UCLA, USC with a 3.77 164.. thinking of ED Forum

[navko]

hey tls, i've been looking at lawschoolnumbers and still am not sure about what to do. I've been thinking of doing ED to ucla or usc because i don't think i can sit out another cycle. Part of me wants to ride it out with RD because I'm planning on applying to GWU GULC ASU and some schools in florida and might be able to get some solid financial aid..

[BigZuck]

Where do you want to live and work long term? What kind of job are you hoping to get with your JD? How are you paying for law school? Where are your ties (meaning where are you from, what state did you go to college, etc)?

[Kratos]

hey tls, i've been looking at lawschoolnumbers and still am not sure about what to do. I've been thinking of doing ED to ucla or usc because i don't think i can sit out another cycle. Part of me wants to ride it out with RD because I'm planning on applying to GWU GULC ASU and some schools in florida and might be able to get some solid financial aid..

Great info ab your chances here

Why can't you sit out another cycle? Do you have a full-time job? Have you ever had a full-time job? You should totally get one before you go to law school if you haven't.

ED at those schools is gonna be stupid because you probably will end up with a ton of debt, which sucks.

You and everyone else knows that the right choice is retake. You have a GPA that won't disqualify you from most (if any) schools. So, if you retake and crush the LSAT, you're options are pretty much limitless. Lets say you only improve 5-6 points (which is so incredible feasible if you study well), you're looking at much better options, or the same schools but with great schollies.

Also, how did you study for that 164? How many PTs did you take?

[navko]

Where do you want to live and work long term? What kind of job are you hoping to get with your JD? How are you paying for law school? Where are your ties (meaning where are you from, what state did you go to college, etc)?

I would prefer to live in socal but I'm open to moving to another state like florida or Arizona if they offered me a huge fin aid package. I'm from socal. I'm hoping to get a biglaw job cause i know I'm gonna have a lot of debt if i go to ucla or usc. I'd be paying through loans exclusively.

[navko]

hey tls, i've been looking at lawschoolnumbers and still am not sure about what to do. I've been thinking of doing ED to ucla or usc because i don't think i can sit out another cycle. Part of me wants to ride it out with RD because I'm planning on applying to GWU GULC ASU and some schools in florida and might be able to get some solid financial aid..

Great info ab your chances here

Why can't you sit out another cycle? Do you have a full-time job? Have you ever had a full-time job? You should totally get one before you go to law school if you haven't.

ED at those schools is gonna be stupid because you probably will end up with a ton of debt, which sucks.

You and everyone else knows that the right choice is retake. You have a GPA that won't disqualify you from most (if any) schools. So, if you retake and crush the LSAT, you're options are pretty much limitless. Lets say you only improve 5-6 points (which is so incredible feasible if you study well), you're looking at much better options, or the same schools but with great schollies.

Also, how did you study for that 164? How many PTs did you take?

This is my second time applying and i kinda want to move forward with my life. I've had a full time job but as of now I'm unemployed.
I know about the lack of leverage when it comes to negotiating scholarships, and i'm wondering how much of a boost ED at ucla or usc would give me. I don't wanna end up not getting into either one :/ I studied for the 164 with blueprint and pretty much took every pretest out there. I feel like i've maxed out my lsat potential hahah

[banjo]

A few years ago I had a 3.76/164 and was thinking about going to Notre Dame or Tulane or something. Instead, I didn't go to law school at all for several years. I tried out a different career, got some work experience, saved a little money, and bumped my LSAT score up 12 points. That one retake -- two months of work -- changed my entire career trajectory. My work experience also proved beneficial during on-campus interviews.

Taking some time off and retaking the LSAT is unequivocally the right move for you and for 90% of the people who post chances threads. With your GPA, the payoff could be especially huge. Don't settle for a 164. And definitely don't ED UCLA or USC.

[AReasonableMan]

You need to see how many students get these big law so cal jobs a year from the schools you are considering. If it's only about 10 per year it's likely they are connected or the tippy top of the class, things you can't bank on. Even if you're smarter and outwork people, these jobs are so elusive it's still unlikely top ten percent will be enough. TLS overestimates both the difficulty and rewards of being in the top quarter (not that hard but not very useful).

[bl1nds1ght]

http://www.reddit.com/r/lawschoolstats/ ... sults_all/

Biglaw out of UCLA / USC is around 30% with another couple % going to federal clerkships. You would be making a HUGE gamble on paying full sticker at either of those two schools hoping to get biglaw.

Obviously, AZ and FL schools do worse for biglaw than UCLA / USC, so weight your options accordingly. Also, you are unlikely to return to Socal if you attend AZ or FL schools because of the regional nature of law school in general.

Retake.

[Sheriff]

You seem far too young for ED to be a problem for you. Just remember that if you don't use it, you lose it.

[Kratos]

hey tls, i've been looking at lawschoolnumbers and still am not sure about what to do. I've been thinking of doing ED to ucla or usc because i don't think i can sit out another cycle. Part of me wants to ride it out with RD because I'm planning on applying to GWU GULC ASU and some schools in florida and might be able to get some solid financial aid..

Great info ab your chances here

Why can't you sit out another cycle? Do you have a full-time job? Have you ever had a full-time job? You should totally get one before you go to law school if you haven't.

ED at those schools is gonna be stupid because you probably will end up with a ton of debt, which sucks.

You and everyone else knows that the right choice is retake. You have a GPA that won't disqualify you from most (if any) schools. So, if you retake and crush the LSAT, you're options are pretty much limitless. Lets say you only improve 5-6 points (which is so incredible feasible if you study well), you're looking at much better options, or the same schools but with great schollies.

Also, how did you study for that 164? How many PTs did you take?

This is my second time applying and i kinda want to move forward with my life. I've had a full time job but as of now I'm unemployed.
I know about the lack of leverage when it comes to negotiating scholarships, and i'm wondering how much of a boost ED at ucla or usc would give me. I don't wanna end up not getting into either one :/ I studied for the 164 with blueprint and pretty much took every pretest out there. I feel like i've maxed out my lsat potential hahah

I'm sorry but waiting another cycle is such a better decision then "moving on with your life" by hastily jumping into law school. This shit has serious repercussions that could potentially fuck up the rest of your life. Retake is the only good option imo. There are incredible guides on this site. Find one that works. Also, go through all your PTs and plug them into lsatqa.com to see what types of questions give you the most issues and drill those.