Super low stats--any chance at a good school? Forum

[cassie2012]

My GPA is 3.2 and my LSAT is 156. I know, pretty bad. BUT I have some very strong recommendation letters and evaluations. I also have a ton of on campus involvement with extracurriculars, including starting one organization and being on the academic senate. I also have a ton of sob story to write about, I'm a single mom of 2 young kids and started out as a teen mom, I was hospitalized for several months during my sophomore year, etc etc. And I am graduating on time in 4 years with a minor (political science-public administration) and certificate (child maltreatment & family violence). My major is Social Work and I have a lot of volunteer experience, and i've also worked full time through all 4 yrs. I want to work in Family Law/Dependency Court, so I feel that SW is actually a really good foundation. I'm writing an addendum for economically disadvantaged household because I was homeless for several years growing up, and I'm also writing one for the "does your transcript represent you" question, because I have almost all As and Bs, and then a couple classes that bring everything down. Taking into account everything besides GPA and LSAT, do I have a shot in hell at UCLA or USC? (I live in LA and do not want to move) I am still applying no matter what y'all say, but what am I looking at, a 10% chance, 25%...0%? thanks

[ConfidenceMan2]

URM? Because if so, and you have a PS/DS about growing up with homelessness (or whatever comparably strong aspect of your life you choose to write about), it's going to be extremely difficult to gauge your chances. I'd say factors like that give you a fighting chance, but I really don't know what kind of % to give you. Still significantly less than 50%, as you're basically counting on being "that candidate" who defied all numerical odds.

Last year, according to lawschoolnumbers.com, someone (one person, and AA with reasonable softs) with slightly better numbers than you was waitlisted then accepted at USC, if that gives you hope. Numerically, you have no shot in hell. Even if AA URM, unlikely. If not URM... then 0.1% is probably the best way to think about it. Very unlikely.

[kams]

Very unlikely unfortunately. You can get into a law school for sure, but it won't be UCLA or USC.

[Grizz]

Unfortunately, no.

[albanach]

I'd add that the GPA being 3.2 probably means a decent school is salvageable but you'll need to transform that LSAT score into, preferably, the 170s.

How much effort did you put in to getting your current score. Bear in mind that many here who have scored 170+ have put in many many months of serious daily study to get where they did.

[JDProspect]

It's worth trying, but bear in mind that chances are slim to none. You never know. Don't forget that there are other schools in LA ie. Southwestern, Loyola, Pepperdine, etc. that would definitely take you and offer scholarship money. Your interest is in Family Law and those schools have strong regional ties, so you should be able to get where you want to go even if you don't go to a top school.

[cassie2012]

Unfortunately no, not urm

And I didn't study very much for the lsat. I bought a ton of books and planned on studying like crazy, but I got so busy and it just didn't happen. My october score was actually 152, ugh. I think I will probably end up going to whittier law school, oh well!! Thanks for the input though

[cassie2012]

So do you think I may actually have a chance at Loyola/Pepperdine?? I actually have both schools on my lsac list, though I haven't done much with the applications yet. That would be too awesome!!!

[Grizz]

Southwestern, Loyola, Pepperdine, etc.

whittier law school

[09042014]

Unfortunately no, not urm

And I didn't study very much for the lsat. I bought a ton of books and planned on studying like crazy, but I got so busy and it just didn't happen. My october score was actually 152, ugh. I think I will probably end up going to whittier law school, oh well!! Thanks for the input though

Getting a 152 makes you dumb. Going to Whittier makes you retarded.

[AS33]

Unfortunately no, not urm

And I didn't study very much for the lsat. I bought a ton of books and planned on studying like crazy, but I got so busy and it just didn't happen. My october score was actually 152, ugh. I think I will probably end up going to whittier law school, oh well!! Thanks for the input though

Getting a 152 makes you dumb. Going to Whittier makes you retarded.

I've never felt compelled to comment on blatantly rude/mean posts, but this one is, well......just wrong.

[cassie2012]

I cannot take seriously anyone's opinion who uses "retarded" as an insult. How freaking ignorant are you? SMH!

[Brassica7]

If you got a 156 without much study, it is probably worth taking the LSAT again. I don't know how much research you have done on law schools, but here is the short version: there are about 2 law grads for every legal job; people at higher ranked schools are much more likely to get a legal job than people at lower schools; LSAT score, more than all other factors combined, determines whether you get into a highly ranked school or not; law school costs a lot (unless you get major scholarships), and people with $100-$200K of debt and no job tend to have their lives destroyed.

Study hard and retake. If you have taken it twice, make sure that you are well prepared before using your final testing. Look carefully at the employment information from a school like Whittier, and consider how much debt you will be in.

[catwomangirl]

If you got a 156 without much study, it is probably worth taking the LSAT again. I don't know how much research you have done on law schools, but here is the short version: there are about 2 law grads for every legal job; people at higher ranked schools are much more likely to get a legal job than people at lower schools; LSAT score, more than all other factors combined, determines whether you get into a highly ranked school or not; law school costs a lot (unless you get major scholarships), and people with $100-$200K of debt and no job tend to have their lives destroyed.

