Should I bother to apply this late? Forum

[waternfood]

I know it is pretty late in the game but I was considering applying to Lewis and Clark right now. Should I even bother? I am interested because of animal law and I have not applied anywhere else that has a good animal law rep (well, with the exception of my dream school, which it's probably unlikely). My gpa is way higher than the 75th, but my LSAT is just a bit higher than the 50th. Plus, i kind of need a scholarship for it to be worth it considering i already have a scholarship for much better ranked law schools.
LSAT : 158
GPA: 4.09 (according to LSAC report)
URM
no ties anywhere I've applied.

Ps. I cant retake the LSAT because the people financing my education do not want me to take a year off for that.
Ps2. I do not want to work in biglaw.

[totesTheGoat]

Ps. I cant retake the LSAT because the people financing my education do not want me to take a year off for that.

Retake anyway. If necessary, you can pay your own way through law school with the massive scholarships you're going to be getting if you apply with a 4.09/167/URM application. You could get into any school in the country with most of your costs paid for if you get your LSAT up 10 points. If your family is rushing you into law school, they're unintentionally rushing you into underachievement. A gap year isn't bad if you get a better outcome.

[Duckhat]

Yes, retake.

It sounds like you may be a K-JD hopeful. There is no need to rush through this. A gap year is an opportunity it is to gain valuable career experience, maturity, and some $ which would also offset the cost of law school.

If you've perused this forum or any other websites like Law School Numbers, you know that a 4.0 URM with a mid 160's LSAT is probably going to net $$$ in the t20.

[waternfood]

Hey,

I almost knew immediately that this would be the advice. I have worked as a legislative page for a year but yes, that is the extent of my work experience. I'm just a little concerned that I will not be able to find anything meaningful to do for the year and if I cant raise my LSAT, that would look pretty bad.

I have a really hard time believing i will improve that much, even when i see how much people have improved taking a year to study. And i just feel so much pressure to go now.

What do you think would be a manageable year-off experience that would help with me being a K-JD? And for studying, any methods?

[totesTheGoat]

What do you think would be a manageable year-off experience that would help with me being a K-JD? And for studying, any methods?

A lot of people do their gap year as a secretary at a law firm. I don't think that is the best job ever for a gap year, but it's 100x better than working in a coffee shop. The ideal job? Something to do with your major. The most interesting law student resumes that have come across my desk were the students who had a short career between UG and law school. There's something about having punched a clock, paid some bills, and been responsible for deadlines and work product quality that shines through during an interview. Since you're probably not interested in working for 3 or 4 years before going to law school, the next best thing would be some sort of shorter term job relating to your major.

The other cool thing about getting a job related to your major is that it takes the pressure off. You can do law school on your own terms, rather than feeling pushed into it because you have no other options. When that pressure is gone, your mind is cleared up and can focus on what's actually important. With a 4.09 GPA, the important thing is to get your LSAT high enough that you can go to your dream school courtesy of their scholarship fund.

Regarding the LSAT, it's a slow process to raise your score. If you're not getting a perfect score on the logic puzzles, that's the first place to start. There's a trick to them, and once you get it to "click" in your mind and find an organizational method that works, you'll be scoring at or near perfect for that section. I don't have any recommendations for what products to use. I bought some random book off of Amazon and I watched a couple YouTube videos. I'll say that by sitting out until next cycle, you'll have plenty of time to get your score up. Once you find a full-time job for your gap year, your part-time job is studying for the LSAT. I'd literally treat it like a job. 2-4 hours per day of practice, 4 or 5 days a week. It may seem stupid to treat it like a job, but if you do well at it, you may earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships. That seems like a pretty good trade-off.

I hesitate to make a prediction, but I will anyway. I bet if you take a gap year and are diligent about studying for the LSAT, you'll be applying next cycle with a 4.09/171, and the Harvards and Yales of the world will be throwing bags of cash at you.