159 / 3.6 / 4.0 my chances in Los Angeles? Forum

[kcolleen]

Hi everyone,

Long-time lurker, first-time poster. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

I am a 24 year old senior at UCLA with a 4.0 in Philosophy but I have some terrible community college grades (from when I was 16!!!!) dragging down my LSAC GPA

I have applied to:
UCLA (early binding)
USC
Loyola (LA)
Chapman (accepted today with a 90% scholarship)
as well as some other miscellaneous schools

I have my heart set on UCLA, but I know my chances are slim. I have very strong softs (both letters of rec. are from top philosophers at UCLA) and I wrote a programmatic addendum for their Philosophy of Law specialization (realistically, I want to apply to their JD/PhD program...I love the philosophy department at UCLA at little too much to leave)

And no, I really really really do not want to take the LSAT again. I suck at standardized tests and I don't think I can/will perform better.

Any other longshots here? Should I reach out to the admissions office?

Thank you!!

[californiauser]

You don't have a chance at UCLA with a 3.6 and a 159. It sounds like you really want a philosophy PHD. I'm not sure what you can do with a JD + Philosophy PHD besides academia, and that's impossible a long shot out of UCLA.

[kcolleen]

You don't have a chance at UCLA with a 3.6

I have a 4.0 at UCLA, and I have had a 4.0 in community college since 2010. The only reason I have a 3.6 LSDAS is because I got C's in classes like AFRICAN DRUMMING and YOGA when I was 16. Does that not matter?

[Nova]

You need to score 167+ to have a legit shot.

Below both medians = almost certainly not gonna happen

Even if you got in, it would be at sticker, and paying 50/k year tuition to attend UCLA is not a good move

[rad lulz]

m

[Nova]

You don't have a chance at UCLA with a 3.6

I have a 4.0 at UCLA, and I have had a 4.0 in community college since 2010. The only reason I have a 3.6 LSDAS is because I got C's in classes like AFRICAN DRUMMING and YOGA when I was 16. Does that not matter?

No, because schools need to maintain medians and the bottom line is youre below both of them

[californiauser]

You don't have a chance at UCLA with a 3.6

I have a 4.0 at UCLA, and I have had a 4.0 in community college since 2010. The only reason I have a 3.6 LSDAS is because I got C's in classes like AFRICAN DRUMMING and YOGA when I was 16. Does that not matter?

Unfortunately it won't matter when you took the classes. I went through the same situation, as have many other posters on here. All that matters is your LSAC GPA which calculates ALL credits, community college included.

[HYSenberg]

In at Loyola perhaps with some money. No chance at the top two.

Edit:

Shoulda learned to drum better

This.

[Nova]

3.6 is not bad

Your LSAT is the problem

[kcolleen]

Even if you got in, it would be at sticker, and paying 50/k year tuition to attend UCLA is not a good move

This is a really good point. Thanks. So, if the skies part and they let me in early-binding...what do I do?

[kcolleen]

Edit:

Shoulda learned to drum better

This.

Dare you to try

[gaud]

You should retake. Seriously.



Have those schools pay you to attend, not the other way around.

[californiauser]

Even if you got in, it would be at sticker, and paying 50/k year tuition to attend UCLA is not a good move

This is a really good point. Thanks. So, if the skies part and they let me in early-binding...what do I do?

Withdraw right now.

I think you have the option of not attending, but UCLA may not accept you again if you back out of an ED (this is not based on any actual evidence, just my own opinion).

[Nova]

Even if you got in, it would be at sticker, and paying 50/k year tuition to attend UCLA is not a good move

This is a really good point. Thanks. So, if the skies part and they let me in early-binding...what do I do?

Before they make a decision you can ask to be considered RD instead

[kcolleen]

You should retake. Seriously.

Honestly, I can't. I was scoring between 168-174 on PEs, I studied all summer, and I'm a philosophy major with a knack for logic. Nonetheless, I froze up during the test. I suck at standardized tests. I'm afraid if I retake it I will do poorly again and truly cement myself at that percentile

[rad lulz]

m

[kcolleen]

Yeah you need to retake. Because 159/3.6 won't get you anywhere worth going in the LA area

It sucks but that's the way of things these days

I don't know if this makes a difference, but I have worked at an entertainment law firm for two years and I have a job once I pass the bar (I already do all of their first-drafting, etc.)

Would it still be a bad idea to attend Loyola?

[HYSenberg]

You should retake. Seriously.

Honestly, I can't. I was scoring between 168-174 on PEs, I studied all summer, and I'm a philosophy major with a knack for logic. Nonetheless, I froze up during the test. I suck at standardized tests. I'm afraid if I retake it I will do poorly again and truly cement myself at that percentile

If you scored >10 points lower than your PTs, you HAVE to retake. You'd be screwing yourself to do otherwise. You'd even get money from UCLA at the low end of that range.

Edit: if you have a job lined up already, who the hell cares lol. Most of the advice on this subforum is tailored to those of us who actually have to try post-graduation .

[kcolleen]

You should retake. Seriously.

Honestly, I can't. I was scoring between 168-174 on PEs, I studied all summer, and I'm a philosophy major with a knack for logic. Nonetheless, I froze up during the test. I suck at standardized tests. I'm afraid if I retake it I will do poorly again and truly cement myself at that percentile

If you scored >10 points lower than your PTs, you HAVE to retake. You'd be screwing yourself to do otherwise. You'd even get money from UCLA at the low end of that range.

Edit: if you have a job lined up already, who the hell cares lol. Most of the advice on this subforum is tailored to those of us who actually have to try post-graduation .

1. What if I mess up again? Then I definitely can't explain it away as some anomaly (if that's even possible)

2. I want to attend UCLA because I love this damn school and I'm not ready to leave! Wahhhhhhh

[Nova]

@ Loyola now, Youd be paying 25k+/yr tuition .

if you scored 161+ youd probably only be paying 15k/yr

http://loyola.lawschoolnumbers.com/applicants/1213

[Nova]

Then I definitely can't explain it away as some anomaly (if that's even possible)

Its not

[kcolleen]

Then I definitely can't explain it away as some anomaly (if that's even possible)

Its not

Haha thanks. I guess I will look into retaking and taking a year off. Crap.

[midnight_circus]

I wrote a programmatic addendum for their Philosophy of Law specialization (realistically, I want to apply to their JD/PhD program...I love the philosophy department at UCLA at little too much to leave)

Perhaps a silly question, but you have a post-grad firm job lined up already, and you want to take 6 additional years to get a PhD? Besides the fact that I seriously doubt they'll wait for you that long...why?

I'm the last person to hate on advanced degrees, but getting a philosophy PhD to practice entertainment law does NOT seem like the credited response.

[Nova]

if youre already capable of scoring between the 96-99th percentiles, what about retaking in Feb/June?

It could get you into UCLA with $$ off the WL this cycle

[kcolleen]

I wrote a programmatic addendum for their Philosophy of Law specialization (realistically, I want to apply to their JD/PhD program...I love the philosophy department at UCLA at little too much to leave)

Perhaps a silly question, but you have a post-grad firm job lined up already, and you want to take 6 additional years to get a PhD? Besides the fact that I seriously doubt they'll wait for you that long...why?

I'm the last person to hate on advanced degrees, but getting a philosophy PhD to practice entertainment law does NOT seem like the credited response.

I work at an entertainment law firm because 1) they hired me and 2) life + justice aren't hanging in the balance. I want to be a lawyer for pragmatic reasons (clearly, negotiating how much butt-cheek Elizabeth Banks reveals isn't going to change the world) BUT I want to go to law school because I love legal theory.

idk idk.