February 2014 Waiters Forum

[Miracle]

I've been out of school for two years.

I know applying next cycle (after a retake if my Feb score isn't up to par) is the smarter move, but I somehow feel terrible that it has come to that... Anyone else in a similar situation?

You are not alone

Same feelings here.

[90convoy]

I loved American Hustle but was not at all a fan of Wolf of Wall Street, despite my love of Leo.

I can only watch someone do nothing but drugs and f*ck for an hour, maybe an hour and a half. Three hours was a bit much. I get it, the dude was models and bottles.

Exactly how I felt.

[BankruptMe]

John Kerry didn't graduate until he was 32 from law school (He went to Syracuse)
Barack Obama didn't graduate law school until he was 30/31

These guys are doing just fine

John Kerry went to BC law. Wanted PI

Joe Biden went to Syracuse. Almost got thrown out for plagiarism i believe

[rilakkuma]

For those who had 2 RC sections or 2 LG sections, how many questions total did you have (minus the experimental section) ?

[xylocarp]

Anyone want to tinychat tonight? I've got some procrastinating I need to attend to

[paully]

I've been out of school for two years.

I know applying next cycle (after a retake if my Feb score isn't up to par) is the smarter move, but I somehow feel terrible that it has come to that... Anyone else in a similar situation?

Man, I know how you feel. It's not fun to wait for the next cycle. It's even harder trying to explain delaying law school to family and friends. Just know you're not alone. I withdrew from the Feb LSAT a minute before the deadline (02/07 11:58pm), and now I have to wait until next cycle. The wait will be worth it, though--anything is better than going to a school you don't want to go to and graduate with debt/no job prospects. Hang in there.

[thevuch]

Anyone want to tinychat tonight? I've got some procrastinating I need to attend to

im down. im in the library writing a spanish composition. you make the room and im there

[xylocarp]

Anyone want to tinychat tonight? I've got some procrastinating I need to attend to

im down. im in the library writing a spanish composition. you make the room and im there

Are you in the quiet part of the library again?
http://tinychat.com/febwaiters

[gratfield]

.

[Nicolena.]

Did anyone notice if their experimental was an off number like LR - 24 or LG -22/24 or something? Is this a myth? Is there any way to really tell that a section is experimental?

[thevuch]

Did anyone notice if their experimental was an off number like LR - 24 or LG -22/24 or something? Is this a myth? Is there any way to really tell that a section is experimental?

not mid test, but on tls you can

[AllysonM]

Took the Feb 2014 LSAT for first time. Had 2 LR 1 RC and 2 LG sections (last one with circular design)

QUESTION: I'm reading that they may "curve" the test? Really???? Because that would be great!! I've been hitting 157 with practice tests but only prepared for 4 weeks. But I focused so much on getting the right answers that I didn't prepare for time management and ran out of time on 2 sections, forcing me to guess on 3-4 questions per section. Also found two of the RC passages extremely difficult. Now I'm on pins and needles waiting for my score.

If they do curve, how many "bonus points" do they usually give us?

[thevuch]

its not a curve like that. it will be like instead of 9 to 10 missed questions to get a 170, you could miss 12 to 14. so in bonus points language, maybe 1 or 2

[random number]

Took the Feb 2014 LSAT for first time. Had 2 LR 1 RC and 2 LG sections (last one with circular design)

QUESTION: I'm reading that they may "curve" the test? Really???? Because that would be great!! I've been hitting 157 with practice tests but only prepared for 4 weeks. But I focused so much on getting the right answers that I didn't prepare for time management and ran out of time on 2 sections, forcing me to guess on 3-4 questions per section. Also found two of the RC passages extremely difficult. Now I'm on pins and needles waiting for my score.

If they do curve, how many "bonus points" do they usually give us?

http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/ls ... -lsac.html

TL;DR - The test isn't curved in the traditional sense. Instead, each exam is equated based on the performance of previous takers to ensure that the scaled score (i.e. the score between 120 and 180) consistently reflects each taker's ability within a certain range (2-3 pts) and maintains a similar standard of difficult between tests.

[AllysonM]

Thank you....both for the answer and not calling me stupid because I'm just getting starting on this whole law school thing. LOL I went back to school at age 37... graduating with BA in May finally.. and think I could really excel at law school.

