/HEEEELLLLLLPPPPPP Forum

[Ludo!]

Wow I thought I was explaining myself but I guess that my question seems inauthentic might be an answer. I didn't think these schools were that bad but I guess I'm wrong and haven't really achieved anything. Thanks everyone.

If not flame I apologize. But the fact that people think you're trolling should tell you something about the decision you're making. You need to do a LOT more research aboutaw school before you think about attending

To answer your school question- I go to a regional Midwestern t1 school on a decent scholarship. Even that was a gamble. Many of my peers are struggling to find jobs.

[daffy7856]

where are u getting these numbers because this websites own number are different. Clearly I'm a shitty researcher. And my reluctance to retake lsat and wait a year is mostly because I'm afraid ill get a lower score and I REALLY wanna start law school this year and avoid having to repay student loan etc. Plus that test is really hard, I basically self studied intensely for a month and luced out with a 154 (which I'm sure is pathetic to you all but I was proud of it) and seriously neglected my son. Don't wanna go through that again if there's not a significant reason for it. And drexel is offering 20k scholarship

[flem]

where are u getting these numbers because this websites own number are different.

[daffy7856]

Yes I know. Not the best researcher. Gpa is 3.8 lsat 154. 170's lsat prob would get me into a much better school. I guess I was just super eager to start now. I'm completely naive. I thought success depended on the lawyer not necessarily the school. What do u all think about transferring?

[dpk711]

Yes I know. Not the best researcher. Gpa is 3.8 lsat 154. 170's lsat prob would get me into a much better school. I guess I was just super eager to start now. I'm completely naive. I thought success depended on the lawyer not necessarily the school. What do u all think about transferring?

Never go to a law school looking to transfer, unless you are fully content on graduating at that school.

[JCFindley]

Wow I thought I was explaining myself but I guess that my question seems inauthentic might be an answer. I didn't think these schools were that bad but I guess I'm wrong and haven't really achieved anything. Thanks everyone.

Daff, unfortunately there are people that like to see how spun up they can get people by posting questions like yours... That makes it hard to recognize when the question is genuine.

I am going to assume it is and will also say it is not retarded at all but is uninformed. Hey, I was uninformed as well at one time.

Lets start with the transfer thing. You CAN improve your LSAT with proper study and you can probably improve it a lot. That means it is directly within your control. Though it may be something you don't want to do it is the easiest and surest way to get into a better school.... Transferring from Drexel will require you to be at the very top of your class and everyone else there also thinks they are a good student and will also bust their butt... There is a 90% or worse chance you will not be able to make the meaningful transfer cutoff.....

Now there is the legal hiring environment. Law is like very few other schools in that the school you choose directly effects your chance of getting a job. In general, the higher the ranking the better the chances at least with the T-14. After that you have a few schools with semi national reach but for the most part rankings outside the T-14 don't matter as much as how the school fairs in the market it feeds.... I am FAR from a rankings elitist and there are schools outside the T-100 that I would consider IF I was interested in the markets they feed. Ole Miss, USC, Maine are a few examples. What do these schools have that would make them worth attending? They dominate their home markets. While the legal market isn't all that great in South Carolina USC would be a good choice if you were dead set on working there, had ties there and could go for minimal costs.....

I don't know a thing about NV but lets look at Drexel. Drexel will really feed Philly and only Philly. That would be OK but it is WAY down the food chain for hiring in its one and only market. First you have ALL of the T-14 and Penn is right there. Then you have Temple, Pitt, Penn State and Rutgers-C all set to feed the Philly market and they are all going to put more grads in that market than Drexel. Its not that you can't succeed at Drexel but you are putting yourself at a serious disadvantage from the start.

Between the two I have no idea but I wouldn't attend Drexel unless I just couldn't do any better on the LSAT and even then I would look into other careers....

JC

[flem]

Yes I know. Not the best researcher. Gpa is 3.8 lsat 154. 170's lsat prob would get me into a much better school. I guess I was just super eager to start now. I'm completely naive. I thought success depended on the lawyer not necessarily the school. What do u all think about transferring?

Since you're competing against a forced curve, getting transfer worthy grads is going to be exceptionally difficult to allow you to transfer to a school worth going to. Think top 10% for UNLV.

And you have a 3.8? Retake the LSAT for fucks sake.

[Nova]

where are u getting these numbers because this websites own number are different. Clearly I'm a shitty researcher. And my reluctance to retake lsat and wait a year is mostly because I'm afraid ill get a lower score and I REALLY wanna start law school this year and avoid having to repay student loan etc. Plus that test is really hard, I basically self studied intensely for a month and luced out with a 154 (which I'm sure is pathetic to you all but I was proud of it) and seriously neglected my son. Don't wanna go through that again if there's not a significant reason for it. And drexel is offering 20k scholarship

Law school transparency. The links are at the bottom. Schools hide their employment prospects in a number of different ways. Their 9X% employed number on their own website, for instance, includes people who bar tend/wait tables, not just people with full time legal employment.

