lsat really needs to be up there
i retook 172/3.4x btw, best decision i ever made

[twenty]

NYU's LRAP is pretty much the best, period. Even the prorated payment puts you ahead all the way up to, like, 105k or something ridiculous like that. Furthermore, while this isn't necessarily an indicator of anything, NYU outplaces Chicago and Columbia by a lot when it comes to high-prestige fellowships (ACLU, for instance). Regardless of whether your ED boost is better at Chicago or not, I'd still probably take NYU at sticker over Chicago at sticker.

A few things to keep in mind.

1) There is NO high-prestige PI in CA. Think, like, less than 100 entry-level positions for the entire state, and most of these spots go to Y/S kids. You will almost certainly end up in NYC or (more likely) DC. If being in CA once you graduate is super important to you, you definitely need to rethink this plan. Even if you're cool with "ending up on the east coast for a bit" you have to realize that with that debt load you'll effectively be stuck for 10+ years.

2) I know you're pretty sure that you want high-prestige PI, and I'm not doubting you, but people's goals and interests change in law school. That has to be something you factor in here.

[dqn4]

I appreciate all your responses. They've given me a lot to think about.