One more question: my gpa over past 3 years is 3.87. BUT overall UGPA is 3.45 (might be 3.5 at graduation (May) because of my horrible college grades 20 years ago (imported a 2.15 from 1990). Which do law schools look at more? Also if I'm looking at a T14 school, do you suggest I put it off a few months and retake in June if score isn't...... (fill in number here). Thanks again for your help. I didn't know this was all so complicated (and competitive). I feel like I'm going from being top dog in my class to just a number -- it's kind of disheartening to say the least!!

[thevuch]

advice on TLS is always going to be retake until you get a 180

[random number]

Thank you....both for the answer and not calling me stupid because I'm just getting starting on this whole law school thing. LOL I went back to school at age 37... graduating with BA in May finally.. and think I could really excel at law school.

One more question: my gpa over past 3 years is 3.87. BUT overall UGPA is 3.45 (might be 3.5 at graduation (May) because of my horrible college grades 20 years ago (imported a 2.15 from 1990). Which do law schools look at more? Also if I'm looking at a T14 school, do you suggest I put it off a few months and retake in June if score isn't...... (fill in number here). Thanks again for your help. I didn't know this was all so complicated (and competitive). I feel like I'm going from being top dog in my class to just a number -- it's kind of disheartening to say the least!!

No problem! TLS is a fantastic resource for addressing all of these questions, so make sure to dig around the forums as your situation is surprisingly similar to many other people. I believe (I may be mistaken) that both GPAs will be counted when you submit your transcripts to LSAC for evaluation, but there are many people here who are far more qualified to answer your questions. I would suggest using the search function at the bottom of the page first, and then posting any lingering questions in the appropriate forums.

If you are planning to retake the LSAT, there are some fantastic resources and study guides pinned at the top of the LSAT prep forum.

[HanShotFirst]

Thank you....both for the answer and not calling me stupid because I'm just getting starting on this whole law school thing. LOL I went back to school at age 37... graduating with BA in May finally.. and think I could really excel at law school.

One more question: my gpa over past 3 years is 3.87. BUT overall UGPA is 3.45 (might be 3.5 at graduation (May) because of my horrible college grades 20 years ago (imported a 2.15 from 1990). Which do law schools look at more? Also if I'm looking at a T14 school, do you suggest I put it off a few months and retake in June if score isn't...... (fill in number here). Thanks again for your help. I didn't know this was all so complicated (and competitive). I feel like I'm going from being top dog in my class to just a number -- it's kind of disheartening to say the least!!

They'll like that you're non-traditional and they do reward improvements in GPA

[haus]

advice on TLS is always going to be retake until you get a 180

I suspect a few people here will even tell you to retake a 180.

[HouseTargaryen]

Thank you....both for the answer and not calling me stupid because I'm just getting starting on this whole law school thing. LOL I went back to school at age 37... graduating with BA in May finally.. and think I could really excel at law school.

One more question: my gpa over past 3 years is 3.87. BUT overall UGPA is 3.45 (might be 3.5 at graduation (May) because of my horrible college grades 20 years ago (imported a 2.15 from 1990). Which do law schools look at more? Also if I'm looking at a T14 school, do you suggest I put it off a few months and retake in June if score isn't...... (fill in number here). Thanks again for your help. I didn't know this was all so complicated (and competitive). I feel like I'm going from being top dog in my class to just a number -- it's kind of disheartening to say the least!!

If your school imported the GPA from 20 years ago, I'm guessing LSAC will as well. And that LSAC GPA is what matters in rankings so that's what law schools will technically look at. That being said, they won't care. Your good, new GPA and the fact that you're a non-traditional applicant will benefit you MUCH more than that lower LSAC UGPA will hurt you.

Best of luck!

[thevuch]

advice on TLS is always going to be retake until you get a 180

I suspect a few people here will even tell you to retake a 180.

lol indeed

[xylocarp]

Thank you....both for the answer and not calling me stupid because I'm just getting starting on this whole law school thing. LOL I went back to school at age 37... graduating with BA in May finally.. and think I could really excel at law school.