Waiting a year, and breaking 160, would probably net you a full ride to those schools, saving you tens of thousands of dollars. It would also open up more schools with better employment.

And you have a 3.8? Retake the LSAT for fucks sake.

[Ludo!]

Yes I know. Not the best researcher. Gpa is 3.8 lsat 154. 170's lsat prob would get me into a much better school. I guess I was just super eager to start now. I'm completely naive. I thought success depended on the lawyer not necessarily the school. What do u all think about transferring?

You've got an awesome GPA, don't waste that. A 154 is not bad- nobody thinks you're stupid because of a 154. But it would be stupid not to retake. I know its a pain in the ass to retake, believe me I didn't want to but I did and it was the best decision I ever made. The difference in opportunities that just a couple more points can get you is huge.

Transferring is not reliable plan because its too hard to know if you will be good at taking law school tests. And even if you ARE great at law school exams, luck plays a role, and one or two bad grades could sink your transfer chances

[ru2486]

Yes I know. Not the best researcher. Gpa is 3.8 lsat 154. 170's lsat prob would get me into a much better school. I guess I was just super eager to start now. I'm completely naive. I thought success depended on the lawyer not necessarily the school. What do u all think about transferring?

You've got an awesome GPA, don't waste that. A 154 is not bad- nobody thinks you're stupid because of a 154. But it would be stupid not to retake. I know its a pain in the ass to retake, believe me I didn't want to but I did and it was the best decision I ever made. The difference in opportunities that just a couple more points can get you is huge.

Transferring is not reliable plan because its too hard to know if you will be good at taking law school tests. And even if you ARE great at law school exams, luck plays a role, and one or two bad grades could sink your transfer chances

everytime somebody with a 3.8 refuses to retake a 154 lsat, a part of me dies inside

[abc12345675]

Daffy-

Listen you have a 3.8 GPA. You shouldn't be settling for these schools! Here's what you should do for the next year:
- Get some sort of job (maybe you'll need 2 if they suck) to pay rent and make the minimum payments on your UG loans
- Take some of that money and sign up for an LSAT class ASAP
- Spend most of your time not at work studying for the LSAT. I mean REALLY dedicate yourself
- Get a 10 point increase in score and laugh that you even considered these options.

[flem]

Alternatively self study using one of the guides on here and save yourself $1000 you can spend on your kid if you have even a shred of self-discipline

[dpk711]

Increasing your score by 10-15 points will make a lifetime of a difference. I would kill for that GPA.

[mattviphky]

I went from 155-->164. It's all about studying. I decided to retake and reapply about this time last year, so I know what you're feeling. I really didn't want to sit out, but I knew that I could do so much better. Go the lsat prep threads and see what people are talking about, there is a lot of good advice. If I were you, I would go to amazon and buy the LG powerscore Bible, the LR Powerscore Bible, Superprep book, and the most recent real 10 lsat books. What section gave you the most trouble? If you didn't do so hot on LG, then good news, that is the easiest section to improve! Just use the bible, and make 3 photocopies of every single game from all the real 10 lsat book, and wherever else you can find them. Mix em all up and do like 4 games a day. This repetition will help you master the different strategies to completing a game. Most of the game are relatively the same, and it's all about knowing a strategy well enough to apply it in different scenarios.

[JCFindley]

Yes I know. Not the best researcher. Gpa is 3.8 lsat 154. 170's lsat prob would get me into a much better school. I guess I was just super eager to start now. I'm completely naive. I thought success depended on the lawyer not necessarily the school. What do u all think about transferring?

You've got an awesome GPA, don't waste that. A 154 is not bad- nobody thinks you're stupid because of a 154. But it would be stupid not to retake. I know its a pain in the ass to retake, believe me I didn't want to but I did and it was the best decision I ever made. The difference in opportunities that just a couple more points can get you is huge.

Transferring is not reliable plan because its too hard to know if you will be good at taking law school tests. And even if you ARE great at law school exams, luck plays a role, and one or two bad grades could sink your transfer chances

everytime somebody with a 3.8 refuses to retake a 154 lsat, a part of me dies inside

I think a puppy dies somewhere as well....

[mattviphky]

Daffy-

Listen you have a 3.8 GPA. You shouldn't be settling for these schools! Here's what you should do for the next year:
- Get some sort of job (maybe you'll need 2 if they suck) to pay rent and make the minimum payments on your UG loans
- Take some of that money and sign up for an LSAT class ASAP
- Spend most of your time not at work studying for the LSAT. I mean REALLY dedicate yourself
- Get a 10 point increase in score and laugh that you even considered these options.

I've never used a class, and I have heard that the are unnecessary. However, if you don't mind spending the money, then they could be the way to go if you desire structure. Any recommendations from anyone?

[mattviphky]

also, a 170 will get you into UPENN if you really want to live in Philly.

