Disappointing cycle... Retry next year? Forum

[greenfairy]

I'm changing my mind every hour and I think some educated advice would really do me some good at this point. I want to practice animal law, unequivocally, and I would prefer to live in Boston. My stats are 3.6/164, so I'm thinking the best thing to do would be to take another year off (as much as I don't want to), retake the LSAT, and hopefully get more scholarship money to some better schools. And while LC has the best animal law program, I don't really want to live in the Northwest beyond law school (and I'm still waiting on scholarship info). Any advice would be extremely helpful, I really appreciate it!

[bk1]

Retake/reapply. 20k/year at Northeastern isn't appealing and a few points could get you BU/BC (a large jump could get you lower T14's).

[Sandro]

3 points and you are golden. Please retake.

[krad]

As much as you don't want to hear it, retake/reapply is TCR here. I second bk: gain a few points and aim for BU/BC on up! Good luck

[flexityflex86]

Even at a 3.6 164, you did not do well.

Retake is the common language on this board, and for good reason - but it is just as important you REDO YOUR APPLICATIONS. TLS tends to overhype the LSAT relative to a good app. The truth is that with quality schools, the LSAT is a necessary condition, not a sufficient one.

I can say the following from my experience:

Applied to a bunch in October, did not personally tailor each app, etc. and my #'s were vastly underperforming me.

I applied to some schools as late as March 1, and got into a few reaches by personally tailoring (spending weeks on some apps).

If you couldn't crack tier 1 with a 3.6 and 164 (is L&C tier 1?), your apps stunk.

[greenfairy]

Even at a 3.6 164, you did not do well.

Retake is the common language on this board, and for good reason - but it is just as important you REDO YOUR APPLICATIONS. TLS tends to overhype the LSAT relative to a good app. The truth is that with quality schools, the LSAT is a necessary condition, not a sufficient one.

I can say the following from my experience:

Applied to a bunch in October, did not personally tailor each app, etc. and my #'s were vastly underperforming me.

I applied to some schools as late as March 1, and got into a few reaches by personally tailoring (spending weeks on some apps).

If you couldn't crack tier 1 with a 3.6 and 164 (is L&C tier 1?), your apps stunk.

Hah I love your frankness, flexityflex. I did get into CU with no $ and waitlisted at MN. I applied way too late in the cycle and rushed my apps, so you're probably right, they stunk.

Thank you everyone for your advice. It's really helping me see the best choice, I guess I just needed other people to tell me.

[krad]

From what you're saying, it sounds like (as flex said) you really need to apply EARLY, tailor the apps (FWIW I wrote a Why X statement for every single school to which I applied; I sepnt a month and a half on my PS), and see if you can't raise that LSAT. Best of luck for a better cycle next time around!

[greenfairy]

From what you're saying, it sounds like (as flex said) you really need to apply EARLY, tailor the apps (FWIW I wrote a Why X statement for every single school to which I applied; I sepnt a month and a half on my PS), and see if you can't raise that LSAT. Best of luck for a better cycle next time around!

Thank you krad, and congratulations on BU!

[taxnstuff]

You wont be making much money in animal law. I would go where you will have the least debt. Nothing against animal law and I understand money isn't everything, but debt and money are two completely different things.

[flexityflex86]

Even at a 3.6 164, you did not do well.

Retake is the common language on this board, and for good reason - but it is just as important you REDO YOUR APPLICATIONS. TLS tends to overhype the LSAT relative to a good app. The truth is that with quality schools, the LSAT is a necessary condition, not a sufficient one.

I can say the following from my experience:

Applied to a bunch in October, did not personally tailor each app, etc. and my #'s were vastly underperforming me.

I applied to some schools as late as March 1, and got into a few reaches by personally tailoring (spending weeks on some apps).

If you couldn't crack tier 1 with a 3.6 and 164 (is L&C tier 1?), your apps stunk.

Hah I love your frankness, flexityflex. I did get into CU with no $ and waitlisted at MN. I applied way too late in the cycle and rushed my apps, so you're probably right, they stunk.

Thank you everyone for your advice. It's really helping me see the best choice, I guess I just needed other people to tell me.

Minnesota is a bit of a reach.

But yes, I am less opposed to sitting out a year than most given the year you need to wait for your dream to come true, start establishing yourself as a real life adult and the year of employment you'd lose as a working lawyer, which can be a lot of $$$$.

However, I just think the options you have are so substantially worse than what they should be/could be with a retake, you should do that.

I do some tutoring, and had a student improve from the 130s into the 160 range over a year of hard work to balance out her 3.9. She was so excited to get into some tier 1s, but was so fed up with the LSAT she's attending a low top-50 at sticker rather than doing the wise thing of retaking for the top 14 or her current school at a full scholarship v. sticker.