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Here's a whiny, self-entitled dilemma for you!

My cycle's not going as well as I had hoped; I'm on a ton of waitlists, still waiting on a few long-shot schools, and my only T14 admits are NU and GULC, both at sticker. I applied late, mid-January, and I'm a splitter (3.2x/179), so I'm wondering if I would be better off waiting and reapplying next year.

On the one hand, I'm hesitant to load on so much debt, particularly at a lower T14, and my chances might have been better had I applied earlier in the year. On the other hand, the only advantage I'll have in a year is applying earlier; my GPA is set, and I'm unlikely to cure cancer or win Olympic gold in the next six months. I suspect the TLS effect raised my expectations unreasonably, and I may have topped out. Also, I'm itching to go to school, ready for a change, and eager to leave my job, where I've already given notice. Delaying a year also means delaying the start of my "real" career for a year, with the associated opportunity costs.

Goals: Clerkship, then biglaw or government.

I'm a proponent of taking some time off between UG and law school. Find a 40 hour a week job, work on your tan, read some good books, and apply in october next year.

Uh your GPA is not "that bad," and you have a phenomenal LSAT score. Wait a year. Send your apps out early. You are bound to get some mid-bottom T14 acceptances with money ( I can see Michigan throwing some decent money your way at the very least), maybe even a little scholly love from one of the CCN. No doubt $$$ from the 15-25 range if you are debt adverse. Worth it to wait a year. You will get more money, likely still get into a T14 or a pick of your T25 with money, and have the benefit of searching for a job in a better economy.

fathergoose wrote:I'm a proponent of taking some time off between UG and law school. Find a 40 hour a week job, work on your tan, read some good books, and apply in october next year.

Sorry, should have said that I've been out of school and working for the past 4 years.

I'd go with treeey on this one. Sound advice

Siamsa414 wrote:

fathergoose wrote:I'm a proponent of taking some time off between UG and law school. Find a 40 hour a week job, work on your tan, read some good books, and apply in october next year.

Sorry, should have said that I've been out of school and working for the past 4 years.

I'd think you could get decent money if you apply early to NW.

fathergoose wrote:I'm a proponent of taking some time off between UG and law school. Find a 40 hour a week job, work on your tan, read some good books, and apply in october next year.

They are already working. Says so in the OP and implied by the NU acceptance. With that low gpa I don't think you are looking at much money anywhere. You could probably get UVA ED if you wanted it. I haven't seen money for anyone with below a 3.4 in the T-14. I would check LSN and see what people with your numbers have gotten.

How late did you apply?

You might not find that your results are much different next year, your GPA is pretty low for most of the T14 and that may not be offset as much as you think by your high LSAT.

bdubs wrote:How late did you apply?

Mid-January (late LOR).

bdubs wrote:You might not find that your results are much different next year, your GPA is pretty low for most of the T14 and that may not be offset as much as you think by your high LSAT.

This is what worries me; taking a gamble, sitting out a year, and finding myself with the same options.

OP has 4 years of WE, a 3.2, and a freaking 179 LSAT score. Ok OP's gpa is "low" for a t-14, but her LSAT score is HIGH for a mid- lower T14. OP also has the work experience soft factor, which clearly NU liked, and I could imagine others would like if OP was under consideration earlier in the cycle when more spots are potentially available for lower GPA applicants whose resume is otherwise outstanding.

Seriously OP, sit out a year. Economy will improve, and worst case you go to a school that accepted you this cycle. Best case is you either have (a) more t-14 options to choose from with or without money, (b) t-14 options with some sizeable money or enough to make it worth your while , (c) T15-25 schools that are throwing real $$$ at you, or (d) all of the above.

I dont care what anyone else on this board says. A 179 LSAT with a 3.2x GPA is attractive to a school, especially in September or October of the cycle.

OP is prolly not getting money or even CCN i would say, but any MVPD would let her in w/ ED if she rather go to one of those, I'd prolly just go to NU though

if the t14 is like all other schools, u may strike out. you're lsat will be among the highest wherever u go, but ure gpa hurts their stats...
im a splitter, i know nothing about the t14, but if there are any t14 schools that are like WUSTL (where they not only accept splitters to boost lsat stats, but also give money) go for it.

treeey86 wrote:OP has 4 years of WE, a 3.2, and a freaking 179 LSAT score. Ok OP's gpa is "low" for a t-14, but her LSAT score is HIGH for a mid- lower T14. OP also has the work experience soft factor, which clearly NU liked, and I could imagine others would like if OP was under consideration earlier in the cycle when more spots are potentially available for lower GPA applicants whose resume is otherwise outstanding.