[abc12345675]

Daffy-

Listen you have a 3.8 GPA. You shouldn't be settling for these schools! Here's what you should do for the next year:
- Get some sort of job (maybe you'll need 2 if they suck) to pay rent and make the minimum payments on your UG loans
- Take some of that money and sign up for an LSAT class ASAP
- Spend most of your time not at work studying for the LSAT. I mean REALLY dedicate yourself
- Get a 10 point increase in score and laugh that you even considered these options.

I've never used a class, and I have heard that the are unnecessary. However, if you don't mind spending the money, then they could be the way to go if you desire structure. Any recommendations from anyone?

Well I guess its just personal preference. I had a 7 point jump after taking a class. And I studied ALOT when I was self-teaching.

I would avoid the "big box" ones like Kaplan and PR. Blueprint is okay. Depending on where OP lives there could be various smaller companies that do better more personalized work. I took one of those smaller ones and would recommend it. It was great. They had a policy that all teachers had to have gotten a 175 AND had to have 2 years teaching experience

[Nova]

Daffy-

Listen you have a 3.8 GPA. You shouldn't be settling for these schools! Here's what you should do for the next year:
- Get some sort of job (maybe you'll need 2 if they suck) to pay rent and make the minimum payments on your UG loans
- Take some of that money and sign up for an LSAT class ASAP
- Spend most of your time not at work studying for the LSAT. I mean REALLY dedicate yourself
- Get a 10 point increase in score and laugh that you even considered these options.

I've never used a class, and I have heard that the are unnecessary. However, if you don't mind spending the money, then they could be the way to go if you desire structure. Any recommendations from anyone?

I recommend saving your grand, and buying the Powerscore bibles/Manhatten Atlas's, atleast 2 bundles of PTs, and the most recent tests individually (29-38, 52-61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66), for under $200

[abc12345675]

Daffy-

Listen you have a 3.8 GPA. You shouldn't be settling for these schools! Here's what you should do for the next year:
- Get some sort of job (maybe you'll need 2 if they suck) to pay rent and make the minimum payments on your UG loans
- Take some of that money and sign up for an LSAT class ASAP
- Spend most of your time not at work studying for the LSAT. I mean REALLY dedicate yourself
- Get a 10 point increase in score and laugh that you even considered these options.

I've never used a class, and I have heard that the are unnecessary. However, if you don't mind spending the money, then they could be the way to go if you desire structure. Any recommendations from anyone?

I recommend saving your grand, and buying the Powerscore bibles/Manhatten Atlas's, atleast 2 bundles of PTs, and the most recent tests individually (29-38, 52-61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66), for under $200

What's an extra $800 bucks though if its about maximizing his score?

[dpk711]

also, a 170 will get you into UPENN if you really want to live in Philly.

which is right next to Drexel

[Nova]

What's an extra $800 bucks though if its about maximizing his score?

Yeah, the case can def be made that a class could help one max their score. Classes are especially good for developing a foundation. I just don't think its necessary. IMO, everything one needs to know is on TLS and in the atlas's.

Also, Daffy comes off as a woman to me, but IDK, lol.

[crooked]

where are u getting these numbers because this websites own number are different. Clearly I'm a shitty researcher. And my reluctance to retake lsat and wait a year is mostly because I'm afraid ill get a lower score and I REALLY wanna start law school this year and avoid having to repay student loan etc. Plus that test is really hard, I basically self studied intensely for a month and luced out with a 154 (which I'm sure is pathetic to you all but I was proud of it) and seriously neglected my son. Don't wanna go through that again if there's not a significant reason for it. And drexel is offering 20k scholarship

1) I know that "retake the LSAT" is cliched advice here, but seriously, self study intensely for more than a month. I self studied, and I started thinking about/preparing for the June LSAT in late December/early January. I didn't kill myself studying (and I work a full-time job), but I put in the time, bought the Powerscore logic games bible, did a ton of practice tests and found it was completely manageable. Your GPA is excellent, and if you can bring up your score by 10 points (which is feasible with more time and better prep), you'll give yourself a great shot at significantly better schools/bigger scholarships.
2) The legal job market is fairly terrible and unpredictable, even for people at top schools. You shouldn't lock yourself into that much debt without doing much more research than you appear to have done and without going to the kind of school that will substantially improve your odds of getting a job - especially since you have a kid whose well-being you need to look out for.
3)

I thought success depended on the lawyer not necessarily the school.

This is untrue.
4) Transferring is not always an option, and no one should begin attending a law school from which he or she would not be satisfied with graduating.
5) You keep saying you're not good at research. Maybe the law isn't for you. This isn't meant to be mean or internet snark, but being a lawyer involves a LOT of research, and the first step is figuring out how the law school process works.

[flem]

What's an extra $800 bucks though if its about maximizing his score?

A full length course can give you a great foundation but you need better/more involved/more targeted prep to score as high as you likely need to.

[Paul Campos]

I was talking this morning to somebody whose GPA is less than a tenth of a point higher than yours and whose best LSAT score is 165 (very achievable for somebody who semi-winged a 154).

This person just got into Chicago. (Not a URM btw).