DECEMBER 2014 WAITERS Forum

[Rigo]

[mike0331]

Me too... especially because I had been PTing in the 171-173 range very consistently. I know that I lost some points on the LGs, the question is how many. Also I felt good on the RC, but I could be wrong. Its been so long now I really can't guess. But I walked out saying that I was confident I was in the 168-172 range.

For all but 2 of my choices (UVA and Penn) a 168 is a good bit over the 75th Percentile LSAT scores which range from 163-165

Mike

[cavalier2015]

Me too... especially because I had been PTing in the 171-173 range very consistently. I know that I lost some points on the LGs, the question is how many. Also I felt good on the RC, but I could be wrong. Its been so long now I really can't guess. But I walked out saying that I was confident I was in the 168-172 range.

For all but 2 of my choices (UVA and Penn) a 168 is a good bit over the 75th Percentile LSAT scores which range from 163-165

Mike

168 isn't THAT bad for UVA. there's this obsession for 170 and breaking 75ths on TLS, but from anecdotal experience i know a girl (k-Jd) that got into uva with a 3.6 and about a 163-164. if scholarship is of big concern then yes by all means break the 75ths, but from a strict admission pov - i don't see the obsession. also, are you instate? could be of huge advantage considering the national decline (yes i know this is a LSAT flaw, extrapolating something about a sample based on a bigger group haha..dear god i want my scores back)

[Rigo]

[Rigo]

[cavalier2015]

Since nothing is going on I'm watching old movies on Amazon Prime.
"The Firm" with Tom Cruise was suggested. Just started it. Harvard Law graduate. One can dream.

GREAT movie!

[cavalier2015]

Me too... especially because I had been PTing in the 171-173 range very consistently. I know that I lost some points on the LGs, the question is how many. Also I felt good on the RC, but I could be wrong. Its been so long now I really can't guess. But I walked out saying that I was confident I was in the 168-172 range.

For all but 2 of my choices (UVA and Penn) a 168 is a good bit over the 75th Percentile LSAT scores which range from 163-165

Mike

168 isn't THAT bad for UVA. there's this obsession for 170 and breaking 75ths on TLS, but from anecdotal experience i know a girl (k-Jd) that got into uva with a 3.6 and about a 163-164. if scholarship is of big concern then yes by all means break the 75ths, but from a strict admission pov - i don't see the importance. also, are you instate? could be of huge advantage

Granted, Virginian residents get a pretty significant bump so if Mike isn't from UVA he'll need to do a lot better than a 164, especially considering his gpa.

ah i see, yeah being OOS sucks for UVA. also i may be biased but i really think uva is one of the schools that looks at the complete package. i understand the traditional wisdom of TLS is that UVA is a YP school and while true, i think you should really try to nail down the why uva essay. i've had a good amount of interaction with the admission staff and they really care about the "story" you paint in the application. if it hurts their medians but you're someone they want, i think uva (as opposed to say Penn or Duke) will take the gamble.

or i could be completely wrong about this and the admission staff are really good at lying haha.

[2654815451]

So let's talk about all the best movies/TV shows for recommendations on Netflix stream.

The Walking Dead
Lost
Grey's Anatomy
Breaking Bad
Scandal
House of Cards
The West Wing

[Rigo]

[cavalier2015]

Me too... especially because I had been PTing in the 171-173 range very consistently. I know that I lost some points on the LGs, the question is how many. Also I felt good on the RC, but I could be wrong. Its been so long now I really can't guess. But I walked out saying that I was confident I was in the 168-172 range.

For all but 2 of my choices (UVA and Penn) a 168 is a good bit over the 75th Percentile LSAT scores which range from 163-165

Mike

how high up the list is UVA?

[cavalier2015]

The lowest numbered members of the class are all Virginian, I reckon, because UVA is mandated by law that 40% of the incoming class be Virginia residents. The pool fluctuates from year to year I'm sure, so some years they have to dip down pretty low into the pool to get Virginians. Therefore, it's harder for out of staters to get admitted because UVA has to get above median out of staters to offset the below median Virginians.
UVA's entering class size has been consistently shrinking the last few years--due in large part to there probably not being enough Virginians with good numbers.
Texas has the same problem, only more drastic in that they must matriculated 65% Texans. However, they don't have to hold a 169 median like UVA so there's a little less pressure to nab truly high scorers.

very true. this is the same issue UVA faces with its undergraduate admissions as well. look at the difference in SAT scores from instate and OOS. truly shocking.

i'm just glad i took the initiative of being born in the state of virginia haha

[Rigo]

[cavalier2015]

Yeah don't buy too much into law schools that claim to be super holistic. That only really applies to YS + B.
At the margins, it could help.
UVA's 25-50-75 is 166-169-170.
Sure, a holistic approach can come into play deciding between a 163 and a 164 off of the waitlist. The 163 may win out because both would have the same effect on the class profile. However, I bet you a 169 would win out over a 168 even if the 168 had a great PS because every student can throw off the final class median. Schools' #1 priority is buffering against a drop.

but isn't the point of a median to avoid "being thrown off" from each student?