Study hard and retake. If you have taken it twice, make sure that you are well prepared before using your final testing. Look carefully at the employment information from a school like Whittier, and consider how much debt you will be in.

This. I had a 152 my first practice lsat with no studying, and wound up with a 17X score on the real thing. You definitely have the potential for a higher score (and the scholarships and acceptances that come along with it).

[09042014]

I cannot take seriously anyone's opinion who uses "retarded" as an insult. How freaking ignorant are you? SMH!

I won't let a Whittier hopeful talk to me that way. Apologize.

[rinkrat19]

Unfortunately no, not urm

And I didn't study very much for the lsat. I bought a ton of books and planned on studying like crazy, but I got so busy and it just didn't happen. My october score was actually 152, ugh. I think I will probably end up going to whittier law school, oh well!! Thanks for the input though

Getting a 152 makes you dumb. Going to Whittier makes you retarded.

I've never felt compelled to comment on blatantly rude/mean posts, but this one is, well......just wrong.

It's impolite and possibly offensive, but not incorrect.

[AS33]

Unfortunately no, not urm

And I didn't study very much for the lsat. I bought a ton of books and planned on studying like crazy, but I got so busy and it just didn't happen. My october score was actually 152, ugh. I think I will probably end up going to whittier law school, oh well!! Thanks for the input though

Getting a 152 makes you dumb. Going to Whittier makes you retarded.

I've never felt compelled to comment on blatantly rude/mean posts, but this one is, well......just wrong.

It's impolite and possibly offensive, but not incorrect.

Did not mean "wrong" in the sense that you are thinking.

[rinkrat19]

Getting a 152 makes you dumb. Going to Whittier makes you retarded.

I've never felt compelled to comment on blatantly rude/mean posts, but this one is, well......just wrong.

It's impolite and possibly offensive, but not incorrect.

Did not mean "wrong" in the sense that you are thinking.

I know which sense you meant. I was clarifying for OP, who seems to think that mean words means that the opinion expressed is faulty.

[hookem12]

Definitely give Loyola a shot, I don't know all that much about it, but if you're set on law school in the LA area, it's a good option if UCLA/USC are reaches. If you do well (as in top 10-15%) and make connections, I doubt you'd be at a huge disadvantage compared to other grads. Best of luck!!

[Grizz]

Definitely give Loyola a shot, I don't know all that much about it, but if you're set on law school in the LA area, it's a good option if UCLA/USC are reaches. If you do well (as in top 10-15%) and make connections, I doubt you'd be at a huge disadvantage compared to other grads. Best of luck!!

Even if you get in, not worth going to, unless you have the stomach to drop out if you didn't do super well, which most don't have the stomach to do.

[romothesavior]

Any school that would take you is not worth going to. Don't mean to be rude, but it is the truth. They will all have atrocious job prospects. Unless spending six figures to become a paralegal, doc reviewer, or barista at Starbucks is your dream, in which case I say knock yourself out.

[richalvarez]

What if one wants to get into private practice, would you guys recommend going to the most cost effective school regardless of rank? I want to practice in San Diego and I'm between Cal Western and USD, and I'm thinking Cal Western with nice scholarship would be best. I don't have any acceptances yet, just going on LSN statistics.

[Br3v]

The only option if you are serious about LS is to study for the LSAT and retake. Plenty of people on this forum have scored in the 150's cold and improved their score dramtically.

[cinephile]

What if one wants to get into private practice, would you guys recommend going to the most cost effective school regardless of rank? I want to practice in San Diego and I'm between Cal Western and USD, and I'm thinking Cal Western with nice scholarship would be best. I don't have any acceptances yet, just going on LSN statistics.

Do you mean solo practice? That's not really feasible straight out of law school, so you'd still need to be competitive (good grades/good school/good personality) to get your first job before starting your own practice.

I considered a full scholarship at a lower ranked school, but I would've still had to take out COL loans. 60k is still a lot to borrow.

[cassie2012]

Thank you to those of you who offered me genuine advice, I do appreciate it

I honestly am not *that* worried about finding a job no matter what school I go to because I want to work in Dependency Court, which pays much less than most other areas of law and is not a really highly desired job by most law school grads. (yes, I have done my research and I am talking about *my* area) I also have a lot of connections to the foster system and the judges in that court already because of my Social Work internship, actually the presiding judge for the LA Dependency Court has been somewhat "mentoring" me for the past couple months and he is one of my letters of recommendation. But if I really can't find a job then I will just fall back on my Social Work degree and try to get back into Law later. I'd be in debt anyway if I went for my Master's in Social Work, which was my original plan until I changed my mind to Law. Everyone is in debt, it's like a fact of life nowdays so ohh well! As long as I pass the bar the first time a JD is a JD and the school just doesn't matter as much in this arena as in other areas of Law.