Top Law Schools

I'll be graduating with a 3.6-3.7 gpa from UCLA and i got a 165 on my first LSAT (my Avg on PTs)

I really want to go to Gould...USC LAW but feel my LSAT is slightly bellow their Median

Im afraid if i take the LSAT again i could bomb a section and possibly do worse (although this time i overdosed on 5 hr energys and started flush after section 3)

Im assuming ill get $$$ from pepperdine but i don't know if i'd want to go their.

What do you all recommend...where else to apply? what else to do?
I really wanted to go to school in NY then practice in LA but i hear thats unlikely...

Retake. USC is not really going to look at you any different if you are a 165 or a 165/155, though they will look at a 170/165 differently from a 165.

If you want to go to school in NY and practice in LA your only real options would be CLS/NYU/Cornell (scratch the last one if you meant the city and not the state).

bk187 wrote:Retake. USC is not really going to look at you any different if you are a 165 or a 165/155, though they will look at a 170/165 differently from a 165.

why do you say that? wouldn't a school look down on getting a 155 after the original 165? USC in particular? very curious now.

Perch wrote:

bk187 wrote:Retake. USC is not really going to look at you any different if you are a 165 or a 165/155, though they will look at a 170/165 differently from a 165.

why do you say that? wouldn't a school look down on getting a 155 after the original 165? USC in particular? very curious now.

disclaimer: did not really read anyone's posts in this thread

because of the way USNWR does rankings and how law schools report their incoming class numbers, retakes are more beneficial to the students now

for most law schools, your highest score is the one they report, so it is the one they care about

JD=Doctor wrote:and i got a 165 on my first LSAT (my Avg on PTs)

Retake isn't always an automatic response, you sheeple.

OP, how much studying did you do? If you spent 6 months studying and scored right along the lines of your PT's, then I wouldn't retake. If you did 3 PT's and called it good, retake.

DoubleChecks wrote:

Perch wrote:

bk187 wrote:Retake. USC is not really going to look at you any different if you are a 165 or a 165/155, though they will look at a 170/165 differently from a 165.

why do you say that? wouldn't a school look down on getting a 155 after the original 165? USC in particular? very curious now.

disclaimer: did not really read anyone's posts in this thread

because of the way USNWR does rankings and how law schools report their incoming class numbers, retakes are more beneficial to the students now

for most law schools, your highest score is the one they report, so it is the one they care about

this is true, but it's more true if you have a 75th percentile after a 40th percentile, than if you have a 40th percentile and retake to a 25th. In the latter hypothetical, neither score benefits the school at all, and the applicant has only undermined his cause. He went from being a possible in to a definite out.

What about Davis and Hastings? You are probably a lock for both.

With a 165 I don't think you have much of a shot at USC. If you really want USC, then you should retake. If you bomb it won't make a difference. You probably wouldn't get into USC with just the 165 anyway (so the fact you may have a lower, more recent score is irrelevant as far as USC is concerned), and any other schools you would be looking at won't care what your other LSAT scores are - they are just going to report the 165.

my guess is 168+ for USC.

Sup Traehekat. Grats on Iowa.

Matteliszt wrote:my guess is 168+ for USC.

Sup Traehekat. Grats on Iowa.

Thanks man, ditto on UNC. How's your summer been?

What UCLA grad wants to go to USC?

taw856 wrote:What UCLA grad wants to go to USC?

I was kind of wondering that myself. What's wrong with going to UCLA for law school?

PDaddy wrote:

taw856 wrote:What UCLA grad wants to go to USC?

I was kind of wondering that myself. What's wrong with going to UCLA for law school?

Ucla is a lot harder to get into...i'v heard of more people getting into USC with lower numbers
im still gonna apply to both


To the person asking about my studying time.... i took a class which began on the firstt of april so roughly 2 months of studing and 5 PTs after learning all the material with RC fluctuating from -2 to -10 (-8 on the test) Games from perfect to -2/3 errors and LR -5 total to -10 total
RC being the hardest to control3

Beyond admissions to USC, 1 or 2 more points can result in additional $$ to another school. I'd consider you start studying for a re-take, and if you're confident you'll beat the 165 after, sign up. According to some posters a lower score won't significantly hurt you. A higher score, however, can be the difference in an acceptance or thousands of debt. I'm in a similar situation and am preparing for the October LSAT. I'll make my decision in a month or so.

JD=Doctor wrote:

PDaddy wrote:

taw856 wrote:What UCLA grad wants to go to USC?

I was kind of wondering that myself. What's wrong with going to UCLA for law school?

Ucla is a lot harder to get into...i'v heard of more people getting into USC with lower numbers
im still gonna apply to both


To the person asking about my studying time.... i took a class which began on the firstt of april so roughly 2 months of studing and 5 PTs after learning all the material with RC fluctuating from -2 to -10 (-8 on the test) Games from perfect to -2/3 errors and LR -5 total to -10 total
RC being the hardest to control3

You didn't study enough. Your RC should not have fluctuated that much, and five PTs isn't sufficient to get a top score in most cases. If you occasionally missed 10 on LR, you also have a lot of room for improvement there most likely.