[LSATneurotic]

Yeah don't buy too much into law schools that claim to be super holistic. That only really applies to YS + B.
At the margins, it could help.
UVA's 25-50-75 is 166-169-170.
Sure, a holistic approach can come into play deciding between a 163 and a 164 off of the waitlist. The 163 may win out because both would have the same effect on the class profile. However, I bet you a 169 would win out over a 168 even if the 168 had a great PS because every student can throw off the final class median. Schools' #1 priority is buffering against a drop.

I do think schools cater to usnews, but you're definitely exaggerating.

[Rigo]

[cavalier2015]

Yeah don't buy too much into law schools that claim to be super holistic. That only really applies to YS + B.
At the margins, it could help.
UVA's 25-50-75 is 166-169-170.
Sure, a holistic approach can come into play deciding between a 163 and a 164 off of the waitlist. The 163 may win out because both would have the same effect on the class profile. However, I bet you a 169 would win out over a 168 even if the 168 had a great PS because every student can throw off the final class median. Schools' #1 priority is buffering against a drop.

I do think schools cater to usnews, but you're definitely exaggerating.

exaggerating in what sense?

[cavalier2015]

but isn't the point of a median to avoid "being thrown off" from each student?

Huh? I don't follow.

im just too lazy to try to explain haha. i just hope that we ALL did amazing on the lsat and we don't have to worry about medians

[Rigo]

[Rigo]

[cavalier2015]

lol median "fell to a 171".

i will have a panic attack if i see that score in my email in a week.

[The Abyss]

So let's talk about all the best movies/TV shows for recommendations on Netflix stream.

The Walking Dead
Lost
Grey's Anatomy
Breaking Bad
Scandal
House of Cards
The West Wing

The Art of Flight
Senna
Sherlock
Peaky Blinders
Trailer Park Boys
Mud
Apocalypse Now
Where the Buffalo Roam
Lonesome Dove
Barton Fink
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Following
Silver Linings Playbook
Dr. Who
Louie (and all of the Louis C.K. stand ups)
and a whole lot I'm forgetting.

And for those with Amazon Prime:
The Wire
Oz
Sopranos

[pta]

Post removed...

[LSATneurotic]

I do think schools cater to usnews, but you're definitely exaggerating.

I don't think so, dude. It's famine for a lot of law schools out there.
For example, Columbia was set for a 172 median last year. However, Stanford (edit: I think it was notably Stanford. Was probably a combination of H&S) accepted several students off the wait list last minute and Columbia's median fell to 171. It's an interesting example of just how precarious holding medians can be and how there's an immense amount of planning and constant vigilance involved in forming each 1L class.

Columbia is a perfect example. I'm sure they take numbers into consideration, even give them prime importance. However, at the end of the day the rankings are largely determined by prestige. Dropping to 171 doesn't change the fact that most people think Columbia is badass. They can afford to be a little choosy in who they admit, even among high numbered applicants, because their ranking is largely immutable.

I'd bet that some pretty high numbered folks get dinged by Columbia every year.

[Rigo]

[mike0331]

UVA is up on my list. We are planning for two (wife and myself) so a lot hinges on her DO acceptances, whether she opts to take another year, etc.

If everything were completely up to me I'd like to stay in Boston, but would make an exception for UVA, Penn, maybe something by DC, etc. That said its looking more likely that we may go to VA, and I'd love to live there, so W&L and UVA are at the top of my list. I have connections at Columbia (legacy, family involved in the alumni association, financial contributors, etc) but I can't do NYC for a handful of reasons, mainly personal.

I don't have VA residency unfortunately. I'm really hoping my military soft helps out though.

Two main reasons for wanting to break 170. 1. I know I can and it would be reflective of how I can do on the LSAT. 2. It's pretty damn helpful, especially with my GPA.

Mike