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I decided to take the LSAT a few months ago and am still unsure about where I stand in the pecking order admissions-wise. I'm from the metro-Detroit area and my worst fear is not having any options besides Cooley. I feel woefully unprepared, since I spent my entire UG career gearing up for a journalism job and not paying attention to grades.

Everything about my profile is pretty mediocre.

UGPA: 3.0 (state school) journalism and political science.
LSAT practice is currently trending around 163-166. (I'm a decent test taker, so I've been putting a 160 into any type of 'chances' calculator).

I'm not completely trusting the LSAC calculator, so I figured I'd post here.

I'll be getting work experience over the next year and am starting a job in the newspaper industry (so stable, right?) in about a month.

All of my experience basically lends itself to a career in journalism right now:
-Did the requisite congressional internship
-Multiple internships at various media outlets
-Campus paper Editor-in-chief


Should I apply for Fall '13 or would my chances be a lot better after gaining more work experience for Fall '14 admissions? I'd probably end up being fine with a T3 school, but would another year of experience help put me over the top into, say, the bottom of T2 or even Michigan State?

The LSAT is the single most important factor in law school admissions, therefore you need an actual score before seeking law school suggestions, in my opinion. Nevertheless, a score of 161 should yield a substantial scholarship from MSU.

jgirl wrote:I decided to take the LSAT a few months ago and am still unsure about where I stand in the pecking order admissions-wise. I'm from the metro-Detroit area and my worst fear is not having any options besides Cooley. I feel woefully unprepared, since I spent my entire UG career gearing up for a journalism job and not paying attention to grades.

Everything about my profile is pretty mediocre.

UGPA: 3.0 (state school) journalism and political science.
LSAT practice is currently trending around 163-166. (I'm a decent test taker, so I've been putting a 160 into any type of 'chances' calculator).

I'm not completely trusting the LSAC calculator, so I figured I'd post here.

I'll be getting work experience over the next year and am starting a job in the newspaper industry (so stable, right?) in about a month.

All of my experience basically lends itself to a career in journalism right now:
-Did the requisite congressional internship
-Multiple internships at various media outlets
-Campus paper Editor-in-chief


Should I apply for Fall '13 or would my chances be a lot better after gaining more work experience for Fall '14 admissions? I'd probably end up being fine with a T3 school, but would another year of experience help put me over the top into, say, the bottom of T2 or even Michigan State?

http://www.lawschoolpredictor.com/wp-co ... ograms.htm

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/

Check both of those sources to get an idea of where you stand. If you actually score a 166 or higher, you're pretty much a shoe in for any T2 school and have a shot at T1's. Try to aim into the 170's so you can minimize debt. If you can't consistently score in the 170's on practice tests, find a strategy that works until you can. What strategy, if any, have you been using to study?

You're also probably going to end up being a "splitter," which means you have a GPA below most schools' 25th percentile and an LSAT above their 75th percentile. Samara made a great post for splitters here:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=162680

And the general consensus here is almost always that taking a year off and working is the best choice.

You could have lots of options other than Cooley! don't worry. get a 170+ (higher the better), some WE, and you might have a shot at Michigan or Northwestern. a 3.0 won't keep you out.

First off, there's a reason everyone laughs about Cooley. Job prospects are absolutely terrible. Michigan State, on the other hand, isn't all that much better.

However, with a 3.0, not all is lost. With an LSAT above 172, you have a reasonable shot at Northwestern and GULC. With a 170, you may be able to pick up WUSTL, GWU, or UMinn. Work super hard on the LSAT, take the test when you're PTing around 172, and profit from there.

But a full tuition & fees scholarship, or even a 3/4 scholarship, to MSU is a reasonable option for one wishing to remain in the region. It's always smart to have a large scholarship option to a law school in your target geographical region.

With a 3.0 GPA, T-14 options are unlikely. NU gives leeway for engineering degree GPAs, but maybe not so much for journalism majors.

In short, OP needs a 161 or higher LSAT score to have reasonable law school options.

alwayssunnyinfl wrote:

jgirl wrote:I decided to take the LSAT a few months ago and am still unsure about where I stand in the pecking order admissions-wise. I'm from the metro-Detroit area and my worst fear is not having any options besides Cooley. I feel woefully unprepared, since I spent my entire UG career gearing up for a journalism job and not paying attention to grades.

Everything about my profile is pretty mediocre.

UGPA: 3.0 (state school) journalism and political science.
LSAT practice is currently trending around 163-166. (I'm a decent test taker, so I've been putting a 160 into any type of 'chances' calculator).

I'm not completely trusting the LSAC calculator, so I figured I'd post here.

I'll be getting work experience over the next year and am starting a job in the newspaper industry (so stable, right?) in about a month.

All of my experience basically lends itself to a career in journalism right now:
-Did the requisite congressional internship
-Multiple internships at various media outlets
-Campus paper Editor-in-chief


Should I apply for Fall '13 or would my chances be a lot better after gaining more work experience for Fall '14 admissions? I'd probably end up being fine with a T3 school, but would another year of experience help put me over the top into, say, the bottom of T2 or even Michigan State?

http://www.lawschoolpredictor.com/wp-co ... ograms.htm

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/

Check both of those sources to get an idea of where you stand. If you actually score a 166 or higher, you're pretty much a shoe in for any T2 school and have a shot at T1's. Try to aim into the 170's so you can minimize debt. If you can't consistently score in the 170's on practice tests, find a strategy that works until you can. What strategy, if any, have you been using to study?

You're also probably going to end up being a "splitter," which means you have a GPA below most schools' 25th percentile and an LSAT above their 75th percentile. Samara made a great post for splitters here:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=162680

And the general consensus here is almost always that taking a year off and working is the best choice.

I'm taking a PR prep class and I'll be stepping up my preparation leading into the June test, so hopefully I can improve on that score.