One more question: my gpa over past 3 years is 3.87. BUT overall UGPA is 3.45 (might be 3.5 at graduation (May) because of my horrible college grades 20 years ago (imported a 2.15 from 1990). Which do law schools look at more? Also if I'm looking at a T14 school, do you suggest I put it off a few months and retake in June if score isn't...... (fill in number here). Thanks again for your help. I didn't know this was all so complicated (and competitive). I feel like I'm going from being top dog in my class to just a number -- it's kind of disheartening to say the least!!

(ETA: this is def tl;dr for anyone who isn't the user I'm quoting...)

Hey Allyson, welcome to TLS! I can't stress enough that you should really go to some of the other boards on here to ask for advice - everyone in this thread is a 0L (hasn't started law school yet - of course) and as such the advice we can give is limited. That said, while obviously your current, high GPA is far more indicative of your abilities than a GPA from two decades ago, the main issue here is that schools HAVE to report the cumulative GPA, that GPA is what affects their medians, and their medians in turn affect their USNWR ranking. And admissions committees really, really care about the rankings.

There are, of course, mitigating circumstances for GPAs. For instance, maybe one 3.5 was a neuroscience/physics double major and another was a basket-weaving major. Maybe one 3.5 went to a school notorious for grade deflation. Maybe another got the bad parts of her GPA 20 years ago. From the anecdotes we have, it does seem that schools take these things into account, some more than others, but the facts are that we are not adcomms and we can't know for sure. Law school admissions, in general, are VERY predictable. There are websites (mylsn.info) where you can plug in your cumulative GPA and your LSAT score and get pretty good estimations of where you'll get in and where you won't. I'm guessing your cycle won't be so predictable. I certainly wouldn't plug in 3.85 and expect those results, but I also wouldn't plug in 3.5 and expect those results. Depending on your LSAT score, you should apply to a wide range of schools and see what happens.

In terms of retaking, TLS is very pro-retake in most cases simply because of the sheer cost of law school. If you plan to take out the full cost of tuition plus cost of living in loans, you can easy end up with $250K, $300K in debt. That can be an incredibly scary prospect if your school is only getting, say, 50% of its students legal jobs (check out lawschooltransparency.com for the best detailed info about job prospects that we have) and 3% in biglaw (the only real way to pay off that magnitude of debt as a lawyer right out of law school). It is for these reasons that, in general, TLS doesn't recommend going to the vast majority of law schools for sticker price. People here tend to recommend T14s or solid regionals with big scholarships (like state flagships in a market without better law schools). And you need a certain type of LSAT score to get any of these options (at least a median LSAT for T14s and a 75% for the regionals with scholarship - that is an oversimplification though of course).

Sorry to be so long-winded; I'm mostly just trying to give you an idea of where people will be coming from when you ask for advice. But again, I really urge you to make a post elsewhere so that more experienced users (law students, law graduates and even some adcomms) can weigh in. Of course, feel free to hang out with us for general waiting-griping and score release day-predicting! Good luck!

[BankruptMe]

If you have above a 3.5 GPA, you should at least have 165.

[TLS2011]

I still have not heard when the make up test is. They really drag this out don't they? It is a terrible feeling to prepare so hard for a date and you pushed yourself to that limit because you thought you would be done after it, only to find out you have to study two weeks longer. I have done a few LR problems, but other than that I have no motivation anymore. Zhenders, have you studied? I know you said you were taking it easy now. Nicolena, have you heard anything?

[Nicolena.]

I still have not heard when the make up test is. They really drag this out don't they? It is a terrible feeling to prepare so hard for a date and you pushed yourself to that limit because you thought you would be done after it, only to find out you have to study two weeks longer. I have done a few LR problems, but other than that I have no motivation anymore. Zhenders, have you studied? I know you said you were taking it easy now. Nicolena, have you heard anything?

I tried to call yesterday and got nothing out of the testing center or LSAC. I'm going to try calling again today. However, I suspect it will be next week. There's supposed to be ice here the next few days. Idky but since I've moved here I noticed that everything shuts down when there's mention of ice.

I had originally planned to take three PTs this week but decided to only take one. I have been studying every day but lightly. Drilling and trying to tie up some loose ends. Just try to take advantage of it and stay motivated. I'm just as discouraged as you though. I was so ready to take it last weekend.

Edit: called memphis and they believe it's next week bc that's the date they put in. I called little rock for you guys though and they said it might be this weekend. You may want to call......