Seriously OP, sit out a year. Economy will improve, and worst case you go to a school that accepted you this cycle. Best case is you either have (a) more t-14 options to choose from with or without money, (b) t-14 options with some sizeable money or enough to make it worth your while , (c) T15-25 schools that are throwing real $$$ at you, or (d) all of the above.

I dont care what anyone else on this board says. A 179 LSAT with a 3.2x GPA is attractive to a school, especially in September or October of the cycle.

OP has extremely small shot at CCN. And OP is definitely not getting money anywhere in the T14. Illinois, WUSTL, Minn, SMU, etc etc will give good scholarships.

If OP reaplies he has an OK to low chance of getting Penn, Mich, and Cornell. If he ED's to one of Mich, Penn or UVA, he'll have a good shot at getting that school.

But there's not much downside. NU and Gtown will take him next year too. OP shouldn't have quit so fucking soon.

If willing to consider scholarships at T20-50, reapply for sure. Otherwise I'd probably go to NU or Gtown. But like I said there isn't much of a downside to reapplying.

Desert Fox wrote:

treeey86 wrote:OP has 4 years of WE, a 3.2, and a freaking 179 LSAT score. Ok OP's gpa is "low" for a t-14, but her LSAT score is HIGH for a mid- lower T14. OP also has the work experience soft factor, which clearly NU liked, and I could imagine others would like if OP was under consideration earlier in the cycle when more spots are potentially available for lower GPA applicants whose resume is otherwise outstanding.

Seriously OP, sit out a year. Economy will improve, and worst case you go to a school that accepted you this cycle. Best case is you either have (a) more t-14 options to choose from with or without money, (b) t-14 options with some sizeable money or enough to make it worth your while , (c) T15-25 schools that are throwing real $$$ at you, or (d) all of the above.

I dont care what anyone else on this board says. A 179 LSAT with a 3.2x GPA is attractive to a school, especially in September or October of the cycle.

OP has extremely small shot at CCN. And OP is definitely not getting money anywhere in the T14. Illinois, WUSTL, Minn, SMU, etc etc will give good scholarships.

If OP retakes he has an OK to low chance of getting Penn, Mich, and Cornell. If he ED's to one of Mich, Penn or UVA, he'll have a good shot at getting that school.

But there's not much downside. NU and Gtown will take him next year too. OP shouldn't have quit so fucking soon.

If willing to consider scholarships at T20-50, reapply for sure. Otherwise I'd probably go to NU or Gtown. But like I said there isn't much of a downside to reapplying.

Retakes the 179?

rad law wrote: Retakes the 179?

Opps reapply I mean.

If you are going to do something productive with a year off or you are desperately itching to go to CCN, then yeah take the year off. You probably have a legitimate shot at NYU and MVPB.

But it sounds like you want to head back to school; in your shoes, I would probably deposit at NU and see if I get off any waitlists. The difference between MVPB and NU is not really that big. There's a chance that next year you get into MVPB with money, but I seriously doubt you get an amount of money that would offset the income from going to school a year earlier. (This is a blanket statement and depends on your current income at your job. If you feel like you are just spending time sitting around, then you should go.)

Take NU and go with it. Request (plead, beg, whatever) they allow you to defer matriculation a year. There, you win.

I doubt that you will get $ from T14. P50+/P50+ is much more valuable to the schools for ranking purposes than P75+/P25- or even P99+/P25-. But you can try getting into a higher ranked school with ED and no $ if that is what you want. You can first ED to NYU, and if you get waitlisted/rejected, you can then ED to UVa. Meanwhile blanket all other T14 with RD applications.

Having said that, if I were you, I would just go to NU.

A few people at Cornell my year got hefty scholarships with sub-3.2 GPAs and super high LSAT scores. Not all of them got hefty scholarships, but 5 years work experience might be enough to push you into the money-getting-group.